Margaret Harvey

[jacey]

More for morphlet 

Margaret Harvey always seemed to be batty - and she was, indeed, horse mad. She was an excellent rider and bred several different lines of horses - Fell ponies, Dales ponies and a general line of horses and ponies from her stallion, Kestrel. I'm not sure when the following photos were taken, they were given to me by one of the girls who lived in Menston and had known Margaret for years. Margaret's real problem was that she loved all her horses and ponies and couldn't bear to get rid of them, so their numbers kept increasing. She always seemed to be on the borderline of broke, though I guess the family had money at one time. (Margaret had been a society debutante in her youth - I saw the photos and she was gorgeous!) By the time I knew her she lived with her mother (who seemed to disapprove of the horsy lifestyle) and there was a sister whom I saw once from a distance, but never met.


Margaret on Kestrel. Date unknown - possibly late 1960s



Margaret Harvey. morphlet , is this horse Honey?



Margaret Harvey is central on the horse I think is Honey. I don't know the other two riders but the horse on the left is Major and the one on the right looks like an offspring of the one in the middle. Look at their heads.

One more post and more pics to come.

Comments

[ferlonda.livejournal.com]

Marvelous. Thank you so much for all the horsey photos and great captions! I love this sort of stuff. When I finally get to finding my old pictures of my ponies Shadow and Prince I'll do the same. Thanks again- I used to read my Pony Club manual and wish, wish, wish I was in England riding on real English horses!

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd love to see photos of your ponies. I don't think I've ever seen them.

[ferlonda.livejournal.com]

When I can get to the box that has them, I'll post them! It might be a while...

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

Chestnut mare might be Honey, might be a young Celebrity or might be Celebrity's mum Destiny.

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

Given the size of the chestnut against Major it may well be Honey as Celebrity was only 15.2 although Destiny might have been taller,I think she was liver chestnut.

Re: Margaret Harvey

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Mick Knowles confirms that Destiny was dark bay - so definitely not the one in the photo. See below. Mick has given me permission to post his emails here.

Reply from Mick Knowles

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Mick sent me this email and gave me permission to post it here.

Found your blog when I googled Margaret Harvey but for some reason it won't let me leave a reply. I helped at Margaret's in the mid 1960's and knew all the ponies you mention. I show jumped Star in the 1967/68 seasons and he was indeed a real character. Major or Wharfedale Merely-a-Major to give him his full name was a half brother to Kestral both being bred from the same mare Wharfedale Jesse. Merlin and Peregrine being 2 other foals bred from her. Merlin was sold to the Horton-Fawkes family for their sons to ride. Dominic was bought by Margaret around 1966 as a 2 or 3 year old and I helped in his breaking. I seemed to get that job a lot, being a small 13 year old I suppose. Wharfedale Gay Metal was another great jumping pony whose career was cut short when some idiot jumped him over a solid stone wall, he hit the wall and as you probably remember was lame for the rest of his life. Major although only 14.2hh was jumped by Sally Boocock in adult open classes and was often mistaken for Marion Coakes and Stroller as they looked very similar to that combination. It was interesting to see the photos, somewhere in my loft I have hundreds of slides taken of Margarets ponies, we once gave a slide show in the tack room on a weekend to raise money for some venture or other. Thanks for the
memories.

Mick Knowles

More from Mick

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Mick Knowles says:

I started to help at Margarets in 1965, a school friend (Chris Marsh) and I just turned one evening after school and asked if they wanted any help. They jumped at the idea of free help in turn for riding and this started a love affair with horses that you never lose, even if you don't ride any more. It may have been Chris that was riding Major that you mentioned as he continued riding after me. I only rode occasionally when I started working, but I am pretty sure I remember Eileen from my return visits to the stables. Chris also went at a later date to ride for Acrecliffe so they would have known each other well. The dam of Kestrel was indeed spotted but on the hind quarters only as I remember. In 1965 I think Major was 5 year old, Merlin 4, Kestrel 3 and Peregrine 2. I can't remember the sires of the first 3 but Peregrine was the product of Kestrel being allowed to run with his dam too long. The Margaret Harvey you have found is indeed the correct one. Her sister Nona was a professional dancer and her brother who still lived in Menston died only a few months ago. Their father was a Bradford woolen mill owner and they were quite a well known local family of some standing. I think Margaret and her sister both attended Queen Margarets school which at that time was based at Castle Howard, North Yorks. I am not sure if Margaret is still alive and well but I will make some enquiries as I still have a lot of friends in Menston. I only sold my old family home there 4 years ago when my mother died. I left Menston 26 years ago but still live just a few miles down the road in Otley. I am sure that the pony Metal is the same one and he was a gelding, as you say he and Star were old stable mates, I also heard the story about him winning at the Great Yorkshire and a decendant of Hyperion. Sall y Boocock won the junior Hickstead spurs on Metal and Star but that was before my time there. When I get chance I will look through my pics and scan some to send to you. I have some of a musical ride we performed at Farnley Hall in August 1968,I remember this well as it was performed on the Sat/Sun before I started work for the first time on the Monday morning. Every summer Margaret would hire about a dozen ponies to a hotel in Austwick above Settle where they ran riding breaks. One year she sent a pony she had just bought called Jeremy, a little 12.2 white pony. But no one realised how difficult he was to catch, he had about 25 acres to run in and did just that for 6 weeks until a party of 8 of us spent an entire Sunday chasing him round until finally managing to corner him. Margaret also owned a farm at Pateley Bridge, (Harefield Farm) where she ran her Pony Trekking business, this was an idyllic place in summer with the river Nidd snaking round the edge of the large meadow.
All the Best
Mick

