A tiny and astonishingly old pony, whose zest for life remains fuelled by the love lavished upon her by scores of children, has been shortlisted to win a major national award.
Meet Ginger
Ginger, an 11.2hh New Forest/ Shetland cross bred, belongs to Amy Kingston who has kept the mare at livery with Katie Hall for some 20 years. Amy happily agreed to loan her for non-ridden activities when Katie opened Katie’s Horse Care Club five years ago in Bognor Regis, Sussex, to teach horsecare and other skills to children, many of them neuro-divergent, in a non-school setting.
“Ginger adores people but was always quite mischievous when ridden,” says Katie. “She may not be the easiest horse but she’s the most forgiving and teaches children the most, in a very unmalicious way.”
While Ginger helps the children at the Club by letting them practise grooming, bandaging, long reining and more with her, the children help Ginger by keeping her gently moving, massaged, stretched and receiving plenty of affection.
Despite her age, Ginger requires no medication. “She’s kept alive by the kids helping to manage her the right way,” explains Katie. “She’s so happy doing what she does, she’s very sound when she trots in the field, and she has more fire in her than plenty of ponies half her age.”
‘Thrilled to see Ginger as a finalist”
Having nominated her wonder pony for the Agria Horse of a Lifetime award at the annual Horse & Hound awards, Katie was thrilled to see Ginger chosen as a finalist. The winner is chosen by public vote and will be announced on 25th November at the Horse & Hound Awards. Previous winners include the Fell pony Carltonlima Emma, who was the regular riding pony of the late Queen Elizabeth II until shortly before her death.
“Winning the Agria Horse of a Lifetime award be an amazing tribute to a pony who has brought so much pleasure to so many,” adds Katie.
Agria UK’s CEO, Vicki Wentworth, says: “At Agria we have always recognised that the horses who have the biggest impact on society are not always the ‘big’ ones who win medals and rosettes – being special comes in all shapes and sizes. Agria does not limit the cover we offer older horses at all, because we know how precious they can be to their owners and riders, at any age. That’s certainly the case with Ginger and how wonderful to see her so well, happy, full of joie de vivre and importantly, beautifully busy at the incredible age of 40.”
To find out more about Agria visit www.agriapet.co.uk
