Every time I see her, I smile!

by Tia

(Ireland)

This is Gizmo my 16 year old, 13.2hh mare! Gizmo was 12 when I got her for my 10th birthday after I had her on loan for a while! She was uncontrolable, head-strong and overweight because she was left in a field for a year before I got her. I couldn’t handle her. My mother had to lunge her and even ride her, she was very fast and just wanted to gallop!

We worked with her for ages and she improved a bit, I wasn’t an experienced rider back then and wasn’t really strong enough to hold her back on a snaffle bit.

We went to an equestrian shop about 1 and a half years later and bought a very strong bit and it worked and we improved more and more but she was still very head-strong!

For the first 3 years I had her, I was riding her in my rocky field so we had to look for safe places for jumping! About a year ago, we built an arena because the field was unsafe and we bought another horse for my mother and the two horses grazed there and if we rode there, it made the field very mucky!

Gizmo and I really improved because of the enclosed arena and I was able to manage her! Before I got the arena, I went to a show and got two clear rounds!

I went to one last year and got 1 clear round and on the second one she kind of spooked and I fell off her!

Now I can really control her because she has brought me a long way and improved my riding skills, and I am now stronger and able to manage her.

She is almost 17 and I am almost 14, and we still jump to this day, still improving in different ways and we are going to do some more jumping and maybe do a bit of cross-country because she loves being out in an open field doing water jumps and I think she is really built for it!

Gizmo is the best best best pony in the world and she will stay in my heart forever!