To clever for his own good

The first time i rode Harvey out by myself was an... interesting day.

We rode nicely about halfway down the rode and then he tried trick number 1: I call it, 'But i am walking'

So we get to a certain point (next to a long patch of grass) and Harvey decides that's far enough and stops walking, so i nudge him on. After a couple of polite requests i kick a bit harder and then he does what he does best; out smarts me.

He just walks backwards.

There's nothing you can do really but keep on kicking and hope he decides to walk forward, but who was i kidding? that was NEVER going to happen.

So after about 15 minutes of moon walking i gave up, jumped off and practically dragged the stubborn little pony along the road. The trouble was we were both as stubborn as one another and he was really digging his heels in. Being the smaller of the two of us and only 13 i resorted to pleading with him to walk on. 

Now i come to think of it i wonder why i never used the whip. I didn't really like using it, but maybe that's why we get on so well now...

It must have taken us about 45 minutes to walk 200 meters so i gave up, turned him around, remounted and asked him to walk on. By this time he was in such a huff he must have not realized i was now pointing him homewards and he began to walk backwards again! At first i was distraught, if he didn't even want to walk on back to the yard what was i going to do? But then i realized we were now actually going to be able to walk round the block. So we did. We walked all the way round the block. Backwards.

I remember smiling awkwardly as cars drove past and pulled confused faces, probably wondering whether this was some kind of new dressage move. A couple of cyclists stopped to ask if i was ok and i heard lots of people debating over whether i was doing this on purpose.

 To be honest he's such a clever pony i have no idea why he did this, but he did. We shuffled backwards all the way up the hill, though the woods, across the road and finally about an hour later, into the yard. When we entered the yard and i jumped off Harvey to see his little confused face. He had the funniest expression, confusion, defeat, exhaustion, dizzyness... he hadn't won. HA. HA. When i turned him back out into the field he straight away crashed flat out on the grass. He was knackered and probably had a bit of a head ache! Oh well,

He never tried that one again!

Summer 2011

I must have spent half my summer with this boy

His eyes

Some people say that, when looking into someones eyes, you can see their past, future and soul.
pphhhttt

If eyes can tell lies, Harvey's are masterful deluders.

As i stood their staring into his big, brown, unblinking eyes i remember thinking he was the most lovely, placid, caring and innocent thing i have ever seen. Hahahahhaha....

Nessa

'Come this way! My noble steed awaits!'

Nessa marches everywhere,
and sings everything,
and loves everyone.
She is by far the loveliest person i have ever met.
She is crazy about horses,
completely selfless,
and so generous.
She is one of those people who gets along with everyone because she can have a whole conversation by herself but at the same time make you feel totally and entirely involved. I wouldn't be surprised if i didn't say a word the first year i knew her, i couldn't fit one in edge ways. But, i would laugh until tears streamed down my cheeks.
Like her pony, Nessa does everything at a million miles per hour. Within 30 seconds of marching side by side i had heard her entire life story, and of course her other halves (aka Harvey).
I think at this point, we couldn't have been more opposite,


Now we couldn't be more similar.
Except from for her love for peanut butter.
Gag.

When Ella met Nessa

Okay so our story began at a BBQ full of nutty horse lovers:

A friend of my mum's, who owned a yard down our road, was hosting a BBQ and we were all invited to come. Knowing very well that i would be the only child there i made my way clutching Molly, my lovely new puppy, for company.
Other than the unwanted attention Molly earned me by sheepishly weeing on someones lap, the evening rolled by and I remained fairly unnoticed.

That is until Nessa took pity on the lonely girl and her puppy staring hopelessly at the beautiful, stout, orange pony  in the field.