My mum was responsible for introducing my siblings and I to horse riding as young children. As this was very much a shared interest among my extended family, my grandmother decided to purchase a champion show jumping pony. To be honest, our very first pony, Pepper (my grandmother named her Beauty, a name nobody used or liked) was snow white in colour, an incredibly beautiful animal but she had an attitude that would make Mariah Carey or Naomi Campbell seem timid; she was a fiercely tempered impatient animal, definitely not an ideal choice of pony for children.
Thankfully her nature worked to my favour as she jumped a fence to ‘make friends’ with a race horse, and though and behold, my pony, “Tootsy” can to be. I can admit, that at first I assumed that horses were just a stupid herd animal, I could not have been more wrong. I returned to horse riding at 14, just as Tootsy had completed the breaking in process (horse training to be used in a riding school).
In soon transpired that Tootsy had inherited her mother’s stubborn streak. She was a vision to look at, with chestnut coloured hair and main, with a white blaze adorned her nose, which only served to accentuate her amber eyes. Tootsy definitely made me work to earn her trust, six months to be precise, some of my friends at the riding school advised that I should use harsh methods of catching her or move her into staples so I could approach her more easily.
However, for me, I wanted Tootsy to come to me, realise that I was not a threat. There was bribery involved; by chance I discovered that she had a bit of a sweet tooth. So sugar beet, cola cubes and carrots were used to encourage her to come closer to me, eventually enabled me to stroke her.
The breakthrough was well worth the wait, one day we were bringing hay over to the group of the horses in the field (including Tootsy), as we walked back to the gate, my friend told me to turn around, there was Tootsy, walking across the field, and came right up to me. The connection between an owner his hard to explain, when you look into the eyes of these animals, it’s clear that they have their own personalities.
If you do not show them the respect that they deserve of behave recklessly when riding, you take our live in your hands. I was lucky enough to be taught without a saddle, a truly tough discipline. In my opinion, it is safer and enables you to develop a stronger bond with the animal as you are sat next to their skin, you can detect every movement, twitch, and you become one with the animal.
I detested people who used whips and spurs, yes horses may have a thick skin, but anyone who has to inflict pain opposed to getting to know the animal, needs to look at their skills as a rider. For me, watching horses interact with each other, gallop across a field or along a shoreline, is a majestic sight.
My family and friends will vouch for the fact that I am a crazy dog person, god help any poor dog owner who passes me in the street. Even if they try to avoid my stare or change the dog’s position on the path, I make them stop. Dogs just induce such an overwhelming sense of happiness for me, they fascinate me.
I don’t care if they are pedigree or mixed breeds, I love their nature and their company. At the minute with have a beautiful little tan Chihuahua called Lola and an equally as beautiful Bulldog hybrid called George (Gorgeous George to give him his proper title). They truly are a double act; I am convinced that growing up with a Chihuahua has led George to believe that he is the same size as her. Lola was a present that I bought my mum; she was practically like her little baby who would cuddle up with mum on the sofa when she was going through treatment.
It was sad when my mum passed away, as you could tell that Lola was expecting her to walk through the door, would cuddle into my mum’s house coat. Luckily for me, Lola decided that I would be her new human, I love that little dog so much. Her whimpers and acrobatic routine when I come home melts your heart. What I love about Lola is the fact that she is as far removed from the stereotypical Chihuahua in terms of her nature.
Lola adores children, she loves to socialise and loves long walks. In saying that, she loves climbing into your coat/ jacket or settling on your lap for cuddles. Unfortunately for me, my mum had allowed Lola to sleep in her bed, so I often wake up pressed against the wall, were Lola has taken over the entire bed. When it’s time to get up, she pretends to be asleep.
Lola definitely rules our house with an iron paw, and George, despite his much superior size, is very much 2nd in command. They are incredibly close and do not like to be separated. George is the most docile and tactile animal in the world, he loves human company, even if you leave the room for five minutes; he greets you with a wagging tail.
His favourite thing in the world is to have belly rubs and being told that he is a good boy. George is very much my dad’s dog and you can tell that George absolutely loves my dad, I personally think that George has been a comfort and focus for my dad, they have an incredible bond. Thankfully Jay is also an animal person, he has kept Guinea Pigs since the age of 7. I never really had any small animals, well the exception being an evil hamster which was a pretty pointless pet, as it slept all night and was a master escapologist.
When I first met Jay we stayed with his parents in Dublin where he introduced me to his Guinea Pig, Chuckie, a very cute ball of ginger fur. Unfortunately, these little animals rarely reach age 5 and in later years they suffer from dental/ gastro-intestinal problems. Sadly Chuckie was not very well and passed away shortly after my first encounter with him. I think you can tell a lot about a person by the way they interact and treat animals, you could tell that Jay was devoted to these little animals, often spending hours a day syringe feeding them when they became unwell.
Seeing how devastated Jay was in the months since Chuckie passed away, I decided that we should have our own little fur baby. So one day I spotted this cute little blonde/ brown and white bundle of fur in the animal adoption section. This little Guinea Pig’s previous family hadn’t been very kind to him, so he needed a new home. We feel in love with him instantly, and named him Jazzy.
Although I was overjoyed to have a new pet, if truth be told, I was very nervous, it’s not like having a dog, were you can almost guess what they want. With these little animals, you have to learn what every little squeak/ purr means. They are messy little things, their cages take a lot of upkeep but they are incredibly cute and tactile. It has been an amazing experience watching Jazzy’s confidence grow, he has more accessories and toys than most children.
It’s lovely to go home and see him sat on the top of his house, waiting to be picked up for a cuddle or when he squeaks his head off when he demands more food. Yes pets do take a lot of work, but you truly get tenfold in return in terms of love in affection. Pets feed the soul and are without a doubt, a member of the family.
Emmette Dillon