Pony Detectives readers do their own detective work

It's great to see so many Pony Detective readers coming up with their own fabulous questions for author Belinda Rapley, and we're lucky enough to have her answers to these probing questions here.
Question 1 - If you had a dream pony or horse, what would it be like?

Fab question! Well, Zano is kind of my dream horse (I have to say that, don't I?!), but if I could have another dream horse, it would be gelding, just like Zano. I'm quite tall, so I'd like him to be about 16.2hh, skewbald (brown and white patches - my fave!), and he would be an amazing jumper! I've worked in a showjumping yard before and I love jumping - coloured poles and cross country fences - everything and anything, even just popping over a log on a hack. Zano can't jump, because he has arthritis in his off fore fetlock (check out my blog for more of an update on this!), so I really miss it. But, more than anything, my dream horse would have to be a real sweetie, love me spending lots of time grooming him, and would be willing to become my very best friend. That way, just like Zano, if anything happened which meant he couldn't be ridden, we'd still have a really lovely time together. How about you? Have you got a dream pony, too?

Question 2 - Will you write any other books about horses or not?

I would LOVE to write more pony books! I dream of ponies and horses, and most of my ideas involve a horse or pony somewhere, whether they're the main animal in the story or not. Basically, I love ALL animals, and I can't imagine writing books without animals in. I've got a fab idea for a new pony book that I'm working on at the moment - watch this space! Also, I got Scooby, my Labrador, about 5 months ago and he's just so adorable - he's like an overload of fun - he's inspiring me to think of doggy tales, too!

Question 3 - How many rosettes have you won?

Ooh, I've got a little stash of rosettes upstairs, in one of my pony 'memory boxes' - that's where I keep all the stuff from old riding holidays, old piccies, newspaper cuttings and that kind of thing. I didn't have my own pony when I was younger, so I didn't get to ride at shows - I just went to watch, so I haven't got as many as lots of other people. I used to look at pictures of riders in pony books with walls full of rosettes and wish that I could have that one day! Me and Zano are starting to get there - we've been to a couple of shows and won rosettes in each class we've entered. One judge described Zano as 'drop dead gorgeous' in the foreign breeds class - and I had to agree, ha ha! (Okay, I'm maybe just a teensy weensy bit biased?!). We haven't had much chance to really get going at shows yet though, because Zano's had so many things wrong with him, but I'm hoping that we're heading at a slow clop-clop towards the end of the long road to his recovery. Then, it'll be full on getting him back to fitness, and if - fingers crossed - he stays happy and sound, we'll be off to lots of shows. Mind you, after everything he's been through, just having fun at a show will feel like a result. A rosette would be the cherry on top!

Question 4 - I have read your latest book,and its great! Why did you make Pixie shy and quiet?

Yey! I'm so glad you liked Puzzle! And I love your interesting question! So, why did I make Pixie shy and quiet? Well, she's been through quite a bit; her dad's disappeared and she's lost her confidence at Compton Manor, and that has made her a little less sure about herself. It's made her unsure about others, too, and she's worried what they'll think of her. So it takes a while for her to relax around the Pony Detectives, and to trust them. I thought that if I was in Pixie's situation, I'd be pretty shy, too, and that's how her character developed in that way. And, she's quiet because of the big secret she's carrying around with her, which is weighing on her mind. I can't say too much about that bit, because I don't want to give Pixie's secret away for anyone reading this who hasn't yet opened the pages of Puzzle, the Runaway Pony! I really liked Pixie, and I loved writing her character - I think she's really sweet, and her quietness and shy nature contributed to that.
Please do keep your questions coming in and don't forget to visit our Pony Detectives website for more information about the series of books.

A long road to recovery ahead

Zano had his vet trip booked in. Before we went the vet had advised that I keep him working as normal, so that they could see what he was like in work. When we arrived at the hugely impressive and smart new equine practice, the vet, Chris, gave Zano an incredibly thorough check over. Starting at his neck, he ran his hands over each part of Zano, his legs, his back, his pelvis. Then he watched Zano walk and trot, then flexed his legs and watched him do it again. He was definitely still slightly lame when he trotted on the concrete. Then he trotted in a circle on a hard circle, before moving to the school. He was lame on the left rein then, too, when he was lunged. It was his off fore that was the problem, the one with the lump just above the fetlock.

Zano being a ‘patient’ patient during his
initial examination, good as gold (as ever).

