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submitted by Ehsan Roudiani ( Dorset\London - UK) November 2003
I got my first pony for my 9th birthday. He was a cremello welsh type pony called Snowy, who was 11.2hh and about 15 when I got him. He was a perfect confidence builder for me. We moved yards again after that, and kept him on working livery at the place I am still at now.
As Copper improved, he became more in demand on the riding school and I got offered rides on the younger, greener and more difficult horses in return for Copper being used more on the school. Our yard is a riding school, livery yard and stud. We have about 70 horses and ponies altogether. Copper is on loan to the riding school. This means that they pay for his upkeep and routine bills in return for using him as if he were their own. The arrangement means I keep control of his future but without the costs of a pony who I don't ride any more. In my gap year between school and university, I was a working pupil and got my British Horse Society NVQs (national vocational qualifications). I returned to running the yard in my holidays from university, and for 2 years afterwards. Sabinas Silver Shadows, "Petal"- New Forest Pony Champion When the yard manager started her stud, I met Petal -
show name, Sabinas Silver Shadows. I worked with her from a foal, and
broke her in and I now share her. I competed her as a youngster and we
started our ridden partnership after her first foal, who she had at 4.
Unfortunately she had a severe accident at 5, and had 3 years off,
teaching me all about how to cope with a horse on a years box rest! She
had her second foal when she was 7, and finally came back into ridden work
at 8.
This, however, coincided with foot and mouth disease ravaging the British countryside, so we did very little that year. The following year, in our first proper year competing in New Forest breed classes, we qualified for the Baileys Horse Feeds Mountain & Moorland ridden championship at Olympia. Mountain and Moorland is the group name for the 9 British native breeds and is referred to by the abbrievation "M&M". This is the highest class a New Forest pony can go to. We won best of breed, although we weren't placed in the top 6 for M&M. She has yet to beat her father, who qualified for this championship 7 times and still holds the record for the highest placed New Forest pony in it. Read more about the Olympia experience >>
I currently compete in breed classes, both inhand and ridden - either just for New Forest ponies, or for all the M&M breeds. These classes look for conformation and performance; judging against the breed standards. Inhand classes are judged on conformation and movement while ridden classes are also judged on obedience, manners and ride. Most of the classes I do are affiliated to the National Pony Society and breed standards and descriptions can be found on their website. We also compete at dressage.
Links New Forest Pony Society website
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I
started riding properly at the age of 5. My mother had had horses
as a girl and used to be an instructor. I'd sat on a pony a few times as a
toddler and had been horse-obsessed since I could speak, so started
lessons pretty early. I was a very nervous and timid rider and this was
compounded by a couple of bad falls at the first place I rode, so we moved
yards.
Unfortunately
I promptly had a growth spurt and bought my next pony 18 months later -
Copper. He was a 5 year old golden dun, 14hh New Forest x Welsh gelding. I
still have him and he is now fondly known as "the old git". He has taught
me an enormous amount over the years, as he was a challenging pony and
demanded respect and sensitive handling. One of my most vivid memories is
doing a family pony class at a local show aged about 12, and when the
judge came up to us to give him a look over, Copper spun round and carted
me out of the ring over the ropes. But at home he was, and is, a
superstar. 
