I would just like to say that I am now the proud registered owner of beautiful Adie! Today marks the day that Adie has been signed over to me from the RSPCA and I cannot begin to say how proud and happy I am and I couldn’t think of a better time to do An Adie Update.
Six Months ago I took on Adie but with every RSPCA rescue we had to complete a six month probation period in which we have passed with flying colours! I contacted the RSPCA Leybourne Centre in regards to the probation period coming to an end and they emailed me back to say that they had sent the paperwork already and that they couldn’t have asked for a better owner for Adie! Usually, before signing over a rescue they have to come and do their final checks but due to following Adie on my social networking and the press video we did together, they didn’t feel the need to as they knew he was in the safest hands he could be!
I know a lot of my readers follow our journey on my socials but I wanted to do An Adie Update to let you all know what we have been up to in the last six months.. As you can imagine with any rescue, the first month is the most challenging and this was the case with Adie. We worked on general manors in and out of the stable daily alongside the basics such as picking up all 4 hooves, rugging, grooming and all the other aspects of horse ownership you can think of. Adie has always taken everything in his stride but he still struggles with the initial rug coming towards him which I can understand due to the fact he had a sheet put over him when he was found. Adie happily wears a rug now.
Adie has been going from strength to strength with living life as a normal pony and has really come out of his shell.. He is very cheeky that is for sure and is really settled and content in his routine. He is gaining more confidence every single day and even though he can be spooky at new things, he is always inquisitive and interested which is good!
Adie and I had the privilege to work alongside the RSPCA press team to make a video of Adie’s rescue and new home which I am really proud of. Rosie, the inspector that was called out to Adie came to my yard to see Adie alongside the press team and she was amazed at how well Adie looked compared to when she first saw him! It was like a different horse! Since then, Adie’s re-home story has featured in many magazines such as Horse & Rider, Horse & Hound and also other news platforms such as The Sunday Telegraph, BBC news and many others.
Adie also had his first debut in front of the camera with the talented Madison May Photography. Muddy Footprints and I decided to work together and now I am a proud Brand Ambassador for a great brand! Adie took this in his stride and we got some great photos! Following in his brothers footsteps as he really is beautifully marked. He was also featured in some photographs done for Sporting Hares too!
After a few months, I started doing more with Adie and with the help of one of my friends Rachel, we had a bridle and saddle on Adie for the first time ever not even a year after his rescue! We started introducing tack to Adie and he took to it straight away. We put a roller on him, walked him around the menage, lunged him and all was going really well. We decided after a few weeks of this that we would try and get on Adie and he was so good, he didn’t put a foot wrong and Rachel did a lap in walk on Adie’s back. We thought this was too good to be true and we were proven right as things started to go backwards. Adie was doing everything he could to put us off tacking him up and he was constantly playing up. Due to Adie’s past I didn’t want to put too much on him too soon so I decided to take it back to basics and work on his manors and groundwork before trying to back him again..
Since going back to basics with Adie things have been going really well. We have learnt a lot about each other and I have found some exercises that Adie really enjoys! Adie is great on the lunge line and loves being free schooled over small jumps. We do this once a week to stimulate his mind and give him something to enjoy! It is really nice to see him move freely in the menage and if I must say, he has some lovely movements on him! I have also started clicker training with Adie and he has really taken to this. We are in the early stages but he seems to be picking it up very quickly so I may write a blog post further on in his clicker training as this is a great way to introduce positive reinforcement training.
I am really proud of everything Adie and I have achieved in the past six months and I am super excited for what the future holds for us. I would love to influence someone else to rescue a horse from the RSPCA because it is a great achievement and you are giving a horse or pony another chance to enjoy life. I have no expectations from Adie, I am taking things a day at a time and I just want him to enjoy his life! He really is a great little pony and in time I reckon he will be a great ridden pony too! I plan to take Adie to Equifest this year and show him in hand in the RSPCA showing class so that is what we are working towards at the moment. I would just like to remind every single one of you that despite how you feel, nothing is impossible and never give up.. You may go 2 steps back, but you have to pull an arrow back to launch it forward and that is the mindset I have with Adie.
There is no such word as can’t – Tim Stockdale
I would like to say a massive thank you to every single person that has supported Adie and I to get to this place. For all of the lovely comments, support, tips and just following our journey in general. Adie is very special to me and is the perfect addition to our little family and we cannot wait to share the rest of our journey with you all!
Thank you for reading, until next time..
Francesca x
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