I must say I enjoyed my stay at Harmony Lodge, being the expert fence escapee I had the time of my life. It was where I learnt a new trick, but I will tell you about that later. Due to me being prone to foundering, I spent alot of time locked up in a dirt yard so that I couldn't get too fat. This gave me plenty of time to study the fences and plan. The fences weren't that great to begin with, and this made it much easier for me. There were four yards. Brilliant me escaped all of them. The first time I escaped was easy, the top rail was rotten and had fallen down (Most of the fencing was rotton, if you blew too hard it would fall over). So being the jumper I was and seeing all the delicious grass around the excersise track I simply jumped out the fat yard into another with the gate left open, so i walked out the gate and spent the night eating. The owner of the place found me the next more munching happily and put me back in my paddock with Kate HOORAY!! But my mummy became upset when she arrived to let me out on the grass for the day and couldn't find me. Harmony Lodge was 80 acres and she drove up the back and looked for me, and became worried I had simply walked through the front gates and off down the road. Her sister was with her and said lets check the paddock. My mummy was so happy to find me, I was hiding behind a tree in the paddock having a lovely snooze with a full tummy, so mummy couldn't see me until she entered the paddock. Then one to the second fat yard. That was a bit harder. The top rail was down, but there was an electric wire running along the top. Don't ask me how I squeezed through the gap between the middle rail and electric wire, that's my little secret. I spent another lovely night on the grass, and when my mum arrived the next day and couldn't see me she knew where to find me. My mummy and her father came down and spoke to Frank, the owner, they wanted to "Condor Proof" one of the yards as they called it. He said fine so they made the yard as strong as anything, I could not find my way out of it no matter how much I tried. But then as luck would have it, the owners wife decided she wanted that yard for her young horse and no other horse was allowed to use it. Typical to let my family do the work then take over the yard as theirs. My mummy tried to talk her into letting me go in the yard, but she wouldn't budge saying use that yard next to it, he can't get out of there, its strong, my mummy told her I would find a way, but Sharon refused to believe her, so I was put in the unCondor Proofed yard, and when i couldnt push the fence over I simple opened the gate and walked out. Grrr I got caught in the act by the stable girl who caught me and put me back in and tied the gate. As soon as my mummy arrived and saw the gate tied she knew i had opend it. Well from then on no yard was safe from me, I found that by leaning my weight on the fence the fence would just topple over, I didn't need to use the gate after that. I spent many nights up in the back hay shed eating yummy lucerne hay with the miniture pony who could walk under the fence eating hungrily next to me.
It was at Harmony Lodge that I met my 3 mentors, Billy, Bimbo and Garfield. Billy was ok, Garfield and I were great friends, after Kate had been moved into another paddock with heaps of grass. Garfield loved Kate too and he would always chase me away from her, no fair. and then there is evil Bimbo, who absolutely hated me. The four of us ended up together in a big huge 10 acre paddock, sounds good, well it wasn't the fences were shocking and there was absolutely no grass. Those of you who know alot about horses will have heard of the term Foundering. I was a pronoun foundering pony, so I ate too much, is that a crime????? I always paid for it, my poor mummy didn't know what to do with me, I could founder after a couple of hours in grass. But in this 10 acre paddock it was different, it was so shocking that even though it was spring, my mummy had to feed me to keep my weight on. During the winter absolutely every horse nearly on the property from the private paddocks were put in there so as to let their grass grow. Come spring they had grass and us 4 poor horses were left with nothing. Poor Garfield suffered the worst he was a thoroughbred windsucker, his mummy didn't love him no more and she never came to see him or feed him, he became so skinny, but his spirit never left him, he was still the big boss even while he was thin. But we had fun anyway trampling down fences and they spent much time teaching me to fight. I went from a wimp at that place to becoming a horse with a bad name around the area WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I met a great little friend at Harmony Lodge, his name was Andy. His mummy and my mummy became really good friends and we would go for lots of rides together, the things we used to get up to. There was a huge training track there as the place had originally been racing facilities. But because the owners wife was scared to gallop there was a rule saying we werent allowed. My mummy decided to take me for a gallop one day around there as the owners were out. We were having a ball as the owners wife, Sharon drove in. I didn't care I was having fun, and my mummy knew she would get in trouble so she pretended that I had taken off on her, as we roared by Andy and his mum she told them, so then they decided to join the fun by pretending to chase after us so we were then both going flat out, there were two other girls quietly riding and they thought I had taken off too so they both came flat chat after us. It was so cool four of us galloping madly around the track while Sharon watched us. My mum knew my abilities so as we reached the end near the fence she pulled me into a sliding stop and I set the breaks and slid to a halt. It was so funny as then the others thundered in and stopped. All Sharon could do was laugh, she really thought I had taken off, hee hee and my supurb stop made her believe it more.
