Foxy was owned by Niky who owns the yard Scottie always went to over the summers home from University. I was offered to share her when Niky got another horse and things were starting to go a bit quiet with Angel.
Foxy was an interesting mare. She was very quiet around the yard and in the school, but could be very silly hacking and loved her jumping. Her dad had a reputation for stopping during a race and refusing to carry on. Foxy inherited this stubborn opinionated behaviour!
Foxy also raced, but from what I remember, she would refuse to go in or get out of the start gates when racing. So she was retired to life as a riding horse. She spent time show jumping, where she didn’t have the best of treatment. With her being a bit of a mental state when she came to Niky. Foxy was in her early 20s when I met her. She had had a couple of foals since being with Niky, both out of dressage stallion Elroon.
She was probably the first horse I rode where I couldn’t just have an argument and win. You had to negotiate with her and some days you just had to just push her through the silliness and get on with it. She really was your typical TB to ride sometimes.
She taught me a lot and I think she made me the sympathetic, quiet rider I am today. I quickly learnt to have very soft hands, which were complimented when I started long reining at University. The skill of knowing when to ignore a behaviour and when to challenge it has been invaluable and is an approach I use regularly with Scottie.
Sadly we lost Foxy during my first year at University. But it was losing her which inspired me to take the big step of getting my own horse and I know I wouldn’t be the rider I am today without her. She truly was a fantastic horse.
Last Updated on 14/01/2022
