Holme Park Saumur , Chestnut Gelding by Holme Grove Solomon out of  Holme Park Sundance  born 1995. Owned by Marriane Davies and kindly on loan to Ginny Oakley

** Ginny Oakley and Saumur have kindly agreed to perform a Side Saddle display at our Trakehner Open Day on 28th June 2009 at Holme Park Stud. **    Don't miss it order your tickets today !

email received 13 January 2009 from Ginny

Dear Susan,
 
I read with great interest the letter from Lisa on your web site.
 
Saumur has settled into his new home well and is (almost as much) being as spoilt as ever! My two young nieces adore him and have given the nick name of Mr Puff as he high blows so much when being led! They even bought him a name plate for his door at Olympia!
 
Saumur has had a happy and healthy life with his owner Marianne for the last four years. As Lisa said in her letter he was much adored but Marianne's ambitions have changed so she offered him to me. How lucky am I to have such an amazing friend as Marianne!
He has always been turned out but we are lucky to have a lot of grazing hence all our horses are out as much as possible. With the aid of good rugs we ride and compete them from the field. This new life seems to suit Saumur well.
 
He is going very well at home and is enjoying the beautiful Northampton countryside!  The side saddle training is coming on nicely and he will attend his first side saddle show in February. After that I hope to go to Herts County and the Royal Show and possibly to the French International (held near to Saumur!) as well as taking him to displays. He will certainly be going to places he has never been to before with the display team that I manage and run. Blenheim Horse Trials is one of our favourite venues and all will be well as long as he has no grand ideas of jumping the huge cross country fences especially with the side saddle on!
 
I will keep you posted of his future exploits,
 
Best Wishes Ginny Oakley

email received 27th October 2008

Hello Susan

Long time, no speak – I hope that all is well with you, your family and the horses.

I had a lovely telephone call last night from Ginny Oakley (who you may know or have heard of as she does a lot of side saddle).  Anyway, when I sold Sam, it was to a client of hers called Marianne who has owned him ever since, has done a lot of Parelli with him, and hacking and schooling but not much really competition stuff as she just loved him and just wanted to enjoy him.  Ginny has remained her trainer & friend in this time and she was always a huge fan of Sam. It has been over 4 years now and now Marianne has acquired a top level schoolmaster from Germany as she is now much more interested in dressage so it has meant that Sam was at a slightly loose end (in full livery, not going out etc) and so, as she doesn’t want to sell him, she has offered him to Ginny on a very long tem basis to be her side saddle horse.  Ginny is absolutely thrilled to bits, has got him at home already (in Pottersbury, near me and he is having a much nicer life than before as he can be turned out, hacked and generally be pampered which he always loved.  She does lots of demos all over the country, runs master classes, goes to County & National shows and is so delighted to have a beautiful partner now after losing her original horse then having to retire her most recent one.  I cannot think of a nicer life for Sam and it’s funny really but I had always thought that he would carry a side saddle well (and had spoken to Ginny about it on a couple of occasions) because of his super confirmation, movement and good looks so I am as delighted as Ginny obviously was last night on the phone and I thought that you would like to know all of this.

Anyway, until we meet or speak again….

Best Wishes

Lisa