Click
on photo to see selection of photos of Black Pearl.Holme Grove Black Pearl was purchased as a foal by Paula but due to a change of circumstances and a new baby she reluctantly asked us to find her a new home as she had not time to do her justice. Liz and I picked her up in December 2006 and she has been in schooling with Liz for 6 months in preparation for sale and has now found a wonderful new home with Anna and will be living in Windsor Great Park - lucky girl! Anna collected her from Holme Park Stud on 3rd July 2007 - see her email communications below.
Email received 17th March 2008
Hello there Susan, Hello there Liz,
I hope my email finds you both in very good health!!
All fine at my end, and having discussed it with B this afternoon, we decided that an email to both of you was long overdue.
Well what can I say about my very very very clever pony, apart from the fact that she is just perfect. Faultless really.
We did have a little hiccup in early December, when I splashed out on a brand new dressage saddle for her and B told me in no uncertain terms that she was unhappy with it by completely and utterly broncing me off !
I was fine, only my pride was dented – I hadn’t fallen off for about eleven years! However, following on from a visit from lovely Tanya, I decided to get her back checked out (probably should have thought of that myself!), and her back was very sore.
However, she’s had six or seven sessions with the Back Lady, and seems a billion times happier and much more comfortable now.
I’m going to continue with a monthly visit for the next year or so, just to keep everything in check.
So, apart from that little upset, all I can say is that she is absolutely brilliant, and won me over completely. She really is the cleverest little horse in the universe.
The only problem I have, is that I want to be progressive in my training of her, and I’m gonna run out of things to teach her very soon.
Whatever, I ask her to do, she just ……… does. It’s truly extraordinary, and believe me, it’s definitely not down to my training, which leaves a huge amount to be desired.
Heath wise (apart from her back), she’s 100%, her tummy hasn’t caused any trouble whatsoever, she hasn’t been lame, she’s always very bright and cheerful and overjoyed to see me – or perhaps it’s the continuous supply of carrots that seem to appear whenever I am around that she gets so excited about
In closing, I totally and utterly adore her, she has proved to be the perfect horse to walk into Lovely Faithful Ellie (who is still fighting fit and keeping the throat cancer at bay!) shoes and I am just so lucky to have found her – so thank you.
It’s getting late now and I’m pretty tired, so I’m off to bed.
I hope everything is well with both of you, take care now and keep in touch.
With all the very very best.
Anna and B
Email received
6th November 2007
And what can I say about B ………….. well she’s just perfect, perfect, perfect.
She really hasn’t put a foot wrong. Not once.
Words cannot describe her, she really is quite extraordinary. I have never ever ever ever known a horse to be quite so clever. She is amazing.
I honestly only have to show her something once and she picks it up straight away (and bear in mind I’m a really cr*ap teacher, so her cleverness ain’t anything do to me). I’ve only taught her really silly things, nothing that’s going to change the world, but she has learnt loads and loads and loads.
She’s an absolute joy and so easy.
Only this evening I was riding her bareback (I think I mentioned to you, I prefer riding bareback than with a saddle), at walk, trot and canter in the school, and she was faultless – and it’s worth mentioning that there were loads of fireworks tonight too!
I’m not saying that things wouldn’t go wrong with her very very quickly, she could most definitely become quite explosive if she got into the wrong hands, and if people were too harsh and rough with her. But as long as you are polite and gentle and patient, consistent and firm with her, then she’s a total angel – so willing.
I adore her and love her to complete bits.
Her canter is becoming a lot more consistent, I just accept the canter that she offers me on the day without being too critical, and as a result she offers more and more and more as each day passes. She did put in quite a hefty buck when I first had her, which was my fault as I was simply being too clumsy with her, so I tried to be a little more polite in the future, and to stop riding as if I was in a pony club gymkhana! Yikes.
So in a word she’s fabulous, I’m so thrilled to have her, I will never ever part with her and appreciate how very lucky I am to have found her.
In closing thank you so much for your email. Please do keep in touch, I hope you have fun when you find a new horse to play with. Please give my regards to your Mum, and thank you so much once again for putting such a fantastic foundation training onto B, she’s a credit to you!
Lots of love and don’t forget to keep in touch.
Anna and B
Email received 9th July 2007
Hello there Liz, Hello there Susan,
I hope you are both well and that you had a weekend that was probably a little quieter than last!
Just a quick email (yeah right!), to let you know how my weekend with B went, in a word …………. she was a complete Superstar.
She’s settled into Blacknest Gate really well and seems to be very happy, as you can imagine she’s being totally charming to everyone, eating really well and the grooms love her cos she’s such a pleasure to handle and she’s also very very clean in her stable!
She’s out in the field now every day, from about 7.30 til about 4 p.m., with her two friends, Rosie and Folly (one of which is owned by Lucy Higginson the Editor of H&H – how posh is that!).
However, after three or four days of just chilling out, with just a very low-pressure lunge every night, I thought that the time had come this weekend, when I should take her on her first visit to Windsor Great Park.
I took her in the School first, to do some pre-flight checks, and she was perfect. So, it was off into the Park. I only rode her for about 40 minutes, and went up a very very quiet Sandtrack, and she was amazing, she didn’t put a foot wrong. Not once! After Ellie (who is still in very very very good health and fighting fit), who as you know, is a total tearaway, it was a very refreshing change!
When I turned her round to take her home, she didn’t rush or get silly in any way, she just took everything totally in her stride. The only thing she was slightly worried about, was the cut logs that littered the side of the sandtrack, but a friendly stroke on her neck and a kind word, and her worries were soon forgotten.
So we got back to the yard safely from what was a fantastic first ride. I was thrilled with her.
Tomorrow, my friend Julie is going to escort me and B round the Park for our first circular ride, which will take in all the sights i.e. Polo at Smiths Lawn, Virginia Water Gardens, occasional sights of Prince Philip Carriage Driving, The Famous Copper Horse, Prince Andrew’s House and Windsor Castle. Keep everything crossed.
With all the very very best to both of you, take care now and I will be in touch with you again very soon.
Big kiss.
Anna