How a cancelled dream trip led us to the pony of a lifetime
It was 2020, and Covid had hit us all. Like many, we found ourselves suddenly grounded, with plans changed and horizons narrowed. My mum had passed away, and she’d left me a small amount of money. We’d used part of it to book a trip of a lifetime to Costa Rica for my 50th birthday, something special for the whole family. Of course, that trip was cancelled, and the deposit was refunded.
At the time, we were borrowing a pony called Dude. My son Bill adored him, but we knew that before long, he’d need his own pony. That’s when the idea was born: we could buy a youngster now and bring it on ourselves.
I’d done it before, in my late teens, a lovely four-year-old Irish Sports Horse that turned out to be a real success. But this time would be different. This would be our first time purchasing a truly young pony, and we knew it needed to be the right one.
Searching in Lockdown
It was lockdown, and pony prices were sky high. I even considered heading to Ireland to buy from the Clifden auctions, just to find something suitable within budget. I contacted a reputable Irish stud and mentioned what we could afford. The answer was sharp:
“You’d be lucky to get a yearling out of Ireland at that price.”
Still determined, I remembered a lovely lady I’d spoken to earlier in the year, Emma at a Connemara stud in Oxfordshire. When we first spoke, I’d thought her youngsters were out of our reach, price-wise. But the more I searched, the more I realised: I wanted to buy from Emma.
There was something about that first conversation, calm, knowledgeable, and entirely genuine. I trusted her. And as a newbie to buying a two-year-old, I needed someone like that to help guide the decision.
The Visit That Changed Everything
We arranged a visit, and I brought along an old friend, Pip, a lifelong horsewoman and far better placed than me to judge a youngster.
We arrived at the stud and were lucky enough to meet the whole crew, the year’s new foals, their beautiful new stallion Glencarrig Tempest, and a field full of striking two- and three-year-olds.
And then he appeared.
Our first meeting at the stud
There was something about this dark grey colt, bold but gentle, moving with lovely rhythm and expression. Inquisitive from the start, he followed us around the field that day, and earned his first nickname:
“Labrador.”
The Choice Was Clear
We shortlisted him and a Connemara-cross filly to bring in for a closer look. While the mare towed Emma along on a tight lead rope, this quiet grey colt walked beside me like he already belonged.
That was it. The decision made itself.
We arranged a vetting, scraped together what we could, and had a bit of a family whip-round. To this day, we joke that both my dad and mother-in-law owned a leg each!
And so, Mac came home.
Chatting to grannie and his first introduction to an umbrella – I think he was quite keen to investigate if it was edible
Mac and Me 