Skye - The Wild Herd (retirement livery)

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Skye is a beautiful 14.2hh dappled grey Connemara mare. She is the fifth oldest member of both herds. Skye is 22 this year - her birthday is 1st August 2002.

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Skye is one of our lovely retirement liveries. She moved to Springwood on October 21st 2023, so has been a member of the Wildies herd for over a year now. Della is Skye’s human guardian.

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Skye's past (in Della's words):

"Skye is a retirement livery horse but also has been rescued and I am so grateful to Jacqui for helping her find her best life! It is only now that I grasp the stresses and upheavals that she's had to endure. 

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Skye was born in Ireland, a pretty grey Connemara pony 14.2hh. Very early it would have been seen what a valuable pony she was for her breeder. She had a sweet, accommodating nature and was good at jumping - a highly desirable child's pony. At 5 she was sold to Scotland - that must have been a horrible journey - where she was a show-jumper. At 9 she was sold again and had the long journey back to Ireland. She'd been bought by a racecourse owner who wanted a gentle pony for a daughter who'd lost her nerve riding after a bad fall.   The kindness of Skye and the way that she takes care of her rider meant that the daughter did continue riding and Skye continued to be used for show-jumping and dressage. Having a kind temperament does not always go in a horses favour.

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When the Irish girl grew up and went to university Skye was sold in auction to a riding stables in Newbury - more travel. She was then bought by us and continued show-jumping, although less frequently and at a lower level. We couldn't do all the livery and so she always had a sharer rider as well. She remained safe to ride, so sweet and well-behaved, but became increasingly fractious on the ground - not biting but nipping the air and wanting to be left alone. She was also not happy in her herd, and tended to be alone in the field while the others stayed together. At 18 she developed cushings, which I now realise must have been as much to do with stress as with being on totally the wrong grass - rye grass that the farmer fertilised every year. By 20 she was becoming insulin resistant and had to wear a grazing muzzle all the time and have her hay soaked to get all the sugar (and taste and goodness) out of it."

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Skye's life now (still in Della's words): 

"When Skye came to Springwood she was on a high dose of pergolide for her cushings and we made sure to move her in the autumn so that she wouldn't be on summer grass without a muzzle. Within months of Jacqui's tender care, homeopathy and herbal medications she was off the pergolide, which had a depressing effect, and her blood readings had returned to normal. She has been fine throughout the summer with no grazing muzzle, able to eat and regulate her own appetite, which must be so delightful for her. It has also been wonderful to see her bonding with other horses and not being isolated. At first she only stayed with the less confident members of the herd but, increasingly, she's been seen socialising with all the individuals, even the larger and more confident horses.