Jelllytot came into my life in my early 60s when, following my retirement I decided to start riding after almost a 40 year break. I had been having lessons at a local riding school and soon realised I was hooked and needed a pony in my life again.
After a long search Jellytot and I found each other, he was six years old, 13.2, skewbald and had been schooled to Elementary level dressage. I hadn’t made any plans and thought we would be happy hackers but as he had had such a good start and was so well schooled we started weekly lessons as I needed to catch up with him. Leg yields, shoulder ins etc were a foreign language and being on the right diagonal didn’t happen in the 60s!
After a few months a friend persuaded me to enter an Intro test at a local unaffiliated competition. When I trotted down the centre line, I held my breath, every muscle in my body tightened and my mind went blank. As I passed the judge in his car at ‘C’ I realised we were going the wrong way! The bell rang and the judge got out of his car, he was so kind and explained where we should be going, I think he could see the terror on my face and felt sorry for me. We finished the test and after saluting to the judge I fell onto Jellytot’s neck, hugged him and burst into tears. It wasn’t pretty but we had done it.
Over the next few months and more unaffiliated competitions my confidence increased, our partnership became stronger and I joined BD and off we went to various local venues. Our scores began to improve over time and for the next few years we went on to qualify for Area Festivals and be part of the Central team at the Inter Regionals.
Jellytot really was my best friend and we spent so much time together just hanging out, he was a dream to travel and stay away at various locations. We attended lots of Camps and Clinics and made loads of new friends along the way.
Sadly about three years ago he succumbed to laminitis and had to endure months on end of box rest. I made him a wood chip turnout which eventually he was able to use but after a few months he was lame again. Further X-rays showed his pedal bone had dropped further and after a discussion with the vet I made the heartbreaking decision we all dread. I asked for a few days to say my goodbyes and he was pts. My heart felt as if it had truly broken but I knew it was the right thing to do for him and he was now pain free.
Although I now have another pony in my life who I love very much, Jellytot will always be my pony of a life time and I think about him every day. I wear my lovely bracelet Alison made from his tail which somehow makes him still feel close.
I do think it is such a privilege to have these beautiful creatures in our lives, to gain their trust and just spending time with them is truly magical.
