Looking for a unicorn for this savage.
The person needs to be little(ish) but fierce:
Fury is 14h2; convinced she’s 18h and owns the whole planet. Rides like a big WB tho and feels 18h wide, so I guess that’s fair. (The owning the whole planet bit is still up for some debate on my part tho)
Let me elaborate quickly – Little(ish) but not a kid. Fury thinks kids are afternoon snacks. Or perhaps toys. Definitely tiny carrot slaves. But not riders.
The potential baiter needs to be ok with apologising.
You will apologise for Fury A LOT. You will apologise when she jumps out of her paddock for the 5th time after you put her back and sets off all the other horses in the yard. You will apologise when she steals (and destroys) someone else’s fly mask. Again.
You will apologise when she escapes at a show and makes a beeline for the tuckshop, puts 2 bacon and egg rolls and a coke on your account and finishes them without sharing before you even find her. You will apologise when she eats the straw hat off a spectator’s head (usually someone’s elderly granny) at a show. You will apologise when she steals the dressage judge’s Hunters Gold AGAIN. You will apologise when she gaps it out of her stable in the split second you look away, breaks into the club house, raids the fridge and eats errrbody’s carrots for the week.
Just accept that you will apologise a LOT.
And you’re laughing now cos you think I’m joking ….
She will eat ANYTHING. Literally. Anything.
Watermelon (or any other melon). All fruits. All human food including KFC. Cupcakes. Biscuits. Sammitches. Popcorn. The box the popcorn came in. Pizza. The box the pizza came in …
(We don’t feed dodgy stuff to her, she’s the world’s biggest thief and flipping fast and sneaky!)
I’ve had her since she was born so I know both her parents were equine. However we’re fairly convinced there’s a strong chance of goat in her ancestry (will put her hooves up the trunk of a tree to eat it, and then there’s that eat anything thing…)
Is she an absolute holy terror? Yes. Without a doubt.
But safe! No-one has fallen off her except once when she fell over a jump years ago – and every time she gets in the water she WILL lie down with you (but she takes you with her to get wet so technically not actually a fall)
She’s the BEST outride pony.
Actually, even absolute never-ridden-before-beginners can go on an outride with her (provided they don’t attempt to tell her what to do; and allow her to refuel every 30 seconds) but best you be able to ride the wiggling-stomping-huffing debate when Fury decides she wants to discuss with you how necessary she thinks flatwork actually is (no bucks or rears tho – just a lot of arguing and huffing and stomping around if the rider is sitting squiff)
The potential baiter would ideally be pretty good at/enjoy flatwork (Fury thinks it’s boring AF but needs it)
They need to be either absolutely terrified of jumping (but wish they weren’t) or looove jumping: Fury is a jumping MACHINE.
It does not matter how terrified you are of jumping, Fury will fix you.
It doesn’t matter how badly your confidence with jumping has been destroyed – Fury will fix it.
She never stops, never knocks, never looks. She fixes your wrong stride, adjusts your wrong line and gets you over safely. She can turn inside half her own body length and thinks jumpoffs are the best fun you can have with your saddle on.
Almost every person in the photos started off petrified over 20cm – Fury will fix your confidence (while stealing all foodstuffs of yours she can find)
If this shortish feistyish unicorn is competitive as hell, that’s also ok – Fury’s the original “What Would You Like To Win Today?” pony.
I haven’t had a baiter on her for a year or so, because I’m not sure this unicorn exists (still doubtful to be honest!)
She’s currently busy teaching a couple of former Lippi riders to jump (they also started out terrified of 20 cms a few months back and are now sailing over 80s!) and they’re teaching her to get on with dressage and stop moaning about it. She’s actually pretty good at it!
To stay at her current yard in Chartwell, Jhb NW (just behind the Broadacres Spar that sells those biiiig bags of carrots!)
Contact meryl@nullstarlightlane.co.za to arrange a sample mugging try out.
Cheryl Mary Cattanach
Ha Ha! I think you must send her to Springs for me :-). She sounds like the Waldamar I ride. Equine Fox Terrier, wins his class at the show, then climbs in the drinking water trough and swims when my back is turned. Escapes and takes friends with him at every opportune moment. Though he be but little, he be FIERCE.
Meryl Rosenberg
Cheryl you would LOVE her. I cry every day that you moved so far, you’d be so perfect for her!
Plus also I stable with the wife of an ex colleague of yours 😉
Cheryl Mary Cattanach
She sounds like a great character :-), though I can’t exactly say that I am sorry that I moved to the Winns and get to ride some really super horses under their #winning influence ;-). I couldn’t be more blessed, really.
I recall that Kerri Coats told me that the wife of an ex-colleague of mine was at that yard, small world.