A mum whose credit card was used to buy a pony without her knowledge has finally forgiven her daughter – as the pony has qualified for the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Kim Gill bought recently gelded Welsh section D seven-year-old Yswain Doric “on impulse” for £500 from an Aberdeen market in December 2012.
She had no way of paying for him on her, but she did have her mother’s credit card.“She had given me her card to get her some things for her tea from the shop but I never got as far as the shop!” Kim told H&H.
Kim had gone to the sale with her partner, a farmer, and had “no intention of buying a horse”.
But having spotted Doric’s breeding in the catalogue, she went to have a look – and “fell in love”.
“I decided he had to come home with me,” Kim said.
“It was bad weather that day so there weren’t many people there, otherwise I think I’d have had to fight for him. I set myself a budget of £500 and got him, then realised I didn’t have my card.
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“I sent Mum a text saying ‘I’ve bought a pony on your card, I hope that’s ok’!
“She wasn’t best pleased but as soon as she saw him, she fell in love with him too.”
And although he has also competed at dressage and showjumping, Kim always thought he had the talent to qualify for HOYS showing.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
At The Showing Register’s summer show this weekend (15-16 July) he did just that, in the ridden Welsh section D class, with Claire Evans.
“We met Claire in 2015 and she’d qualified his half-sister for HOYS; she said ‘how about sending him to me?’ but I miss him so much when he’s not here,” Kim said.
“Then this year, I thought I’d like him to have a good shot at it, so he went to her and now he’s done it.
“I always knew he was good enough but it didn’t seem real when I found out; it’s a dream come true.
“We were having a good laugh and Mum said she’s finally forgiven me for buying a horse on her credit card.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