Re: More from Mick

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

Hi re Margaret Harvey, I rode for her in the seventies. I thought she said Peregrine was by a grey French TB called Quell Espoir (spelling is total guesswork) and that Merlin and Kestrel were full brothers by Precipitation who Margaret used when he was very old and out of fashion, If Major was Merely-a-Major then he was probably by Happy Monarch, sire of Merely a Monarch, the famous event horse and showjumper.
Did you know Circus Boy?

Re: More from Mick

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I've forwarded your reply to Mick, morphlet, but it may be a while before he gets back to us as he's on holiday for a week and it's his work email address.

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

More on this. 30 years ago I was given an old old equestrian magazine with Margaret on the front cover. It was taken in the Gorse Field, Margaret was on Major there were two other ponies possibly Metal and another, however at the front in the middle of the picture was Circus Boy. It was not a very flattering pic of any one but I kept the mag for years before it was lost.
I have no recall as to its' title, but it was distinctive in that it was almost broadsheet size as opposed to being a magazine like Pony, Riding or Light Horse.

Yet more from Mick

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Hi Jacey
Memory has been jogged a little bit more, I remember the talk of Mereley a Minor being Majors sire but I'm not sure if this is true as Minor I think was foaled in the 1920's but I may be wrong. Whoever his sire was Margaret thought a lot about Major as to my knowledge he was the only youngster she sent away for breaking and schooling. He must have been born about 1960 and could have been the first pony she bred, I don't remember any home bred ponies older than him. The photo of the 3 horses with Margaret in the middle on Honey, the girl on Major looks like Sally's younger sister Sheila Boocock and the person on the right looks like Chris Marsh although I am not sure the horse is Nectar, possibly Celebrity, I can't be sure of this as the photo is unclear. I have been trying to remember Stars age and I think he was about 14 or 15 in 1966 but I am sure that Metal was only about 3 or 4 years older. Gay boy was certainly the oldest at about 20 to 24 years old. He once slipped coming down Farnley Road and landed on his knees, they took months to heal. Margaret used to spend her time between Menston and Pateley, Sally Boocock worked full time at Menston and Jean Lister part time. Chris and myself spent every evening and weekend there, along with Belinda (Biddy) Plaice the vicars daughter. At the weekends there was lots more help from the girls who lived further away. Sally Eaton-Smith, Sue Dawson, Sheila Boocock,The Sinclair sisters, Christine, Judith and others whose name I have forgotten. Liz White was another girl who lived in Menston and helped a lot. So as you can see Margaret didn't need to spend much time at the stables although she always turned up for the lessons on Sat/Sun mornings. She had a similar gang of helpers at Pateley Bridge but as she did not pass her driving test until about 1966 she always relied on other drivers to give her a lift here and there. Margaret had a chestnut arab called Allah about 14.2 who never had any weight on him. Biddy was nuts about him and when they had to move as her father became rector of Burnsall she was heartbroken. Her father tried to buy him for her but Margaret wouldn't sell. Strangely Margaret did sell him to someone else about 18 months later, maybe it was a money thing. To finish of about Major, when I visited shows in the 70's Margaret was now showjumping him herself but 18 months later I saw her jumping Kestrel in the Newcomers competition at Arthington and asked Chris where Major was, this is the story as I remember. Major always had what was described to me as a cold back. You had to put the saddle on in plenty of time and when the rider got on him at the beginning of the day he visibly buckled at the knees until he regained his posture. Chris said that Margaret was really too heavy to jump him and that after a few months he developed a back injury which could not be cured, in fact he could not be ridden again. I am pretty sure that Chris said that she gave him to a family to look after as a "pet pony", I hope so as I wouldn't like to think of the alternative. Margaret was always sympathetic to her ponies so I am sure Chris was right. Now I am definitely going on holiday, look after yourself.
Mick

