Sparkle/Iris's Sparkle
On the 8th July 2008, I was asked by a friend of a friend to go up to ride two ponies that were in need of a rider-Sparkle & Gwennie. The first time I met Sparkie he was a just turned 4yo, whose face was bleeding and cracked all over from sweetitch. It took four people to put his bridle on because his ears were so sore that if you tried to touch them he would rear straight up. I remember think that after coming off an 11.1hh who struggled to canter a whole lap of the arena before running out of steam and trying to buck me off, that he seemed huge. I told my mum that he felt like a 'proper showjumping pony'. I'd been riding him for about a month when he came up for sale- we got first refusal on him. Sadly, a few weeks before this, my great, great Aunty Iris had passed away and had left some money to me and my brother. I brought Sparkie for £1500 and paid every penny for him myself with this money-hence the name 'Iris's Sparkle'. On the 4th August 2008, we brought him home.
I can't lie, a 12 year old girl buying a very green 4yo probably wasn't the best idea. At our first show, we ran over the judges twice(they were not most pleased) and he took off with me all over the place, even though he was the bottom ring of his gag. By January, I was seriously considering selling him to someone more experienced. I couldn't go any faster than a trot because I was too scared to canter him because he'd just bolt with me. On the ground he was horrible. He was so naughty for biting.. he'd quite literally charged at people across the field and try to take chunks out of them. Our field was down the road from the stables and got to the point where my Dad was the only person strong enough to be able to lead him down the road safely because he would rear and buck and spin round into cars. We had to twitch him and pin him against the stable wall to be able to tack him up and I could only get on him in the stable. One day it took me half an hour to mount him because everytime we went near him he reared up.
Slowly though, we did start to get there, although I don't think we really started to get to grips with each other until 2010, which even now I'd say is the best year I've had with him. At the start of the year, I had to pull him out a class because he was being too dangerous, galloping off and trying to jump out of the ring, but each month we went back and my Dad came to the yard and helped me with him pretty much every day until by the end of the year we were unbeaten in one class, having won it every single month and finished 4th at the National Championships and were jumping up to 1m10 at home and 1m at shows!
Then he had 6 months off over winter 2010-2011 due to having no where to ride. After moving yards in February 2011, I started to bring him back into work it was like he'd literally turned wild. I couldn't lead him around the yard without him throwing himself around and rearing up at me. When I first got back on him, it took four people to hold him for me to be able to get on. Jumping was out of the question- as soon as he saw a fence, he would gallop flat out round the school. We basically had to spend the first part of 2011 completely re-schooling him, but he seemed to come back even better, jumping some huge fences I never imagined us jumping...
2011 was also the year I finally got over my phobia of hacking. After being reared up with on a main road when I was 7, I'd always hated hacking, but in 2011 I started going out with some of the other people on the yard, until I was confident to go out on my own without panicking like I used to! We also finished reserve champion at the National Championships in the 3ft class, where he jumped amazing over the weekend!
As for 2012.. well it wasn't the best year. He started of jumping absolutely amazing, flying 1m5 at least without any hesitation!
But after that, we got eliminated at least once at every show we went to, sometimes even in two different classes. He would stop or run out at different fences each time, completely at random, sometimes even tiny cross poles. It feels like we tried everything...he's not pain, we've tried reassuring him and being nice to him, giving him a smack on the bum and sending him forwards, giving him a break off of jumping...but still he just seemed to get worse, until we've decided not to bother with competing anymore. Maybe we'll give it another try again soon, but who knows! Although it sometimes feels like he's gone downhill more than he's improved, I can't deny how much of a changed pony he from the day he first arrived, and no matter what, he's still the best pony I could wish for and I love him to pieces-he's my rock! I just wish he knew how talented he could be...
Beth, Sparkie, Jack & Carling! xx
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