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The Saddle-up Stable - Jester
The hunt staff started the season with three
horses between them, increased in January with the addition of
Brook. Although two horses each for a two (sometimes 3) day a
week pack sounds plenty, hunt horses do work harder than those of the
mounted followers, and the huntsman can't elect to have a short day to
'save his horse'. There were a couple of minor injuries that put
one horse out for a few days or a week, putting extra pressure on the
others, and we discussed the possibility of a 'spare' for next
season. Then we heard that Jester was for sale.
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I first saw Jester 15 months ago at Bow House, where he was at
livery. He was about to go up to Liverpool University for
treatment of the worst case of sarcoids I had ever seen (not his first
outbreak!) When he arrived, Derek Knottenbolt thought he was
past hope - but the insurance company refused to authorise humane
destruction so Derek decided to treat him with an experimental
(expensive) drug. It worked - and Jester has been free of
sarcoids for over a year now. Obviously there is no guarantee he
will stay that way and his owner, who had to sell for family reasons,
was more interested in a good home where he would be cared for (or put
down) if things went wrong, so for a very small three figure sum, he
was ours.
He's a
lovely horse, very friendly and kind natured, who LOVES chewing things
- you have to be very careful with bridles, lead reins or anything he
can shove in his mouth. He has also done very little hacking
out, and although o.k. with cars and lorries, will spook for Britain
at the strangest things! So lots of hacking out during the
summer should (hopefully) give him a bit more confidence to 'go
anywhere'.
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