So – next step? To nerve block the off fore fetlock. That gives a chance for a local anaesthetic to go into the joint, so that the seat of pain can be located pretty exactly. Then, if Zano became sound with the nerve block, Chris suggested that we should x-ray the joint to find out more about what was making it sore. That bit all made sense. It was kind of what I was expecting. But what he said next was a bolt from the blue, the very last thing I’d been expecting...

Chris said that Zano had a sore back when he’d examined him at the start. I said that he was often touchy about his back. Chris then said that he suspected Zano had kissing spine, given his short back and high withers. He suggested that when they x-ray Zano’s suspect foreleg, they should x-ray his back, too. I nodded, not quite knowing what to say. I’d heard about kissing spines before, where the vertebrae touch, rather than have a gap. But I’d never known any horses with it... and now Zano may have it??! I thought it was one of the worst things a horse could have, but I told myself just to wait for the results of the x-ray. My heart was beating faster already, though, and it wasn’t about to slow down...

Zano was taken into one of the treatment rooms and he had his nerve blocking done. Chris had a strong suspicion about where the problem in his fetlock lay, and he got it right first time. His nerve block made Zano nearly come sound. Then it was x-ray time. Zano was sedated, and me and Paul left the vets to it, knowing that Zano was in very trustworthy hands. Julie, one of the assistants, was so sweet with Zano, and really kind.

After waiting a while, sitting in the sun and feeling a bit stunned, the results of the x-rays were in. The diagnosis? Well, it wasn’t great news. The x-rays showed arthritic changes in his off fore fetlock joint. And his spine? It was confirmed, right there in black and white – kissing spines. There were about 4 vertebra that were very close. Once a rider was on his back they’d definitely be touching, and then there were about 4 more that were permanently touching, even without a rider on his back. This is what was causing Zano’s back pain. I felt shocked. But, as Chris explained more about the condition, everything began to fall into place. Zano’s resentment of the saddle, his stepping away from me getting on and the way he felt ready to explode for the first few minutes after I’d got into the saddle. I thought that was all to do with a memory of a bad experience, but instead, it was an everyday pain for him, and I couldn’t believe how stoic he must have been to put up with it. My heart went out to him, and it made me love him even more, if that was possible.

The next conversation Chris had with us was about treatment. The good thing was, we had options. I knew, standing there in the treatment room with a sleepy, sedated but still sweet Zano, that I’d be prepared to try anything to make him feel better, and give him the chance to hopefully lead the fulfilling life he deserved. One thing we did know: a potentially long road to recovery lay ahead of us... and we’d just taken the very first step.

Zano's Succes

Well, this has been a month of big ups and even bigger downs. But, I reckon we should start with the ups... Zano went to his second ever show as a competitor! It was a summer open show at one of the riding clubs I’ve joined, and the weather couldn’t have been better. Zano had been bathed and groomed until he sparkled, and I changed his browband from the plain leather to one with a bit of bling! He looked stunning.

We entered into two classes to begin with – the in hand foreign breeds (because he’s Spanish) and the ridden foreign breeds. The first class was a bit of a nightmare – Zano was hugely excited by all the other horses around him, and objected strongly to being followed at close quarters by a miniature pony!! His trot is so awesome I couldn’t keep up with him, and his head was in my way so I couldn’t even see where I was trying to run! Anyway, that kept my boyfriend, Paul, and best friend Fran, watching from the ringside, well entertained! In the end, it wasn’t that bad after all, and we managed a 5th! (Oh, hang on, there were only 5 of us in the ring... still, no-one needs to know that, do they??!)

In the ridden class I wasn’t sure what to expect. He’s never worked in a big open space on grass, trotting and cantering with lots of other horses. But he was awesome, and he really showed off. The judge described him as ‘drop dead gorgeous’, which I thought just about matched what he felt to ride, and how he looked and felt that day. The individual class wasn’t so hot though, and he got a bit attached to the horses around him (he didn’t want to leave them to begin with!). That meant we dropped down the order from 2nd to 4th, but I was still over the moon with our 4th placed rosette.

