RtR-BH: Support Group

Jodi over @RacingToRide has come up with what i think is a fab blog hop, a commemoration of those who support us in our unending quest for all things equine!

I'm on the left on my mother's old horse & my sister is on the right

I have shown in previous Friday Flashback posts [#1, #2, #3  & #4 - i really do mean to revive this feature!] that my mother was probably the chief instigator and her family were the happy enablers as they welcomed, with open arms, myself and my two sisters annually for the summer - to the family farm and let us play with the ponies.

My mother really only has herself to blame

My parents have been super supportive of my dream to own horses by helping me to purchase Kika as my 21st birthday present and later allowing me to move back in with them in 2010 when I got offered work in Luxembourg & brought Kika over from Ireland with me (and later Nancy). 

Nancy minding my Mama

My mam has even made a return to the saddle since Nancy arrived in Lux and has joined me to hack in the woods a couple of times. She is also a great help to me in keeping an eye on the girls when I am away traveling and/or caught in work. 

Family holiday in the South of France early '90s (I'm on the far right)

 My dad takes more of a passive interest in my passion, he allows me watch equine events on the TV and even calls me to tell me they are on if i haven't noticed and asks after the girls, visits sometimes with my mother but can't really distinguish them from other horses. He knows which is their field and which are their stables, but if other horses happen to be in those places I don't think he would realise they are not mine...if that makes sense ;-)

Baby Sister

My sisters are also super supportive, they listen to me prattle on about whatever adventures we have been up to and even hopping up for spins when they are around. They have both ridden both girls, but after Kika's less-than-stellar-behaviour phase, they both prefer to ride Nancy & I rather they do too. Although Baby Sister is brave and likes to ride Kika in the arenas, whereas I am more strict with who rides K out hacking on the trails - namely me or the Guru.

Sister closest to me in age is on Nancy -
taken summer 2013 before she moved to Canada

As I mentioned my mother's family have been longstanding supporters of my obsession, my aunt/ godmother bred my lovely Nancy and helped me buy and train Kika before we left Ireland. Her daughters also ride and in fact her oldest girl is now working with a show jumper in Ireland who buys and sells horses internationally. She spent a few months in Antwerp (Belgium) this spring with him & I got to see her when I went to the opening leg of the Global Champions Tour there.

Another gratuitous baby Nancy pic

My dad's side of the family are also supportive and inquisitive when it comes to the horses, but like him they are "townies" and none of them have actually met either girl as they do not live in the same place in Ireland as my mother's family so they didn't cross paths before I moved the horses' over here.
I talk to my grandmother one a week on the phone and she always asks after "Hamburger" & "Spain" - when Kika first moved here my dad told my gran that Hamburger had arrived safely & they don't see me any more - since then my gran calls K "Hamburger" whenever we talk - it's cute!
And well Nancy, is called "Spain" because of a song - i think...Is Nancy Spain part of a song?
Either-way another one of my dad's jokes to his poor mother that has stuck as the pair of them try to wind me up - joke is on them though; as it's a sure fire way to allow me talk freely about the ponios as they bring up the subject...not me! :p

The daughter of one of my colleagues riding Nancy for a hack last summer

 My friends and colleagues are all supportive in their own ways, some ask to come see the girls, others have had spins.
One of my good uni friends, who has also moved to work in Luxembourg (despite not having grown up here...guess what connection introduced her to Lux - sorry OTT) used to ride and owned a pony as a youngster - so she takes a pretty big interest & listens to me moan all the time.
My "city" school friends take an interest much like my dad's family and ask after the girls, but don't visit very often as we all know barns aren't always the warmest or nicest smelling places to hang out ;-)

My uni friend playing with Kika Summer 2012

Thanks so much to Jodi for this wonderful blog hop idea!
I have two posts in my drafts since last week to share with you all, but sadly I have been unable to wrangle the photos off my "old-school" phone to compliment the posts and now my laptop has also died, so I can really only access t'internet at work which as always is super busy :(
I am trying to keep an eye on your blogs - and really hope to get either the smartphone & laptop 
fixed or i shall be splurging on stuff i hadn't planned to buy this summer - either ay I hope to be back in technology'land real soon!