Finding My Horse - Update

After announcing, a few weeks ago, that I was to be getting my own horse, for the first time since being a teenager, I've been busy putting the wheels into motion. So much so it has completely distracted me from anything else. I've reverted back to that pony obsessed twelve year old, who would cycle around my local area, scoping for where I might be able to keep a pony. I can see myself at the family dinner table, swinging my legs, dreaming about horses and scheming about how to get my own. The moment there was any gap in the conversation (which I had been paying no attention to whatsoever) I would announce, "I want a horse!" This outburst was so regular that I was either completely ignored, or told to shut up.

​In short, my inner-child has been awoken and now I'm an adult and, mostly, in control of my life I can actually make it happen. Joy!

Since making the decision I have told everyone in my world who I know is connected to horses that I am looking to buy my own. This included strangers, such as the nice, hay-covered woman in the carpark of Horseworld. She had her car boot open waiting for her sacks of grass pellets to be delivered. "You horsey?" I asked her. She laughed pointing to the saddles and bridles in her car, "did you guess from my portable tack room?" We chatted and swapped numbers after she promised to look out for a happy hacker for me.

I designed a tear-off-tab poster that I put up on the notice board in Horseworld. I joined a ridiculous number of facebook groups. I wrote an ad that went to all the polo-pony contacts in the area who might be wanting to retire one of their horses from competition. I contacted the met-police, having heard that they were closing their mounted police division in certain London boroughs.

From all of this I've had a few potentials but nothing right either for me, or for the home I would be bringing them to. Since then I've learned that there is potentially a hay shortage this winter due to such a dry summer. This means feeding a third horse could be problematic. The search may have to be suspended.

​But wait...because now I have seen this handsome boy.

Damien (please don't be alarmed by the name - if anything it makes me want him more) is perfect for me, he's a retired standardbred trotter, only twelve, fantastic in traffic, totally chill and look, here he is being ridden by a thirteen year-old! But there is an issue and not just the hay shortage. Damien is in Malta.

See, what I haven't told you, is that during my frantic online horse-hunting, I found out about RMJ's Horse Rescue. I joined a group called Project Back To Green, where I read about all these amazing horses being successfully re-homed. I didn't understand because all the re-homing centres I had contacted such as Redwings and Equine Rehoming and Blue Cross only had companion horses available (nothing that I could ride). Then I realised that RMJ's was based in Malta and the rescue horses were shipped into the UK. Suddenly it was no longer a calling and I wanted out; it would be a huge risk to adopt a horse unseen. However, I was told, by one of the volunteers for RMJ based in Wales, that there was a possibility of adopting from the UK. Sometimes the shipped horses didn't work out with their adopters; circumstances changed and they were no longer able to keep their rescue horse. These horses are much rarer, but I wasn't in a hurry and it felt safer, I could do a vet check on the horse, maybe even try it out (ride it) before agreeing to adoption. But then I saw Damien!

Damien is up for adoption now and they can't hold him for me because they need to make room in Malta for the next group of horses looking for their forever homes. The more I've investigated the charity and the more stories I hear from people, just like me, who have done this, taken the risk, the more I want to do it. These horses need good homes. They have worked so hard in their careers, being shipped all over Europe to compete, they deserve to go to loving homes, with grass and live outside. One last epic journey, to find me and then stay and be happy.

On Monday I'm off to visit someone I have met online through RMJ's who has loved the process so much she has done it three times. I'm taking Sarah, my fantastic friend, who owns Molly and Turko and the land where I will be keeping my horse. I'm hoping that Sarah will feel as reassured and excited about the Malta adoption as I do and will agree to doing it sooner, so that we can welcome Damien into our lives as early as late November. 

It won't come as a surprise to learn that I'm writing about this lifelong dream. There will be snippets, just like this one, along the way, but the aim is for a book (what else?)
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The next exciting instalment will coming soon once I've lived it - Wish me luck! 
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