The proud pair

Just before we left, we thought we might as well enter for one last class – Handsomest Gelding. That was Zano’s idea, by the way, not mine. He must have got it right though, because we left with another rosette, 4th place out of a huge class. All in all, it was a fabulous day out and he behaved himself really, really well. I didn’t over ride him at the show, getting into the saddle just to warm up and for the ridden class. I made sure he had plenty of rest (and some grass time) between the classes, too, with his saddle off. But I did notice that just before the last class he started to shift his back legs quite a bit, and it was something I was a bit worried about. But that was okay. He was booked into the vets for the following week. He’d been slightly on-off lame for a few weeks. He’d been the same the year before, since I’d first started riding him soon after I bought him. He’d seemed better over the winter, when he’d had his shoes off, but it was back again. The lameness was hardly noticeable, and my boyfriend, Paul, couldn’t see what I was worried about, but I thought a trip to the vets would put my mind at rest. But instead, what was to happen at the vets was to have the complete opposite effect...

Zano had his first trip out to see one of my best friends, Fran. She owns Pinto, who I shared for a while before I got Zano. She also owns Doug, a big bay horse, and we thought it would be nice for Zano and Doug to go for a hack together so they could be best friends, too. So, up we got into the trailer and away we went!

Zano behaved beautifully at the yard, hardly blinking at the countless ducks and chickens pecking the ground all around him. Oh, and the three dogs trotting about. He tucked into his haynet without a care in the world, and wasn’t even overly concerned when Doug appeared on the scene. Mind you, Doug’s an experienced horse, and he wasn’t going to fuss over a new horse by the stables, especially not one all dressed in purple!

There’s always a cup of tea on the go at Fran’s,
and she makes them awesomely!

We decided that we should hack up to the local JumpX competition, so that’s where we headed. Zano had never seen so many horses and so much coming and going. He got to watch the other horses jump round the course, too. I tried to whisper in his ear for him to pay attention. After all, I’m hoping that by the end of the season it’ll be us flying round there! He did watch for a little bit, but he was secretly far more interested in sampling the grass...

Hacking to JumpX, with Zano and Dougie
getting on like besties!

Zano and Doug watching the jumping....

Before Zano decided it was time to do
a bit of ‘grass inspecting’....

After this ride was such a success, we took Zano over to see the horse dentist, Leigh. Her stables are near Dunwich, with lots and lots of bridleways through the woods to ride on. Zano wasn’t flustered by the turkeys, the sheep or the many cats and dogs mooching about. The only time he got really upset was when he was left alone on the yard, when his hacking companion Harvey was turned out. But Leigh soon sorted that, and brought one of her mares in. Ruby stood quietly in the next stable to him while he had his teeth done.

Heading into the woods....

Oh, and before I forget, I’ve got to introduce you to the newest addition to our household! His name is Scooby, and he’s the most adorable 5 year old golden Labrador – here he is.... ta-daa! What do you think? Isn’t he sweet??

Scooby’s settled in really, really well.

In fact, it feels like he’s made our home complete.
I adore him, and already I can’t imagine life without him ☺

On a less happy note...

...Zano’s got a sore back again. He suffered from this last summer, and he had some treatment for it then. I always like horses to have their back checked regularly. When you think about it, they have to take a lot with a rider sitting on them, so taking care of their backs is the least we can do in return!

It wasn’t long after Zano had his new dressage saddle fitted that his back started to get sore. I noticed it first when I was tacking him up. He was starting to get agitated when he saw the saddle, which is what he was like when I first had him. Then he got touchy just being groomed over his back. So I stopped using the new saddle, and went back to my trusty synthetic GP saddle instead. It seemed a bit odd though, the saddle was well fitted but, just like the leather one I tried last year, Zano didn’t seem able to tolerate it. He’s been a bit funny to get on ever since I had him, and he always feels a bit explosive when I first get into the saddle. I put that down to his sore back when he first arrived, and the remembered pain from that time. Anyway, Steve the chiropractor came out to see him again, and worked on him for over an hour and a half. He found a sore spot behind his withers. He needed a couple of days off, and I’d have to ask Kay the saddler to come back to check his saddle, but I was hopeful that Zano was fixed once more. I was soon to find out though, that sadly this wasn’t the case...

Zano always stands beautifully when anyone
comes to see him – the farrier, dentist, saddler, back man.
I think he loves the attention!

Zano’s first experience of jumping!

There has been lots going on recently. The BIGGEST thing is that Zano’s had his first experience of jumping! We started off loose schooling him, so that he could have a canter around the school and find his own balance over the fences. It’s much easier for a horse to do this without a rider on his back, to begin with at least. We started off just leading him over a pole on the ground, at walk and trot. We put poles up leading into the ground pole, and away from it. That’s to help Zano keep straight on the approach to the fence, and to stop him ducking out. The last thing I wanted was for Zano to learn any bad habits!