I still went to Pony Club twice a month, and one time we had a 30 km ride to do with the pony club. We went in groups of three and I was with Sheeba and Lucky. After the first few kilometrese both Sheeba and Lucky were in a lather, from nervous excitement, and here was me about 10 years older without even the slightest little sweat up. By the end of the ride those two were wringing wet, it was dripping off them, and I had only a little sweat on me. It wasn't because I was fitter than them, it was cus they were both silly youngsters with no brains, and sweated themselves in excitement, while I plodded along with them enjoying myself.
Me and Andy we really did have a ball together. He came with me on a weekend holiday to Wonthaggi one time. It was during the summer and our mummies wanted to take us to the beach. It took us forever to find our way down onto the beach, We were lead down a really steep path down the side of a cliff, it was a bit slippery but we made it in one piece. The waves were crashing and the wind was really blowing a gail, I was scared, but to make matters worse we were attacked by a huge bug. It went for andy's mummy and Andy gallops really fast but it kept going after them, all my mummy could do was laugh belplessy. I really was quite funny watching a tiny bug fly as fast as a galloping horse. That bug soon made our mummies decide to leave the beach, as it wouldn't stop annoying them, so we were lead up the steep path this time, our feet slipping, but we made it. Luckily the bug didn't follow us, but it left it's mark on Andy's mum. It had a nasty bite to it.
Winter was the worst, especially one year, it was a bad wet winter and all the surrounding farms were flooding bigtime. It was the Big Wet that year and I still remember the ride my mummy took me on between one of the bad rainy days. It was down a dirt road names Taylors road. It was horrible, the whole road had flooded. I had to walk through water up to my knees for a couple of hundred metres. But I was soooooooo brave and I did have fun, shhhhh don't tell my mummy though or she will find more water for me to go through. There is photos of the water on the road that day in Condors Photo Album, feel free to take a peek. It will show you the horrible conditions I had to endure that day. Specially as my mummy had me not only walking, but trotting and cantering through it.
We used to love our drives to Wonthaggi and our poppy's holiday house. I remember a couple of the drives there. The holiday house was about and hour and a half away from where we were living. There was one time when we were whooshing down the road in the float at what felt fast, but mummy told us later it was only 80kms and there was roadworks ahead. we were driving down a hill and there was no one waiting at the other side to come through but there was a car approaching and the stupid council mam with the stop sign decided to change us to stop and give them the slow sign. Suddenly the float was whooshing to a stop as our poppy put the breaks on, but not so hard that we slid anywhere. We came to a stop just after passing the stupid road works man and his silly stop sign. The man realised he had done the wrong thing, mummy told us all about the look on his face of horror. He apoygised to our poppy for changing the slow sign to a stop sign at last minute.
Then there was the time on the same stretch of road where suddenly a mother duck and her little brood of ducklings waddled out in front of us. Again the breaks were planted, but this time we went whoosh from side to side all over the road, and the ducks went under the float, but miraculously we didn't kill any of the family, they all scattered and none were squashed. Silly mumma duck taking her family across just then. Me and Kate always had such exciting rides.
On our way home from Wonthaggi one time we made a detour and we stopped and my grandpa's friends place in Coronella on a huge farm with cows. My mummy had a friend Rebecca with her and also I had Kate. Rebecca rode me while mummy rode Kate around the farm and we went for a gallop and I wouldn't stop and Rebecca started screaming and I didn't mean too, I ran under the tree and she got swiped off. Poor Rebecca I never meant to make her fall off I was having fun and wanted to gallop really fast.
