Danny: it could have ended so badly

[maggies_lens]

Wow, shock today. Quick history: I got Danny for my 16th birthday from a horse-hire place run by a ... well, less than sparkling reputationed gentleman named Rodney. He was good to his horses tho, they were all in very good condition and happy/healthy, altho Dan had serious hoof problems. I don't know if they were caused by Rodney tho, I wouldn't think so. It was seedy toe and abcesses which some horses are just more prone too, hell he still gets them and I don't neglect his hooves. Anyway, Dan has no brands, no freeze marks, nothing to really identify him. He is an outstanding looking horse due to his very eye-catching color but other than that, you wouldn't pick him from a bunch of other buckskin geldings. I've always wanted to know his history but without marks, forget it. All I knew was his dam was a purebred QH and his sire was a brumby, and that he was about 5-7 years old.
Years have gone by and I've never really thought about his history, other than the odd longing to have known who backed him in, where he got his super-excellent trails skills and how he looked as a gorgious litle bucky foal. Went down to pay my agistment today and as per normal Adriana and I stood around shooting the breeze. It was quite nice. Rain bucketing down, but warm. Then she said something which totally threw me into a tail-spin.
She knows Danny's owner 2 people before me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apparently it's a woman named Tracey Turner who owned Danny when he was 5 years oold (i.e he was certainly not 5 when he was sold to me). She had him for about a year, agisted about half a k from where we are now. Holly flying duck turds!!!!!! She used him for trail riding primarily, Adriana didn't know if she'd done anything else with him. After about a year of owning MY horse she decided to sell him and get into QH's. How anyone could sell Danny is beyond me, he's the sweetest horse I have ever met, he'll do anything for you.
She sold him on to someone who had him less than 3 months before they sent him to the market.
Holly shite that's basically a death sentence for a horse!! My horse!!!! MY HORSE WAS AT THE MARKET!!!! *hyperventilates* This was in the days of the Dandenong Market too, horrible conditions. Most of those horses get a one way trip on a huge truck from there. Jesus sweet Christ. My beautiful sweet Danny could have been canned and I would have never known him. *trembles with pent up emotion*
Thankfully Rodney got him. While I do believe having so many different riders screwed him up, at least he didn't end up canned. I started riding at Rod's and fell in loooove with this crazy fat buckskin lunatic who couldn't walk a straight line, and when my parents said I could have a pony, there was never ANY doubt in my mind who I wanted. It was Danny or nothing.
And I happen t o be known for my stubborness. 
I test rode a couple but turned them all down because none were as good as MY Danny. 
Mum and dad wanted me t o get something fancier, maybe a mare with a foal? I quickly convinced them that woul dbe a VERY bad idea. It was DANNY I wanted, so it was Danny I got. *gloating grin*
Before he came to me, he was named Denny. After the Man's From Snowy River's horse. Bleh. Denny. Daniel is SO much nicer. That's how we came to the conversation, we were giggling about the little new pony being called Star, then I said oh I can't talk, the only other name I could have given Dan that would have been more horse-typical could have been Bobby, and that's when Adriana said he used to be called Denny and gave me the story.
Man, you never know when stuff like this will hit you. Adriana hasn't spoken to this chick for about 10 years,s o it's unlikely I'll ever find out who she got him from. It was Adriana's sister who recognised Danny when she saw him, pulled out some old photos, apparently he looks JUST the same as he always did. Yay, I keep my ponies in good nick then. :-)

Comments

[windy-withers.livejournal.com]

are you sure we wern't separated at birth? We seem to be on the same wavelength. I've always wondered such things, and my first, beautiful, one eyed mare had such a fate as well. She was tied to a tree at an auction when a man (who only knew goats) bought her.

Anyway, isn't it just wonderful to get details on your horse, it makes you feel so much more complete in a weird way. Congrats, and Im so glad you have him instead of anyone else in the world!

[maggies-lens.livejournal.com]

LOL! We well could have been, the way we go on. :-D
You rarely speak about your past horses, I would love to hear more about them, I think at one stage you said you have two others who are out on lease? Is one of them that mare?
It is unreal getting that little tidbit, I just never ever thought I would find out anything more about him, certainly not after all these years. Why it took Adriana this long to TELL me is one of life's greatest mysteries. *-_- I would love to get in contact with this chick just to hear what she did with him and who she got him from. He would have been 4-5years old so newly backed probably, so more than likely she knows who bred him.
Yeah, I love my Danny-boy, he makes my world rock, and he's got his own little fan club happening with Mikky, Melissa and Tanya. Such a sweetie. He used to have billions of little kids swarming up to him when The Saddle Club hit TV; he looks just like Stardust, apparently *rolls eyes and laughs* He put up with being surrounded and loved on pretty well.

[windy-withers.livejournal.com]

Oh I love the other 2 ponies more than life itself. Ive had/have 6 wonderful years with both of them, they're just really enjoying being kids horses and I try to not intrude on their sense of their "own" horse feeling. No one wants the owner continuously poking about. I know their doing everything in my frame of refrence (natural/ gentle/ whats good for the horse) my "spies" at the barn they're at tell me nothing but positive notes- they call me or e-mail me when they have problems or I go down and help them work something through... but really, they've been riding them for 2 years straight, almost if not every day. Right now the whole Momma whirlwind captured my attention, so I'm auctually glad their someones number one right now instead of my number two and three. When I lived down there, I would give them lessons or sit on the fence and watch them ride. I really missed riding. When I moved the hour north, I got momma and am getting back into the routine of just me and the horse again, which I liked. I liked sharing Sugar and Scout, but it was lonely for me, and I just got on for a few moments after they rode or something. My horses (and the grandkids are working on momma!) have always been commendered by children. They're fantastic horses, I've never trusted a horse so much as those two to behave exactly how they would with me when I'm gone. They're good, solid horses for teaching the basics to kids and I love them for that. So I dont mind sharing:)

[maggies-lens.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, like me: lending horsey to others not able to have their own for whatever reason and in so doing making horsey and people happy and confortable. I'm the same with Danny, I love taking him out for a gentle hack but with two horses it can get very hard to make sure they both get the exercise and mental stimulation they need. Which is why I am so lucky to have had Melissa and now Tanya. Melissa used to ride Dan before she got her pony, and now Tanya rides him with me. I still have both horses with me where I know full well they are being well cared for and loved, I am Dan's owner still and there is no lease agreement, but gee it takes a weight off my mind knowing he's been loved on by someone who he instantly took such a shine too. So their names are Scout and Sugar? Do I get to see photos? :-)