Zano closely inspecting the poles!

Next we put the fence up, and asked him to trot into it.
He was a bit unsure to begin with, as you can see in this piccie...

... but he soon got the knack and pricked his ears!

Then, after we’d loose schooled a couple of times, it was time for me to get on board. This is only a small fence, but he still looks like he’s enjoying himself. It felt like he wasn’t that bothered by the small fences, and he didn’t really put much effort in until the fences got a bit bigger. My hands are a bit high in this pic of him jumping a smaller fence, but the time before he’d clonked a pole and had nose dived a bit, so I was being a bit cautious! Anyway, it was a real thrill to get him jumping, and I think he’d make good jumping horse, being able to turn on a sixpence like he can. I’ve been looking through the fixtures and there are lots of jumping clinics and small shows coming up – oooh, so much to look forward to this summer!  

Mud baths in the melted snow!

Well, the snow melted here today and Zano had a whale of a time, literally! Now, this is a horse who will normally go out of his way to avoid the smallest of puddles in his path. He’s been led through some on the lanes during hacks, but in general he’s always been far from impressed by anything murky and puddle like. But today, he decided that water is good – in fact, he decided that water is AWESOME!

There were lots of puddles on the way to the paddock too. Maybe I should have been warned when he paused, uncharacteristically, to stomp in one. I moved him on then let him loose in his paddock. There was a melted snow mini-lake in the middle of it. I went back into the stables, only to be told by Nicky that Zano was ‘taking a bath’. I headed out to see Zano rolling over and over in the huge puddle. I stood next to him as he proceeded to paw the ground, while lying down! Water was splashing all over the place. He then scrambled up, only to vigorously stomp about, sending water flying everywhere. He turned round a bit, then repeated the exercise until he’d sput a full circle. He clearly then decided that there was yet more fun to be had getting back down for another roll, and another paw from his horizontal position.

At the end of ten minutes water play I had one drenched, heavyweight rug but one very, very pleased with himself and ecstatic horse. It was worth it just to see the delight on his face. The only downside? I didn’t have my camera!!!

I lunged him soon afterwards (he hasn’t been ridden for nearly 3 weeks because of the snow and ice!). When I took his rug off he was soaked and grey / brown with mud from half way up his chest all the way along to his rump. Looks like I’ll have lots of grooming to do later!

A polo shoot in preparation for book 6!

I’ll let you into a little secret. The sixth book in the Pony Detectives series is going feature a polo yard and the lead character is going to be a star polo pony. I won’t give anything else away at this point, but I will let you in on a bit of exciting preparation. We had a photo shoot for the cover the other day, while the last of the snow was still on the ground. We headed to the Norfolk Polo Club. My boyfriend, Paul, used to work with the current owner, and he asked if they could help us out. Amazingly – and very generously – they said yes! They let us pick a selection of their ponies and then they brought them in from the paddocks. Those that needed trimming up were clipped there and then, and polo bridles were put on one pony after another for the photo shoot. The team (and the ponies!) were patient and so, so helpful – I couldn’t believe how awesome they were!

Megan, Chico’s owner at the yard, was the photographer. She’s a photographic student and she’s very used to ponies and horses being the stars of her pics so she was the perfect choice! She had lots of fun on the day, too, and we’ve both been bitten by the polo bug – we’re going to have a lesson! Once I do you’ll all be the first to hear how it goes – watch this space!

The snow puts a halt to any riding and I start preparing for Spring

Winter really set in a few weeks after Christmas. It started with the frost, which looked so pretty, but made the lanes around us too dangerously slippery to ride or lead Zano out on. Zano tried his super warm rug for the first time – I think he looked pretty handsome in it, don’t you?

After the frost, came the snow – and it fell really hard! Even the school surface froze. Zano only had one day when he went a bit doo-lally; I think he felt the need to let off a bit of steam and whizzed up and down at full pelt, slipping all over the place! Luckily he stayed upright – just!

A Winter Wonderland - but not much good for
riding in the school to the left of the photo!

While temperatures plummeted it was really important that Zano had plenty of fuel to keep him warm. That meant making sure he always had loads of hay to eat – whether he was in his paddock or in his stable, and lots of fibre in his feed.

Zano having a morning snack - he was topped up as soon as he finished while he
was out in the snow!

