I have spoken a lot about Jet before on my social media pages so this is not a new story, but if it even encourages one person that reads this to adopt or even Foster an animal then it's been well worth re-telling.
LHPRJet was rescued in around 2014 from a field full of horses left with nothing but ragworth to eat. He was in an emaciated and malnourished state with marks all over him presumed to be whip marks/rope burns and even a ciggerate burn.
(see photo above)
Nobody was completely certain of his age but through speaking to various sources we believe he was not more than 2 years old when rescued.
Leinster horse and pony rescue (based in Trim) did a remarkable job in getting him back to health and having looking as well as he did when we came to visit him, but he was still very green and still had quite a few issues that really only came to light when he was pushed out of his comfort zone.
We adopted him in 2015. It was my eldest Mr.C that picked him out and they had an immediate bond.
At the start he was only to be a companion for my other horse and possibly a potter about pony for the kids in time, but little did i know what journey lay ahead and how much i had underestimated him..
Myself and a few others began working on the ground with Jet doing a bit of flatwork and leading him around with the kiddies on his back. He never stressed when little people got up, different story when an adult tried to mount, let alone ride!
And although he loved the small people it was impossible to progress to do anything but lead with him as he was so spooky and could scoot off at any given moment which in turn would knock the kids confidence.
I had people that tried to bring him on and though their intentions were good I think if anything it possibly set him back even more. I blame myself for that but my intentions were also good, if misguided.
He didn't trust anyone yet and he was so full of tension he couldn't learn or process, he simply wasn't ready so all he was doing was trying to survive.
I realised he needed to stay at home where he felt safe before he could progress and I promised myself he wouldn't leave his home again until he was ready.
But I still needed a rider and I was blessed to find a very brave young girl called Lauren to get on and really go forward with him. It wasn't pretty at times as Jet was still so green, and he would scoot and react so sharply it was difficult, but it was a start and a massive step in the right direction.
Without Lauren Jet may have spent his time as nothing but a field companion so I'm eternally grateful for her help.
The next part of the story began when my main horse Solas went suddenly lame and i was lost without having something to ride. I would never have considered riding Jet myself, I'm not too heavy but I'm 5ft6 and I thought myself too big for him.
Only for being so stuck and for the support of a friend I would never have tried.
It was only a bit of fun at the start but she pushed me to see what we could do together..
Jet was still so super sensitive to the leg and was stiff as a board with no bend, so anything other than scooting forward and scuttling sideways was a challenge.
He would hack or go in a straight line all day long but push to get an inside bend or a decent contact and he would panic.
The first time I sat on him things went surprisingly well until he spooked and his head went up and he scooted out from under me like a mini rocket and I panicked and sent him straight headlong into the ditch (presumably to stop him?! 🤦♀️) .. Let's just say I try to forget about that but my friend likes to remind me of that moment quite often!! 🙈😂
But after a while things improved, quicker than I believed possible, and we started to really trust each other..
We're over a year on from that first day and in that time this amazing little 14.1hh hairy gypsy cob has competed in showing, showjumping, Dressage and even cross country!
The highlight has been going to a cross country clinic with the Irish eventing legend Jonty Evans. Jet would have been petrified to walk through water not so long ago but we galloped through water, jumped a ditch and then did our first ever cross country event a few weeks later!! 😁
He now has a mini fan club (he's popular even with people that don't normally like cobs!) there's just something special about him.
I love that he surprises people wherever he goes.. most expect he's a cute but lazy little 'kick along cob' and then see him zooming around the place feathers flying!
But He still has quite a few fear related issues especially around whips and other horses passing him in warm ups. He curls himself into a tight little ball or tries to run away. He still spooks easily and has quite a few quirks, he's certainly not ready to be a kids pony yet, but he's improving bit by bit and I think he's also pushing me to be a better more sympathetic rider.
I'm so proud of this little coblet for so many reasons. He makes me smile all the time, it's impossible not to when you have an animal with such a beautiful soul that wants to please you so much, even after such a terrible start in life.
It has been a wonderful team effort to get Jet to where is he now and I thank everyone that's has helped, offered advise, support and encouragement along the way and continue to do so on a regular basis. Each one of them played a part.
People have said to me how lucky he was to have found me.. i say I'm the lucky one.
We renamed him 'SuperJet' on his passport, it suits him well, he deserves a title fit for a mini hero 🤗🦸💚
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