A tail of two horses

This week I have something different for our readers.

It’s been nearly three years since the deadly equine disease glanders struck Bahrain, which has meant a lot of different things for different people. For Amelia Boyd it has meant an exhausting and frustrating three year wait for her horse Rangerino to be allowed to be with her at Hartbury College in the UK. 

However, the beginning of this month marked the beginning of Rangerino’s new life in England. What’s more, she was able to not only travel with her stablemate of the last three years Spirit, she will also be living with him.

Spirit owned by Kathryn Spink also made the transition from sand to snow this month, amazingly the pair are not only be on the same campus they are housed in the same barn.

Rangerino, or Ginni as she is known, is a stunning bay feisty Dutch Warmblood mare, standing at 15.2. After a great deal of coercion, Ginni was bought for Amelia when she was 14 and Ginni was seven years old. A lot of horse for a young girl, this mare was definitely no easy ride. However, this pair has literally grown up together and despite the spills and thrills certainly has made it all worthwhile.

Amelia had always been around horses, but it was the influence of her grandfather Jack who ignited the love she has now. Always with his packet of polo’s just for the horses, he was the one who bought Amelia Your Horse every week, and trawled the back pages just looking for that quirky horse to suit his wonderful granddaughter.

Ginni was just that quirky horse but together they immediately started to win trophies galore, and after just two seasons as a Junior Amelia was asked to join the Adult section by the BREEF Show Jumping. It was certainly a daunting challenge for any teenager but the pair rose to the occasion. They also competed twice in the International Kings Cup Show Jumping.

Nearly three years ago Amelia left Bahrain for Hartbury College to study for her Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Sport Coaching with Sport Therapy. From the outset Amelia was desperate to apply for the Equestrian Academy but without her horse she couldn’t do so, until now.

With Ginni now at Hartbury, and Amelia continuing her studies with a Masters course, the pair have the year ahead of them. Their first aim is to compete in the New Equestrian Festival for Students at Hartbury on June 11, and undoubtedly this will be the first of many competitions for this talented pair.

Spirit is also a dark bay and a thoroughbred former racehorse, who Kat has owned for the past three years. Spirit was bought so that Kat could compete in the show jumping at BREEF. However, the almost immediate onset of glanders put paid to that idea, and the pair have had to contend themselves with in-house competitions at the Dilmun which, of course, have been a brilliant grounding for the pair.

Kat is doing an Extended Diploma in Horse Management at Hartbury and is considering a degree possibly in dentistry next summer. Their first project is an unaffiliated show on May 25 at Hartbury, although the college does hold regular dressage and show jumping events every weekend during the season.

Kat started out as a ballet and tap dancer. However, when her mum decided that she’d had enough of making costumes for shows, Kat was introduced to horse riding at the age of six and has never looked back.

Kat’s passion for riding kicked off as she started working with family horses, spending every hour of every weekend and holidays at the family farm. When they arrived in Bahrain it was inevitable that their first purchase would be a horse for Kat. Luckily, Kat did not have to wait too long for the arrival of her equine best friend and, after this season, the pair is aiming to apply for Hartbury’s Equestrian Academy.

Prior to their leaving, Spirit and Ginni had to spend nearly 50 days in quarantine. Ginni was looked after by surrogate mother Liz Sinclair, and Kat’s mum Mel took on the role to look after Spirit.

The pair were not the only horses to travel at this time. Valerie Puls took her beloved Pippa and Koma back home, but that’s another story for another week.

Eventually, the horses embarked on their journey. From Bahrain they flew into Leipzig, travelling then to Holland, where they had a break before continuing to the UK and Hartbury. After a tiring journey the horses arrived to the overwhelming joy of everyone concerned, especially Amelia and Kat.

From one tremendous experience to another and no sooner did the horses arrive than the great British weather did its ‘thing’ – it snowed. What did they make of it? Seemingly, reports are that they simply took it all in their stride. Both horses have settled in really well, and are enjoying everything. However, with the break for Easter, both horses moved again, this time to temporary holiday homes giving Kat and Amelia quality time with their precious mounts, without the pressures of college work.

Whilst all sounds great fun, there is plenty of hard work to be done in both cases as the horses have gone from the comforts of being tended to by the capable grooms at the Dilmun Riding Stables to the care of Amelia and Kat – down to basics as both horses are on DIY livery.

These girls are made of sterner stuff and winter mornings won’t last forever. With spring, summer and autumn to look forward to, these horses are in for a treat.

Their surroundings and the facilities they will have are second to none. Hartbury caters for all equine disciplines – show jumping, dressage, para dressage and eventing. This move is a wonderful opportunity for both horse and rider.

I look forward to bringing you news of both pairs on their forthcoming adventures. Good luck to them.