The reason I look so happy in this photo is I have just collected my GORGEOUS Horse BERT....
Bert aka Butlers Promise is my fabulous 17.2 Irish Draught Cross Thoroughbred.... he is an Ex-Eventer having been owned by Maddy Moffett. He had a good career competing in the UK and Abroad... He has the most amazing nature even though I do say so myself he really is a gentle giant and especially adores my 2 children. He has a sixth sense and allows them to lead him dropping his head right down to let them do so.
Owning an Ex Professional Eventer does however come with a few problems as owning any horse that has come from a professional background does. Too many people go out and spend fortunes on horses that have had a glittering career in a field and then take them back to their DIY yard wondering why they suddenly go bonkers.... More about this later.
Going back to Berts history - Here is his history in brief as told by Maddy
..... I bought him in Feb 2000 from my brother who found he hadn't got enough time for him. The first year I had him we played around and did some local stuff, went cubbing a couple of times and had lots of lessons! The following year we started competing BE starting at Pre-novice and finishing the season with a couple of novices. The following year we were placed at Chatsworth and in an intermediate - we were meant to do a 3 day that autumn but got balloted out. 2003 saw us qualify for a CCI** only for disaster to strike at Sansaw CIC** where we got uncharacteristically eliminated on the XC. Upon returning home he trotted up lame and after faffing with my vets I got him referred to Newmarket where they diagnosed bone fragments on his fetlock. They were successfully removed and after a program of rehab he returned to work. He was a bit lairy when we returned to event the following year after a long break away but settled for the CCI* at Aldon that Autumn where we finished just outside the top 20 and more importantly finishing sound as a pound! The following year I just had fun with him and did some Novices and picked up some placings, but the yard was getting busier and I was struggling to find the time to work him as much as I needed/wanted to so he went up to Askham Bryan college with Helen. He didn't return til the following autumn when I had more help at the time and had the mad idea of doing the members race with him! So I qualified him out hunting the 2007/2008 winter season and ran him in the members race easter tues 2008, where he ran brilliantly for three quarters of the race leading by a mile only to be picked off by a faster more blood horse. That was the last thing I did with him and I didnt want him just sat in the field while I concentrated on the others and again was struggling help wise. It was then that I decided it would be best to sell him as I didn't have the resources to keep him with the other younger ones I had coming through and so he came to you! Throughout this time he was also competing BD winning over 100 points, winning novice and elementary with 70+% and qualified for the 2005 Winter Championships which we couldn't go to as he had an abscess. Anyway I think that is a very condensed but pretty accurate history of Bert and me!
So I ... Sarah became the proud owner of Butlers Promise in Sept' 2008 and the story continues.. well it will do tomorrow when I write it.
Here are some photos of Bert......
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