Reasons why we all love the horsey mum!
If she was already horsey, she couldn’t wait to buy your first pony. She probably had it lined up before you were born. She also couldn’t wait to book your first trip to HOYS!
She’ll forgo her rides so you can ride instead.
If she wasn’t already horsey, she probably thought a breastplate was a type of bra and Martin Gayle was singer, but now she’s got them stripped, cleaned, and refitted in a jiffy.
No one cleans your tack and boots better than she does. She’s also a magician with stained jodhs and mucky shirt-cuffs.
She’s the best at tacking up. If she doesn’t make sure your girth is tight enough, who will?
She no longer notices the cash assistant’s funny looks when she purchases six bottles of baby oil, four tubs of Brylcreem, shoe polish and eight tubs of talcum powder during her Friday lunch break.
She has long forgotten what quiet weekends ‘chilling out’ feel like. Instead she does chilly outside, probably at an exposed-to-the-elements equestrian centre while you master your up-downs. She’s still there when you master the perfect walk-to-canter transition.
Her right leg involuntarily flicks out behind her at every fence you jump.
She watches you practice the same show 101 times with earnest enthusiasm.
She thinks nothing of getting up at the crack of dawn to drive four hours to a show with no amenities beyond a portable toilet.
She understands why it’s way more important to get a good photo of your horse than you.
She tolerates nerves, shouting, and overtired tantrums so long as she can have a bacon butty, or on a really bad day, an hour in the food hall.
She’s a realist and keeps you grounded: if your show wasn’t up to scratch, she might tell you it was ‘rubbish’.
She’ll root for you anyway.
If you’re show was brilliant, no one is more proud.
No one cheers louder when you win. No one.
Thanks to the fantastic team at 1st Class Images for capturing these special Mum moments at Horse of the Year Show.