Even though we’re still in the depths of winter, surrounded by snow, it’s already time to start thinking about the springtime. That’s because I’ve got to be fully prepared for the return of the midges! Last year I discovered half way into summer that Zano had sweet itch. He was driven mad by the midges which hovered in clouds over him all through the summer. It’s important to start the battle of the midges early – if you wait until your pony starts itching, it’s too late! Well, this year I’m determined that he won’t suffer in the way he did last year. He rubbed his mane against anything and everything, and he lost most of the bottom half of it. It’s growing back, slowly, but I don’t want him to lose any more this year. So, I’ve come up with a robust plan!

Back in November I started to feed him a herbal mix from Hilton Herbs called Bye Bye Itch. This was to boost his immune system and get his skin in really good condition ready for spring time. I’ve also just bought a new ‘bug rug’, which is silver so it reflects all the sun’s rays. This way, even though Zano’s wearing a rug while it’s hot, he will hopefully keep as cool as possible. This rug’s got fly repellent soaked into it, so hopefully the bugs will bypass Zano while he’s wearing it! I’m taking every precaution this year, so midges beware!

Zano gets new boots!

Zano had his shoes taken off when he injured his knee. It seemed pointless keeping them on when he wasn’t doing any work. My farrier, Jason, recommends that horses have their shoes taken off once a year (if that’s possible) beacuse it allows the hooves time to recover from having nails knocked into them. The funny thing is, I think Zano moves better without them. He’s got brilliantly hard and sturdy hoof walls, but his hooves and front legs haven’t got the best confirmation. It might be that, without the shoes, his hooves can find their own natural balance. We’ll have to see! But, in the meantime, I’ve decided to try and keep him shoeless, with Jason just trimming Zano’s hooves every 6 weeks.

The only trouble is that when Zano goes out on a hack now the soles of his feet are really sensitive. It’s a bit like us walking barefoot on a pebble beach! Well, Zano’s a bit the same and every time he put his hoof down on the smallest bit of stone or pebble he stumbled. Luckily, there’s a solution – horse trainers! Yup, you read that right... they’re like little boots that fit over a horse’s hoof, giving the sole protection and grip, too. So, I’m hoping that this will allow Zano to stay shoeless for a while, and make it much more comfy for him to hack out over any terrain. As well as his boots, my boyfriend’s regularly been putting Stockholm tar mixed with hoof oil on the soles of Zano’s hooves and hoof oil on the hoof wall. His hooves are now – officially – in tip top condition!

Cracker’s arrival & the school of hard knocks

Cracker arrived today! He was one of three kittens from a litter born at the dairy farm just up the road (where Marlee’s granddad works!). They were a bit of a surprise, so no-one was sure what their fate was going to be. But June stepped in to take on one, a tiny ginger bundle of fur, while Marlee’s granddad took another and Debbie across the road took on a tortoiseshell. The ginger and tortie both got seasonal names – Cracker and Sprout! Marlee called hers Buster.

Cracker might be absolutely tiny, but he’s already proving that he’s got an enormous attitude! He made it clear that he did NOT enjoy being put in a cat cage over night when he first arrived. It was for his own safety, but his protesting yowls could be heard from the yard gate! After a few nights he was allowed out and he’s become the first to greet you as soon as he hears the gate swing open! He loves nothing more than climbing up your leg, and he loves Paul, my boyfriend. Paul managed to do all the pooh picking in the field the other day with Cracker directing operations from his shoulder.

But it hasn’t all been fun and games for Cracker. He’s taken to nipping into Zano’s stable – he’s decided that it’s the nicest toilet at the yard. After he’s done what he needs to, he doesn’t disappear but loiters for a while. He has a wander round, hangs off Zano’s tail and pounces on stray hay strands hiding in the shavings. Zano’s very curious about him. But Cracker’s taken a while to realise that Zano’s interest is based on whether Cracker’s edible or not. Cracker’s managed to bob out of the way most of the time, but the other day he was a bit slow. He was springing about by the hay bar, then wandered across the front of the open stable door. Zano followed his every move, muzzle close to the ground to get a good sniff. The next second Zano’s mouth opened and his teeth closed around Cracker’s teeny (but apparently appetising) tail. A pitiful wail broke the stable’s peace. It took me less than a second to persuade Zano to release his prize. I think he realised at the same moment that Cracker’s ginger tail wasn’t a mobile carrot after all! Cracker’s tail was damp, but otherwise undamaged – nothing that a big cuddle and a lick of a chocolate biscuit didn’t cure, anyway.

He’s also learnt that snow is f-f-f-reezing on teeny pink puds and that Eric’s too old to play tag with!

