Just thinking about my little Rookie

[gem]

Since finding out about my friend's poor horse breaking her leg and having to be PTS (posted about it in general equestrian chat), Rookie's been on my mind all day. For those that don't know, when I lived in Dubai I had a few horses on loan then I was given a little chestnut rocket by some local guy who seemed to like to give girls horses :evilgrin: She was about 14.1hh (I never measured her properly but she was tiny :D), 8yrs old, part bred arab mare. She had been on the riding school for a few months but kept breaking children. She was a speedy little thing and jumped for fun but schooling definitely wasn't her strong point. I spent months working on our brakes and eventually we were doing dressage :D People that knew her found it hilarious. We even won quite a few big competitions! I was so proud of her. I still jumped her from time to time. She absolutely loved it. Jump offs were her forte. I'd just steer her in the right direction, contain the energy until she was about to explode then let her go a few strides before the jump! (and sometimes close my eyes :lol:).

Confidence has never been my strong point but I never felt scared on Rookie. She really looked after me. We had so many good times together in our short pairing. One particular thing that sticks in my mind was when two school horses came back from the desert without riders and the yard owner asked me if I could take Rookie out to find the riders. We went flying through the desert looking for them, it was amazing. I know it was a serious situation (one had hurt her back) but I've never felt so elated! Adrenaline, desert sunset, my beautiful pony. Really made me think of the Jinny & Shantih books!

We were hacking out one night in the desert. She'd been a very good girl all week with her schooling so we just went out for a quiet pootle about. We came across a bunch of local lads on quad bikes. Rookie was alright with them but I wasn't so I made sure to keep a very wide berth (I'm talking at least 200m from the furthest one out). A few minutes later one of them set off in our direction. The other 3 followed him like a pack of vermin. I figured they'd get bored so I cantered along the path at the bottom of a sand dune. I can't remember a hell of a lot to be honest but basically one of them got so close they clipped her back leg, she spooked (obviously) and fell sideways into the sand dune. I fell clear of her (see..she always looked after me). I remember sitting on the side of the dune screaming. The absolute ******* ******** had all driven off and it was me and Rookie. She was thrashing about and there was blood everywhere. I don't really want to go into any more detail. I don't remember it but I apparently called my friend at the yard and a bunch of people drove out to us. She was put to peace there and then. I don't even remember getting back to the yard or going home. The mind is a wonderful thing, it'd be too painful to remember that now.

Wow...lots of typing there. Sorry about that, didn't mean to go on for as long! Here are the pics I have of her in this country. Hopefully next time I go back I'll be able to have a thorough route around and find more. There weren't that many to start with really. Was before digital cameras were popular and I didn't have my own camera so had to rely on the parents!


Something obviously a lot more interesting over there..
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/biteme86/Rookie3.jpg

Ah to be that thin again :) Think this was before some SJ we did (don't worry, I got changed before I went in!).
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/biteme86/Rookie2.jpg

One day event, having some noms
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/biteme86/Rookie-1.jpg

And some of our rosettes that I have here. Please ignore the posters, it's my sewing room :ashamed:
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/biteme86/Rookie001.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/biteme86/Rookie002.jpg

And finally our plate thing that we won at a dressage festival. Not bad for a pony that 'doesn't do schooling' :D
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/biteme86/Rookie003.jpg


RIP my beautiful girl. It's been 7yrs but I still think about you all the time.
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/biteme86/Rookie4.jpg

[Loony]

I don't remember ever hearing the story about her, thats so sad. What absolute ********.

RIP Rookie xx

[gem]

Thinking about it I'm not sure I've ever gone into detail about what happened on here so maybe nobody (apart from maybe Hannah?) knew to start with. Ah well, all out there now!

[gem]

Thanks hun. I find it a lot easier to remember all the good memories rather than the one horrible one. She's still the cheeky little speedy gonzales in my mind :)

[My Crazy Clan]

She was lovely, It must have been really hard for you at that time, RIP beauty.

[Welly]

Thats shocking, she looks lovely, RIP girly xx

[emma-louise]

thats just horrible wat they did she was such a pretty girl. R.I.P Rookie xx

[XenaWarriorPrincess]

Gosh thats awful, she looked like a wonderful mare!
RIP
xx

[nic]

Aww that made me all teary:ashamed:

She was soooo cute and looked like the sort if Pony I would have loved as a kid:kiss:

[eeek]

How tragic :(

She looks very special.

[beks the artist]

How awful, must really hurt :( She was a beauty xxx

[Evening Star]

She looked like such a lovely pony. That is tragic!
Did the boys on the bikes get caught?

[Bek B]

What an awful thing for you both to have to gone through.

I'm glad you have the fond memories (hug)

[gem]

Thanks everyone. I'm so glad I have happy memories when I think of her rather than thinking about the end. She was the pony of a lifetime :D

ES - Unfortunately not. Even if they hadn't have buggered off, the legal system over there leaves a lot to be desired in certain cases. It would be my word against theirs and seeing as they were local they'd always get the benefit of the doubt. It made me very bitter towards a lot of locals for a while but I saw sense in the end. Hopefully those kids will have killed themselves on the roads of Dubai by now anyway.

[HannahAndSydney]

I remember you telling me about her, although not heard that story in quite so much detail. I've never seen pictures of her before though, she was gorgeous! I'm glad you have wonderful memories with her, it's always the best way to remember them *hugs* xxx

[Smoke on the Water]

O dear. That is awfully sad. She was a lovely dainty little thing. Such a shame by such cruel ********.

[Catg]

Oh Gem that's such a heartbreaking story. Thank you for sharing it with us.

She was lovely, just my type of pony! x

[Osci]

Oh Gem she was gorgeous. RIP Rookie xx