After my mummy had a huge fight with the owners of Harmony Lodge I was moved again. I think it was great my mummy finally stood up to the silly man and his stuck up wife. My mummy made lots of jumps for me to jump, and she was nice she let everyone use them while I was living at Harmony Lodge. The boss was a farrier and he did my feet for 5 years, he was really nice, he used to sing to me!!!!!! but his wife was a stuck up cow and she never liked me or my mummy from the start. I have mentioned her before the one who stood back while my mummy and my mummys dad fixed up a yard so I couldnt get out, then claimed it for herself. Anyway the boss loved jumping and he always used our jumps it didn't worry my mummy at first, he had a couple of jumps too and they were mixed, though you could see the diff between his and my mummys, my mummy had about 6 lovely painted ones, while he had 3 lousy plain jumps, but anyway my mummy didn't mind not until he started telling my mummy to leave the jumps at the height he has them after jumping as it takes him hours to put them back, sheesh it would only take mummy a couple of minutes to put them down. Ok, my mummy did that for awhile, as she didn't wanna cause any trouble. But then it happened oneday a couple of days after the boss, Frank is his name, told one of my mummys friend to put the jumps back how they are found. Sheesh what right has he to give orders on my mummy's jumps. My mummy told her friend she could do what she wanted with them. And after me and mummy finished jumping one day, so, what my mummy put the jumps down to 3 feet, while Frank seems to jump his horses about 50 feet, (slight exaggeration). Whoopsie mummy forgot to put them back up. Frank stormed over to her later when he saw her and had a go at my mummy, saying if she uses the jumps to put them back how she found them. Everyone was all around doing things, and his silly wife smirked. My mummy snapped and told him straight out - Well they are my jumps too!!!!. Hee hee Frank stammered a bit before saying, I know that. And as for his Wife Sharon, her mouth dropped like a lead balloon. I was so proud of my mummy. But from then on things got strained, And finally after my mum did what everyone else seemed to be allowed to do. While she went to get Kate, she let me eat grass in the laneway. Could I help it if I wanted to go over and say hello to the mare and foal being lead out of there paddock. The mare tried to kick me but got her owner instead. I didn't wanna hurt them I love foals. When I first moved to Harmony Lodge I was a poppy to the foals in the paddock next to me they would sleep half under my fence while I stood and protected them. Mummy got told there was a rule saying that you cant let your horses loose eat in the laneway, never mind that he did it or that his wife allowed her best friends to let their horses loose around the jumping area and interrupt you trying to ride and jump. The lady who got kicked knew it was an accident, my mummy still even talks to her hubby, but NOT Sharon this was the worst disaster that could ever happen in her eyes. Things really got strained then and we ended moving. It was sad to leave Garfield behind, but Kate was coming with me, and Sharon didn't like that one bit, my mummy going and taking Julie's business aswell, cus her and Julie were great friends. But Julie wanted my mummy to keep looking after Kate.
My next place was Cypress Lodge. This was the place where poor Kate sliced her leg open 2 times. I was placed in an acre paddock with about 6 other ponies. One of the ponies being the horse mine and Danny's mummy's call Tubby. He was evil and he was so nasty he had a thing against me, thankfully he was only in the paddock a few months before the lady got kicked out for neglecting her ponies. Poor Scars, he was only 2 years old way back then and he was skin and bone plus. He was that hungry he had taken to eating the fence posts. But even though Kate was moved into a paddock away from me, waaaaaaaaa no fair. I found such a sweet little mare Sally. She was so nice and she picked me to be her new boyfriend. I must say Tubby wasn't impressed as she was his girlfriend at the time. Maybe thats why he hated me so much? Hmmmmmm I must think about that awhile. Nothing much exciting happened at Cypress Lodge, besides the fact that I was moved into the front paddock in the end for stealing other horses dinner. It was winter and In winter I can go into a grassy paddock, it's only spring That I need a fat yard. I got to live in the same paddock as Kate, ALL RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! I followed her around everywhere. There was 2 other horses in the paddock with us, the paddock was about 5 acres. Ben, a big grey thoroughbred gelding, and there was Shelley. Boy I hated Shelley, she reminded me alot of Kate when I first saw her, ugly and skinny, much too skinny. But I never intended being Shelley's friend. She was a pinto and I don't like pinto's just ask Teah. Well was it my fault that I was the boss of the paddock. And