Horses for morphlet

[jacey]

A while ago i posted some photos of me and horses in the mid 1970s at Margaret Harvey's riding stables in Menston (near Otley) and morphlet  found them online. It turns out that she used to go to the same riding school but about 8 - 10 years later than I did. We share some horses in common and I promised to post some old photos of horses and ponies she remembers hearing about. Please bear with me while I get all nostalgic.

Morphlet, this is the Metal that I knew. According to MH he was 35 when this photo was taken. He was still virtually unstoppable. Oddly enough, he was actually better with a fairly weak rider because he hated having his mouth messed with and so someone who sat still and kept their hands to themselves was safer on him than someone who tried to boss him about. He always had to be upfront, though. MH use to tell tales about this pony, many of them apocryphal, I think. Though when you saw him in action I could believe the bit about being descended from Hyperion and winning the open jumping at the Yorkshire Show in his youth! Sorry this is a very poor photo and doesn't show him off at all.

Metal's long-time stable-mate was Star. Also a great little pony, fast, a bit headstrong but he'd been a good jumping and gymkhana pony in his heyday and still wasn't a pony you could put an inexperienced rider on.

This is Tamarisk, who buggered my back by bucking me off spectacularly.

More in the next post...

 

Comments

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

I don't remember Star or Metal I suspect that as they were quite elderly they were put down together like Honey and Gay Martin again before my time. Tamarisk I know was sold as was Duke a large bolshy Fell.
I broke Rosie to ride and although she put me in A&E a couple of times I persevered and she she turned into a nice hack, she was Nectars half sister by the Arab Finvarra.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Are we talkng bout the same Rosie - the hermaphrodite? Part Arab sonds about right. If it was the same horse I'm not surprised about the trips to A&E. Was she ever operated on - castrated maybe?

I've just heard from someone else who used to ride at Margaret's in the 1960s. He confirms that Kestrel, Major, Peregrine and Merlin (who was sold) were all half brothers from the same mare, Wharfedale Jesse. he says he'd got a load of slides tuced way somewhere and I'm hoping he'll have some photots for me at some point.

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

That sounds right although I also heard the mare was sometimes called Snowflake because she was a snowflake Apaloosa.
As to Major being a bay, Kestrels daughter Skylark was a bay out of Nectar who was Merlins daughter out of Honey (a bit of line breeding there I think)so there must have been a recessive bay gene in there somewhere, also Kestrel never threw spotted fillies only colts. Peregrine when he was fertile threw snowflake fillies.
I saw Merlin only once in a field and MH said he was around 20 years old.
Multi-naming also applied to Nectar who was aka Meadowlark or Poodle because she was the colour of an apricot poodle.
I never knew there was a Sparrowhawk.

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

Tamarisk wasn't entire was he? Blossom had a coloured filly but I never knew who the sire was.
Years ago I had a horsey magazine with Margaret on the cover. It was taken in the Gorse Field, she was on Major, the others might have been Metal and Dominic and right at the front was the star coloured show pony Circus Boy who was one of the first coloured ponies to compete and win in standard and county showing classes.

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

I recognise those saddles they were going 10 years later. I think I rode Nectar in the one Metal's wearing!!!

Margaret harvey

[dawn monkman (from livejournal.com)]

Hi I learnt to ride at whafedale riding school, in the 70s at whafedale dale riding school farnly rood menston, leavening Home at 6.3 in e morning and returning after 8. At the age age of 10 to 19. And visited over the following. 15 years.

The first horse I rode was Cracker down from the gorse field on bingly moor, bare back in only a head collar and lead rain , with a girl called Tracy.

Spend many a hour mucking out, and walking to collect poneys from the cemertary field, and gorse fields., leading other ponies on each side. All rides done bare back.

Margaret named most of her horses she bred, after birds , Sky lark, necker, woody, Harriet and bramble , Bronwin and kestrel where the parents of egal, brambel . Marian and kestrel where the parents of harriet., not sure who peririms parents were

There where three fells prince blossom and cracker who we showed As team at shows Margaret would show jump kestrel at otley show and the Yorkshire show in Harrogate. Other horses I rode where charisma trigger, pixie , kite, rosy,

Krystal was always was kept in the middle stalls next to justice., a gental gient who was 17 hands and you could tack him up because he always bent his head down opened his mouth to take the bit to aloud the bridle to be placed over his head.
Kesral used to nay when he head you opening up in the morning fit a bucket of water. Followed by his bucket feed.

The horses here alway happy and good natutured and I spent hours groominghorses and sharing my deepest thoughts with them. I enjoyed mostly bedding down and feeding late at night

Margaret's dog Jonny was always around to sort about the rat sine feed bins and gibve us a warm welcome when he raced into the yard .
The horses had many homes during do week from baition moor to behind the fire station where they would be tethered, by hand made roped made from bailing yarn, which we plated together into tack room above the stallion box .

We use to ride the horses from menston to patley bridge for the whit Holidays and swim I the river with the horses holding their tails. The horses always enjoyed there time at patley in the meadow. The cottage we stated in had morel on the wall in I the front room which Margaret had painted. Such great memories.

I remember backing eagle in the club field just up the road,with Margaret., and taking lessons there too .

Other people I remember at the time where josie, Ellen, tracy , Kirsty, my cousin Jane who owned pickie then Harriet.

So many happy years , learning and having fun. Will always remember margeartet and the love she gave me for horses she will always be in my heart.

Dawn

Re: Margaret harvey

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Since I wrote this post I reconnected with Margaret via email, but sadly, before I could go and see her she had a fall, ended up in hospital and one thing led to another. She died just a couple of months ago. There's an active facebook group for those of us who went to Wharfedale Riding School, with many photos and reminiscences. You can find us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1467653556836948/