2022 was a good year and tbh its the first year that I can say I have competed consistently in all my 30 plus years of riding.  Better late than never!

The main reasons for the lack of competing, is that I always seem to be producing/ re-schooling horses rather than buying something already made.  This is mainly due to finances, however I do love that feeling of ‘we achieved this, together’.

So Joey, what has he done up to this point?

Joey is a 2012 baby so that makes him rising 11 this year.  I brought him from Ireland as an unbroken 3 year old from a chap called David Healey.  The idea was to produce Joey and then sell him.  He is the first Connemara I have owned.  I’ve previously been a TB kinda girl.  He wasn’t the easiest to break in, he was extremely nervous, so we just took our time.  Never did I think he would jump like he does today back then.

Let’s just say Joey stayed and wasn’t sold 🙂

As an 8 year old, he was handed over to my daughter for her to gain some confidence on, she lost her sassy Welsh C due to loosing his battle with an extremely large carcinoma cancer growth.

Joey and Lily quickly became good friends, galloping all over Salisbury Plain, he was like a pony on speed before this, so you can imagine what he did turned into.

Over this period, I loaned a horse for 18 months but things didn’t work out, maybe we just clashed personalities.  We did go through a lot together and I was starting to loose a bit of confidence.  After discussions with his owner, it was decided that he would be returned.  He actually went to a sales livery and found a lovely home and he seems to be behaving himself, I am so pleased for them.

Lily started to loose a bit of interest in riding, she knew I would keenly take back the reins for Joey.  So early 2022 we went back to scratch and started re-schooling and trying to make him understand that he cannot go along as fast as he likes with his nose stuck up in the air.