The Riders Academy

I straightened Bambi's travel rug, and went to put her boots on. I ran a comb through her mane for the last time, before loading all of Bambi's kit into the back of Brittany's mum's flashy truck. I gave her an apple, which she gratefully swallowed quickly. It was time. I fastened the purple lead-rope onto her fluffy purple head collar, and took her out of the stable. I walked her straight into the horse box that would be taking her to her new home, checked that the purple hay-net was full enough to last her the journey. I then hugged my little bay mare, for what I knew would be the last time, and let the tears run down my cheeks. I fastened all the ramp bolts, I closed the window and watched the horse box disappear into the horizon.

Bambi was my first horse. Sure, I had ponies, Shadow the shetland, Cobweb the Welsh B, Webster the Connemara, but Bambi was my first actual horse. At 15.2hh, she was a good size for a move up horse, and she had the temperament of a lamb, the jump of a deer, and the speed of a cheetah, she was your perfect move up horse. We had won many competitions, I trusted her with my life, and when I got Dragon, I hadn't outgrown her yet, so I ended up keeping her. And that's how it started, I would get a horse every 4-6 months or so, but I kept all my horses! First Bambi, then Dragon, Sapphire, Mushu, Fanta and Taz.

I walked into Bambi's empty stable, sat in the straw, and started crying. I sat like that for around 20 minutes, when Jo, one of the stable lads, came and sat down beside me and let me cry into his shoulder. I sobbed for a wee while longer, and after feeling a bit better, I got up, I mucked Bambi's old stable out, and removed the gold name plate, and put it in my room, so that, in a way, I would always have Bambi with me. I dug into my pocket, and pulled out a few strands of Bambi's tail. I winded them round the name plate, and carefully placed a picture of me and her competing 2 1/2 years ago, at the Pony Club Championships. It was an amazing photo of us jumping a 1.75m oxar, and we'd won, I was only 15 then, and that was when I realised that I wanted to be a professional horse rider.