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

The other chestnut is neither Celebrity nor Nectar both were far better quality and had different markings.
Was Gay Boy a pony or was this another name for Gay Martin who I thought was a big chestnut who MH competed on?
By 1978 Major and the older horses were long gone, although MH and I went out for a hack and to see a grey horse in a field which she said was Merlin.
Merely a Minor sired I think Happy Monarch who sired Merely a Monarch.

Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

More stuff coming back to me now, I was told that the caravan was used for trekking holidays and was pulled by a skewbald shire called Jimmy?????
Was Mary Wanlas one of the helpers?
A family turned up one day with two teenaged boys and we had to get the 'posh' horses out for them.
Kestrel, Skylark, Celebrity and Nectar I think. The family had bought Robin and or Harrier or both or Merlin, I was never really introduced to them.
Then MH commented on their terrible hands after they wanted to ride Kestrel.
I was always amazed at the number of people Margaret knew when we went to shows,she was really into her showjumping and we were always begging lifts off people with lorries or trailers,now that I have my own horse box it makes me wonder how we ever got anywhere.
One night at Pool Court Arena the lorry broke down and Andrew Fielder put the horses up and I collected them in the morning and hacked them home.
Farnley Hall must have been the place where MH put the youngsters. She was telling me that she sent them away but Kite was sent back because she was too ugly and Celebrity was so clumsy she kept galloping into things.
Strange but I used to jump Kite and Celebrity nothing ugly or clumsy about them.

Re: Margaret Harvey

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I don't have a photo of Kite so i can't check, but I doo seem to recall she had a fairly common looking head - a little on the big side. She was a very sweet ride though. Very young when I first rode her - only just working, so probably about 4.

What are your horses like now? You should post some pics to your own blog.

Re: Margaret Harvey

[morphlet.livejournal.com]

I have managed to get photos of two of the horses,mother and son on my blog. More to follow when I find time.

Margaret Harvey

[anniewrose.livejournal.com]

I have just found these posts and have so enjoyed reading them ... so many great memories !

Margaret was responsible for kick starting my love of showing which has been a life long passion

i helped out at the stables in the late 60's / early 70's and learnt so much ... i used to ride the little Exmoor Maid Marian and her son Harrier and was particularly fond of Cracker who no-one else loved because he was quite a grumpy old fell pony

somewhere in all the stuff that i have moved from house to house, i still have some old photos of some of the ponies .. i'll try to dig them out

i remember Chris Marsh very well, we young girls used to tease him mercilessly but he took it all in good spirit ... where is he now i wonder ?

will post the photos if i can find them .. def have one of Metal as well as Marion, Harrier, Sparrowhawk and Prince

xxx

Re: Margaret Harvey

[michael knowles (from livejournal.com)]

Hi,Try the Wharfedale Riding School memory on freinds reunited
Mick

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I was there in late 1969 or early 1970 to Summer 1971, when I was at college in Leeds. We had a college riding club and I was one of the minibus drivers, so got to go every week, always midweek, so it was mostly just us. We went to a stable at Thorner for a while and then found Margaret's, which was actually much better for what we wanted. Once Margaret figured out we could ride (most of us anyway) and were responsible she used to let us out on our own. I also went up there most weekends to help out. I used to ride Peregrine, Dominic, Prince, Cracker, Blossom, Bronwen, Bussy, Star, and occasionally Major and Kestrel. (I've drawn a veil over being asked to ride Sparrow for a couple of weeks because he'd been bucking the children off. He was way too small for me, though having seen Margaret on Pixie I didn't feel so bad.) I didn't mind Cracker, though he was a bit of a stodgy ride after Prince. Towards the end I used to ride Kite as well who was quite young then, but very sweet.

I don't remember Maid Marian and Harrier, though there were several horses up at Pately Bridge which I never really saw. I don't remember Honey either, though she's the one most people seem to recall.

After I moved back to Wakefield (a much longer journey to get to Menston) I returned sporadically until about 1975.

I lost touch after 1975 though did go and see Margaret in hospital when she had major surgery in the mid 70s. I think that was the last time I saw her, but she's always been a character you couldn't forget.

My friend Mike kept in touch longer than I did because he bought one of her horses.