On 20th August 2009 whilst I was in the UK visiting my family I went to look at a horse......... and I bought him.
It's a long story and so if you are not interested then leap forwards a couple of paragraphs and miss this bit.
About 3 months ago, just after my accident and being once again horseless someone posted a thread on here because she ran a site which advertised horses for sale and someone had been naughty and was stealing commision on the horses. A few mins after she posted the thread the Mods pulled the link to her advertising site but not before I had clicked on it and saw and ad for a horse that I really loved the look of. He is a 16.2-17hh 4 yr old 7/8 tb Sports Horse. His sire is on the shortlist for 2012 so he is well bred.
I am a great believer in fate and how horses (or dogs) find us, not us looking for them. Anyway I saw the pic of him and thought I should go and see him.
He was being sold by Hartpury College Stud where they breed the stock for the students to train with and so they are sensitively handled and then backed. Once the students leave at the end of May then the backed horses are sold on. Hartpury Lancelot is one of these.
I asked Susan (Follyfoot) to come to the UK with me to view him but because of commitments she was unable to come.
I phoned a horsey friend of mine and asked her to go and look at him. She said 'I can do better than that, my friend is the chief instructor at the college so I'll ask her about him'
Phone calls were made and it turns out that Bekki was the instructor who actually supervised the students who backed Lancelot and his initial work training. She said he was a rock steady, unflappable, loving and all round lovely boy. She said he had a few confirmation faults which would mean he would never win at Badminton but for medium level eventing then he would be fine.
Having put my Badminton dream on hold I made a decision to go try and see him. I made a few enquiries at the stud and got some video and pics of him sent ot me and then one day found that the ads had been cancelled and thought then that Lancelot was obviously sold.
I was so disappointed but then thought things happen for a reason.
I then booked flights to go to the UK to my sisters 25th wedding anniversary and after they were booked and a few days before I was due to fly I was trawling the net and found another ad for Lancelot on the Hartpury college site.
I went and saw him the day after I arrived and just loved him. He is very cuddly and sweet and he has the most gorgeous floaty trot.. It was a very windy cold day when I went to see him and because of that I actually did not ride him myself. He was absolutely impeccably behaved and never took any notice of the wind but I didn't want to push it with my arm. On the ground he is perfectly well mannered and just loves to be fussed and loved. I saw him ridden, lunged and led and he was fine. The vet came that same day and vetted him and apart from some minor confirmation stuff ie he dishes slightly on his off fore he passed with flying colours.
I took my Dad who is 76 years old and an ex jockey to see him the next day and he fell in love with him immediately. He trotted him up and loved and fussed him and was in his element. They have a very strict rule at the stud that food is food and treats are rubs and strokes so consequently he never looks for treats or nibbles etc. So we paid the cheque over and Hartpury Lancelot was mine.
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