TLC Stables all started out with 1 mare that was advertised looking for a good home in December 1998, so needless to say myself and Greg went out to see the mare, she was stabled at a riding school in Kempton park… it just so happened that we “arranged” to see the mare the same day we “arranged” to meet our landlord and pay rent, so off we went to see this mare with our rent money in our pocket.
Greg made me swear that I will not part with the rent money. After what seemed like forever in the car, we finally pulled up to a riding school.. Excitably I jumped out the car and starting looking everywhere for this almost pitch black mare that was advertised. I met the owner of the yard, and of this mare, and she took us into a paddock of horses and pointed out “Gypsey Lady Bug” she explained about her leg that she had operated on and all about Gypsey’s past and her tendon problem and well needless to say, I was ready to put her in the back of my golf and take her home.
We decided to see what she was like on the lunge and as the owner took her out of the paddock, this skinny bay gelding jumped out the paddock after Gypsey. Greg got an eye of that and fell in love with the bay boy and it just so happened that he was for sale too! So before I could discuss anything with Greg, he quickly dug into his pocket and pulled out half the rent money and handed it to the owner as a part payment on the bay boy!!! (And I got the lecture before we arrived) so it was decided that Gypsey was my horse and Tolkien will be Greg’s horse
The next weekend it was arranging horse boxing and collecting of my new baby girl. Unfortunately Tolkien had to stay at the current yard until the end of January as she had to give the half baiter notice on him! Gypsey arrived at my yard on news year eve. Wow what a present I got little did I know what a little “brat” she was. I spend the entire day washing her and loving her, and then I decided that I would just sit on her and see what she did.. she was in a halter and Greg was holding her.. .and boom.. as I got on, she bucked me off!!! Only later on did I find out from the riding school that she bucked everyone who ever sat on her off!!
At the end of January off I went to fetch Tolkien, and this was just as exciting as the day I fetched Gypsey. I was rather shocked when I saw Tolkien standing in his stable waiting for me. He was so thin that he battled to stand up straight without leaning for support. Shame the poor boy.. he was a bag of bones!! But never the less. I paid the lady the money I still owed on him and put him in the box and homeward bound I was. This was the first of many horses that I would acquire with the love of horses and a supporting man but my side.
After trying and trying with Gypsey, I finally decided that she was not going to be a riding horse, and I adopted Tolkien from Greg (without him having a say in the matter). I decided that I would put Gypsey in foal to an Appaloosa stallion and pray that I would get a spotted baby (as this was another one of my dreams – having a spotted horse to ride and show off on) and with any luck, the whole mom thing will calm Gypsey down!! I got both my wishes.. I got a spotted baby and Gypsey is now one of the riding school ponies that we love and trust.
While Gypsey was in foal, I went out again in search for a appaloosa mare in foal and I found a mare by the name of Holly.. she was a pitch black appaloosa mare, in foal to a stunning appaloosa stallion… after only having her a couple of month, she tried to jump over the fence got her leg caught and after 3 hours of the vet examining her, it was discovered that she broke her neck ; this was a very sad time and I was so cross with the world but I soon came to realised that this was the joy
of owing animals and with the good comes the bad.
A dear close friend of mine then phoned me up and told me about the foal her appaloosa mare just had a bright chestnut boy and after seeing the pictures (as she was based in Cape town) and after flying out to see the little one Orlando Hi-T arrived at my yard as a 6 month old little baby!! And wow was he cute
The lady that owned the stallion that I put Gypsey to, contacted me and I bought a bay pony, by the name of Tammy from her that was also in foal to the same appaloosa stallion that I had put Gypsey to! I mean really how could I say no.. 2 appaloosa babies.. how wrong can you go. During this time, Gypsey had a miscarriage and lost her foal, and the owner of the stallion allowed me to bring Gypsey back to the stallion and on the 18th August 2001 Shootin’ Star was born! He was the cutest smallest baby I think I had ever seen… and we are all blessed and privileged to have him around. He was born with a bad case of Colic and after 10 vets and 2 weeks in ‘hospital” he finally took his first “pooh” . You cannot understand the relieve when I received the phone call staying that “he had taken his first “pooh” and all is going great”
Then the boy came home and 2 weeks after all of that, it was Tammy’s time to pop and she gave birth to the most stunning leopard filly .. wow she was a stunning little girl!!! But after 4 days of vet care and finally at 11pm one evening after the vet being around all day and night.. it was decided that we take her to the clinic for test the next morning. So in the horse box they went and off to “hospital” this time I was not that lucky and the baby girl died. It was later discovered that the baby was born with fluid around her heart and the strong she got the weaker her heart got!!! Another lesson well learnt about owning animals and dealing with the lost of something so pure and innocent!
Many more horses came and went during this time, Pops, Indian lady, Colorado Queen, Topdeck, Fudge, Tubby, bubbles and buttercup, these are to name just a few and then Came BB. Wow and who can forget BB? She was this big massive 17.2hh dark bay warmblood mare. The people had gotten her from OP as her old owners couldn’t afford her colic operation and she was sold to defray costs but unfortunately BB had an accident whilst outride the horse behind her connected her back legs and severed all her tendons, So I was given BB for a nominal fee and off home she came.