I began riding at the age of three and competed at HOYS and Royal International every year between 200 and 2007 – when I retired from the ring. I was lucky to have some amazing ponies during that time but my pony of a lifetime is Rotherwood Maybe, a 143cm show hunter pony. She was certainly the most challenging pony we had ever had but when I did finally start to win classes with her, it made it all the more special.
Rotherwood Maybe – a stable name Maybe or Moose, is by Strinsdale Matador out of the beautiful Chirk Wind Flower and was bred by Liz Mansfield-Parnell of the Rotherwood Stud. She shares her birthday 1stMay, with my mum Gill Kapadia and will be 19 this year.
We bought Maybe in 2003 from Team Hollings as a just broken three year old. Our wonderful producer Gill Thompson and my mum had been looking for a 14-hander for a while and when we walked into her stable, we all looked at each other and knew we had found the one. We were all so excited and Maybe went to Gill’s yard in Staffordshire to be schooled through the winter ready to come out as a novice in the spring.
Our first outing was BSPS Area 2A Summer Show at Somerford Park and I couldn’t wait to put all that Gill had taught me into practice. However, maybe had other ideas. She walked halfway round the ring, decided showing wasn’t for her and stood on her back legs, depositing me on the floor.
Undeterred Gill and I persevered and at our next show we won. But it was never plain sailing with Maybe and we were never quite sure what she would do next. At the Cheshire County Maybe was pulled top but half way round her show she decided she had had enough and carted me back to the line-up scattering the other ponies as she did so.
Gill never gave up on Maybe, we both knew how special she was. She did eventually win most major titles, including young show hunter champion and champion of champions at the BSPS Summer Chamionships, Cheshire County, midlands Counties, North of England and finally after being placed every year at HOYS, she won there is 2006, standing reserve champion. It had been my dream to win at HOYS since I was 11 years old and Maybe made that dream come true.
When I took the decision to retire from showing and concentrate on my studies Maybe was sold to another showing family. I honestly thought this beautiful pony was gone from my life forever but in 2013 she was purchased, in foal, by some friends of ours and we were able to see her again. It was a dream come true for me and very emotional as the first time Maybe saw me she simply put her head close to me and we hugged. Maybe gave birth to a lovely colt foal, Roseberry Trumpet Major, who is now being shown with success.
In the winter of 2013, maybe was diagnosed with Cushings and we were asked if we would like her back. We jumped at the chance and Maybe has lived with us at our home near Macclesfield ever since. She is very much queen of the yard and is looked after by mum and sister when I am away working. She enjoys a quiet life with some light exercise when she feels like it and still has a tendency to go backwards. We would never show her again as she gallops away as soon as she hears the lorry start and has made her opinion on loading very plain!
Tally, August 2018