Megan, Cracker and Zano in the snow

Oh, and we’ve just found out that Cracker may, in fact, be a little girl! The first at the stables! Either way, she’s the most delightful little playmate and a wonderful addition to an already perfect yard.

New Year resolutions!

It’s been 9 months now since I bought Zano, but for one reason or another, we haven’t really got going yet. First of all there was his saddle not fitting, then his back was sore, and then it turned out that maybe he wasn’t as experienced as I thought! And not long into a gentle return to work he tripped over and was out for another 3 months with a seriously grazed knee!

Riding in the (almost!) dark...

So, my resolution for this year is to get Zano up to full fitness and off to shows. I’m going to get serious with Zano’s training (and my riding!) and get him ready for his first ever competition! I want to introduce him to shows very slowly, so that he learns to have fun when he leaves the yard.

Well, part of getting Zano fit has involved me riding him in the dark after work. This is to make sure I carry on the schooling that Jo, my riding instructor, teaches me in our lessons! There are a couple of big lights over the school, but it’s still a bit spooky! I can’t wait for the evenings to get lighter again!

First time in the trailer, having his carrot reward!

Apart from the schooling, the first step for preparing Zano for shows is to get him out and about in the trailer. Whenever he’s been loaded before he’s moved home, so to begin it was important for him to realise that getting into a trailer doesn’t equal upheaval. So, first time up I loaded him, gave him some carrots, then led him straight off again without taking him anywhere. I realised two things that day. One was that he could virtually load himself he’s so good. Two was that – once he’s loaded (and finished his carrots) – he doesn’t like to hang around! He paws and paws the ground impatiently!

So, a few days later we were ready for our first trip out of the yard. So Zano didn’t have to hang around once he was loaded, my boyfriend did the trailer checks to make sure all the lights were working. Then we loaded him up again. This time we jumped in the 4x4 as soon as he was safely in and we were off. For his second time in the trailer with us, we just took him round the block and straight back to the stables, not stopping anywhere in between. He was quite surprised but very happy to be back, calling out to all his friends!

A week later, we were back in the trailer again. This time, the destination was Zano’s first ever show! It wasn’t to compete, but just so that he could soak up the experience of being around so many horses. They were coming and going to the warm up arena and lorry park, so he had lots to look at. He grew to at least 18hh as soon as he stepped off the trailer and remained like it for the whole time we were there! Considering it was his very first experience of a show I was really proud about how he took it. He was curious and excited, but not unmanageable. In fact, when I unloaded him he felt like he wanted to burst from the trailer and leap from the top of the ramp. But he kept listening to me. He may have walked down like a bouncing bunny, but at least he didn’t jump!

We arrive at our very first showground together!

Next time we go out I’m going to work him at the show ground. Somehow I think that might be a bit hairier! I’ll definitely be wearing my back protector, because I suspect I might get a few of Zano’s speciality high bucks! I’ll put a green ribbon in his tail to warn other riders that he’s still a novice, especially when it comes to riding with other horses and ponies in the same ring.

The next place I’m taking him to is a dressage training day. I’m going to enter the novice section with my local riding club. This will give me a chance to introduce Zano to being ridden with other horses somewhere new, all in preparation for the first time he competes. Fingers crossed, that might be in early March! I’m not expecting much first time out, but as long as we both have fun I’ll be one very happy, and enormously proud owner!

Pet fact file #2 Scampi!

Introducing: Scampi!

Scampi is very handsome!

Full Name: Rowfantina Prize Scamp

Age: 15 years

Breed: Welsh Section B

Colour: Grey

Sex: Gelding

Chico and Megan keeping Scampi and Marlee company!

Loves: Marlee, being at Black Cat Stables with the mares, working!

Dislikes: Cabbages!

Owner: Marlee and her granddad, David

Owned since: March 2012 – he arrived at Black Cat Stables just 2 days after Zano!

Best friend in the yard: Mahri

Marlee loves Scampi and Scampi loves Marlee!

You’ll never guess what...? Scampi has been to the Horse of the Year Show when he was younger. And he’s a bit of a Houdini – he’s got a habit of escaping under the electric fencing if there’s a tasty bit of grass on offer the other side! And Scampi’s the noisiest pony on the yard – he’s always whickering, especially when it’s feed time, or even when you just walk past his stable. He’s a real sweetie and loves all the attention and fuss that Marlee gives him – he can’t get enough!

Scampi and Marlee at their first show together