was it my fault that stupid owners put their horses food in the paddock and then left it and went home. Is it my fault If I wanted the food for me and Kate. So many times Kate and I ate Shelley's food. And all Shelleys owner could do would be to wine about it to the lady who owned the place. If i had been that lady I would have told her to lock her horse up when feeding it, but no she would leave the food then complain. I spent many lovely times kicking the stuffing out of Shelley then gorging on the food. Kate loved it too, and she had a few kicks at Shelley. I guess I went too far when Ben's mummy left his food there, I did the same thing to him I attacked him then Kate and I ate. Only when she complained I had to get moved to another paddock, but Kate got to stay there. waaaaaaaaa Why should I have to go with strange horses just because other horses owners are pathetic and whine about things when they are in the wrong. It's only common sense to feed your horse outside the paddock if others boss it around. Now i was stuck with Yahoo. And he hated me!!! he was nastier than I had ever been, and I was on his hit list waaaaaaa. Which is why he was in that paddock. All the nasties put together. Next thing I know the rumours are spreading rapidly about how my mummy had been kicked out of 5 different agistments because I was as it was said "A FERAL MONGRAL". Before anyone passes judgement on me remember this, I was a wimp in Pony Club, Zoneke gave me hell at the Harradines, and yes I was bad at Harmony Lodge, but my mummy wasn't kicked out. Now that makes it 3 places, 4 including Cypress Lodge, the place I was living at at the time of the rumours. so where are the 2 other places I was kicked out of?????? Anyway then my mummy moved me and Kate again. Her dad had brought 5 acres and this was to be our home from then on. Yippy a real home atlast. Kate was taken first I was heartbroken, where's she going. I was to find out later when I arrived at my new place, and Kate was there with another horse, a baby foal, well a 10 month foal. Kate had gone with mummy to pick Caleesto up. Now I thought Caleesto was quite cute I loved babies, but Kate hated her guts. They never really got on, even up to the day Kate finally moved on they still never really liked each other.
We had been there a year when I first met Danny. I knew Danny's mummy as she would come ride me while my mummy rode Kate. I liked Danny's mummy. When she first started I used to eat lots of grass but now she knows how to stop me. I was put in the float and when I arrived I was at a strange place and there were horses everywhere. I was put in a paddock with a little buckskin gelding, ok not that little, but hey I was taller so nernie nernie nernie. I sniffed him then screamed at him striking out with my foot. Hey I like to put on a good show. As I walked off to explore thinking wheres all the grass, the little bugger followed me around. I turned around and screamed again while doing the coolest dance routine with my feet. Then Danny followed me some more. I didn't want to get too bossy as this was Danny's turf and I didn't have any reason to be nasty, but hey he turned his bum at me. I had to scoot outta the way. Secretly I felt Danny was rather cool. Me and Him rode back to my place. Hey whats going on I thought, I ain't sharing my girls with another gelding. Danny was put in the paddock with us. I didn't know it was only for a few hours. I showed him who the real boss was then. I chased Danny around until he was practically shaking like a leaf. He ended up running to his mummy for help and she took him out of the paddock. This is my Turf I told him. Then I was saddled up again and me and Danny were ridden to another place, Danny's new home. I was extra nice to Danny again. There was a horrible pinto there Teah, and you all know how I feel about Pinto's. I was nice to her this time, as it was her paddock, but I was nice only this one time. I do like Danny lots though. Me and him are the best of buddies.
I will never forget the next time I met Teah. I am also sure she will never forget it either. her mummy (Danny's mummy) floated her to my place to come for a ride with me. I was not impressed and I let Teah know that. I have never hated a horse quite as much as I loathe Teah. I had Teah on the run petrified while I chased her with my teeth gleaming wickedly in the sun. Even while on the ride I tried many times unsuccesfully due to my mum stopping me, from biting Teah HARD any place I could. Everytime since I have met Teah I have really torn strips out of her. Danny I don't mind if he comes to my place as long as he knows Caleesto is my lady, but hey he has 2 girls, he doesn't need another. But when Teah comes, now that I wont tolerate. And I don't mean to hurt you Danny, but poor Danny, loving Teah so much ends up in the crossfire too. But I would never ever hurt my pal Danny. Him and me are alot alike, and if he spends too much time around me he may end up even more nasty than me. Hee hee now wouldn't that be something.
