29/04/2025
This is Karoube, the baby horse I bred here in Mallorca out of my Irish Sport Horse mare, competing last week with my friend's 15 yrs old daughter.
I sold her Karoube when he was an unbroken 3 years old. I knew I could not keep him at the time for personal reasons and the kindest option was to sell him to the best knowledgeable home.
Today I post this as a reminder about the importance of kindness within our sport, and not only towards horses but equally towards riders.
I celebrate my friend and her daughter's commitment to producing a sound, happy and competitive partnership, showing that hard work, patience, kindness and skill go perfectly hand in hand with competitive results.
Yet when she was 12, Anastasia got some nasty comments from 'horse lovers" on social media for smacking Karoube approaching a jump. She was only doing her best and her riding has always been the fairest.
Ignorance of a topic wrongly directed is hurtful, especially to young people.
So please refrain from judging too quickly and appreciate all the good you don't see: the 4am wake up, the daily grind after school in wet freezing weather, the endless training days...
That is also true love for the horse.
Today, I am over the moon for this pair.
Having known both the horse and Anastasia from their first day on this earth, I feel privileged to be able to watch them grow together.
From a horse lover and a sport lover to all horse and sport lovers💖