He was a starved cruelty case…

I’m 58 years old, I rode as a child from the age of 3, joined the Worcestershire Hunt pony club and Bromsgrove and District Riding Club, competed regularly, I also had a weekend and holiday job at Martin Tates Racing Yard and when I left school I worked for Michael Oliver and was there when West Tip won the 1986 Grand National. I came out of racing and had a break from horses in 1995.
I rode a little with a friend from 2011 but really got back into it when I spotted Harry’s advert.
It was Saturday 8th May 2021 when I first met Harry in a sale’s livery yard owned by Laura Wells.
He was nervous, but from the minute I got on him I could tell there was no malice and knew he was for me.
My friend Victoria Steele from Point2Point horse box hire, fetched him, and that is where our journey begins.
He was very anxious and we had to take baby steps. I only had to put my leg on him and he panicked. He had never been on a hack, everything was new to him, drains, road signs, road marking’s absolutely everything.
I managed to make contact with his previous owner Karen, who told me what she knew.
He was a starved cruelty case from Ireland, he was bought off the back off a lorry in Drumshambo in County Leitrim, by a lady from Cheshire who deals in Irish sports horses who was over there and saw him and thought he was worth taking a chance on.
I was told it took several months to get enough weight on him before they could show him to anyone and that person was Karen.
She couldn’t resist him, she bought him and sent him away to be broken and schooled, but when she rode him she found him to sharp for her and turned him away for another six months before sending him to the sales livery yard where I met him.
He has never put a foot wrong, he only wants to please.
He is 9 years old but was only broken in about 3 years ago, we compete in Dressage, Show Jumping, Arena Eventing, ODE, Hunts, this is his second season in the show ring and he has surpassed all expectations, he has qualified for the RIHS and now for the LIHS I still can’t believe it and I’m over the moon at how far we have come.
I can’t thank Harry enough for the journey he has taken me on.
And to my friend Vicky for driving us everywhere and Vicky is the only person who Harry will load in a lorry for.