Owwwwwww I HATE BRIDGES!!!!!!!!! Mummy took me up to Danny's joint for the day one time, even thinking about it now it gives me the shivers. We went for a ride around the big lake near Danny's joint that used to be park of a big fair with lots of rides and stuff. Ther was a briged across the lake and it was high high high above the lake, it was like up in the clouds high, (OK not that high, but it was trully very high) And suddenly mummy turned me towards it I stopped, no way am I going across that bridge NOOOOOOOO. Danny went ahead of me so I decided to show him I wasnt scared at all, but I really was a brave horse with no fears. I walked so slowly across the bridge and placed myself in the middle well away from the big drop and certain death. I finally got across the bridge, phew I never want to go over that again.
Hee Heee Hee I'm so so so clever, I locked my mummy in the feed shed. While she was in there making our yummy yummy yummy dinner, I pushed on the door and it closed and the little clip locked into place. My poor poor mummy, but really I didn't mean too. She had to smash the window with a hammer and climb out through it. She tapped the window a few times to try and get Kate to move, but Kate wouldn't move so she smashed it, that made kate move quick.
The sadest day of my life was the day Kate left. She got sick as it had been a harsh dry winter then no rain in spring. We were in the middle of a drought. There just wasn't enough grass for us all and we ended up in dirt paddocks. Poor Kate got sick from the dirt, she had diarhoea really really badly. The only way to make her better was to put her in a grass paddock, so Kate was moved to an agistment farm. Waaaaa the day she went my mummy floated me and Caleesto to Danny's place. It was cool there lots of fun, but when I got home I couldn't find Kate I trotted around calling her for a couple of minutes, but that was that. There is a hole in my heart that she left that can never be filled, but time does heal all wounds. I wonder If I would recognize her if I ever saw her again. Who knows.!!! But I know I would. It is sad but I have Caleesto and she is really turning into a stunner. She is even starting to get my attitude. When I had Kate she was friendly to all horses and her and Splash our next door neighbor were lovers. They absolutely loved grooming each other. But now she really doesnt bother with Splash at all she follows me around. She knows Kates gone and shes my number 1 girl.
We have been sick for the past five weeks. When Ollie came down into his front paddock Caleesto caught a really bad cold. I think Ollie gave it to her. She had it about a week then I got it. It just wouldn't go away. When mummy came down the other morning 16, March 2001. I was having lots of trouble breathing. I felt so sick. Even Caleesto got bad again after she started to get better. So mummy got the vet out. The vet who came was the one that Caleesto hates OH NO!!!!! He gave us both injections of antibiotics and we have to have powders in our food 2 times a day until all the antibiotics are gone. He is giving us a double dose. He was really nice he was worried more about me that Caleesto as I am older, but I will recover, Our powders - Bromotrimidine and Trimidine contain 3 antibiotics in them the vet wants to really kill the bugs going around. He was so nice to me. We will soon be better, I'm feeling better already and I get 2 feeds instead of 1 feed now WHOOPIE, see it pays to get sick ...
My poor poor feet, waaaaaaaa. Why didn't the silly vet pick up just what was wrong with my poor poor feet. My mummy called him out but he goes and says he can't find anything wrong, but that he could i was maybe a little sore so to get the farrier to look at me. My new farrier Richie is soooooo cool he found what was wrong with me right away. He came and looked at me on Tuesday 10th April 2001. I had pus in both my hind back hooves, it was an infection. So he got my mummy to put this hot slushy stuff on both my feet and to bandage them up. It was called a poultice. I had to wear them on my back feet for 4 whole days. I killed one before it even got on my foot hee hee. Then they were changed for the first time a day and a half later. I had shreaded holes in another by the day after that. So by the time the farrier came out I had one poultice left on. But guess what all, my foot is all better, YIPPY the poultice worked, and my other foot is nearly all better, I wish I hadn't killed the poultice now as then it would be all better. I heard them talking and I am getting one put on my foot for the day next wednesday to get rid of the rest of the pus out of my one still slightly sore leg. What can I say but if you have a problem don't call a vet, call a farrier. But don't just call any farrier either, call Richie, he is the best in the business.
We had such fun today. Our mummy's daddy and splash's grandpa were fixing the laneway fence and they had to cut it to fix it and they turned their backs for two seconds and both Caleesto and I snuck into Splash's back paddock. It was sooooooo cool and we raced up and down and all around checking out his paddock. They eventually caught me and put me back onto my side, but Caleesto wanted none of that. I didn't mind being caught poor Splash has no grass at all in his back paddock at the moment and I didn't want to die of starvation in there. That would be horrible.
