Hillary and Me - A Background.

I have owned Hillary (Little Miss Sunshine) since 15.08.2009. As will most likely become apparent if you were to read this, she is my absolute everything, and so as a result, this blog is written as a means of sharing my experiences with her, and both our trials and joys as we face them. 

I first sat on a horse before I learned to walk. My mum jokes that, as it was my dad's choice to sit me on this pony, it's his fault that I then became absolutely obsessed with horses. I don't obviously remember sitting on this pony, but I do remember seeing the picture that captured the moment. Whether that particular moment was the spark that ignited my obsession or not, I don't know, but I do know that ever since, I've been hooked. 

My parents could never afford a pony for me, and definitely didn't have the time or experience for me to have one. But they did however, know someone who had a pony available for loan. She was an elderly welsh pony standing at 12.2hh. Her name was Sugar, and I learned so much from my time with her. I am eternally grateful for the family that owned her, as they probably saw more of me in that time than my own family did, and treated me no different from their own children. People like that are a rare special thing, and I owe them a huge amount. Unfortunately, when I was ten, after around eighteen months of looking after Sugar, she became ill, and had to be put to sleep. I remember the last time I saw her; my mum let me wear my best clothes to the yard to go and spend time with her. I just brushed her for about an hour. I didn't want to go. 

I continued to ride for probably another five years, before I became engrossed with my GCSEs. I suppose that because I didn't have a pony of my own, I didn't need to ride. I had decided by that point anyway, that if I wanted a horse of my own (which I definitely did), I would have to earn the money to keep it myself, and so for the next eight years, I threw all my efforts into becoming a teacher, in the hope that in that career, I would have both the time and money to reach my goal. 

Hillary was a horse I first met when I was around fifteen. She came over from Ireland as I remember as a four year old, and became a riding school horse on the yard where I rode with Sugar's family. I always found her stunning (just look at her picture!) and even got to have a ride on a lesson. I don't remember much about the ride, except for that she was a fresh, sparky thing, but I was besotted. To now get to see her every day is a blessing, and how I actually came about owning her makes me a pretty firm believer in fate.