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Would you like to pay a tribute to Fiona
& Jack?
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us your stories and memories.
And photographs, if you have any.
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Horseytalk.net Special Interview
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One day he’s actually going into the St. Nicholas
Day Centre in Lewes, East Sussex and meeting the visitors.
Another day he’s giving a demonstration at Plumpton
College.
The next day he’s winning a world
championship.
If that’s not amazing enough, 16-years ago he was
a rescue pony. He was three-years-old. He was stuck in a
field at Seddlecombe. His owner was desperate to get rid
of him.
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Says his owner today, Fiona McOuat, pronounced mac-o-at,
who transformed him from a wreck to a world champion, “As
soon as I saw him I knew he was for me. I just couldn’t
say, No. He’s been with me now for 16 years.
I think he’s wonderful. I
love him to bits.”
He is Jack, an 18-year-old Welsh Section
C, and probably the most adaptable and versatile pony in
the world.
Fiona, who was born and bred in Barnsley, Yorkshire – She
describes herself as an unofficial horse rescuer - keeps
him in stables on top of the South Downs in Plumpton Green,
almost opposite the entrance to the race course.
She admits to being horse - or rather pony mad.
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“My father and grand-father
used to hunt with the Quorn. I never fancied it although I started
riding when I was just 5/6 years old.
“When I moved to Lewes about 30 years ago Jack was
my first pony. I’ve got nine now. But he’s my favourite. “
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A care officer at the St Nicholas Day Centre , which
looks after adults with learning disabilities,
she was asked a few years ago if she would like to
bring Jack into the Centre to meet some of the
adults.
“It was their idea,” she says. “He came
to the centre at Christmas. He stayed there for a few hours.
He was very popular. He seemed to get reactions from
people who had never previously reacted to anything. Everybody
loved him. He’s house-trained so there were no problems.”
But Jack’s good works didn’t end with visiting
day centres. With Fiona, who admits she got the driving bug
when she was 11-years-old, he was also taking part in events
organised by the Goodwood branch of Driving for the Disabled
as well as a wide range of other driving championships including
the prestigeous Three Phase Driving Trials.
But his career was about to take a dramatic
leap forward.
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Early in 2008 Fiona got a call from
Boyd Excel asking whether she would like Jack to compete in the
Para Equestrian World Driving Championships taking place in Greven,
Germany in June.
“I said, Yes. What else could I say?” she recalls.
Jack’s driver at the Championships was Megan Benge, an American.
Together they won not only the team silver
but also an individual gold. |
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“Jack knows he’s special,” says Fiona. “He
knows he’s a champion. When the bands started to play
and the flags started to fly he grew to 16 hh. When it was
all over I gave him a big treat: a handful of his favourite
spearmint herbal treats. Well, it was the least I could do
for him.
“When we got back home afterwards Sally,
our vet, was waiting for us with a bottle of champagne,
balloons and lots of carrots. It was wonderful.”
While Jack is Fiona’s favourite each of her other
rescued ponies has a story.
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“My youngest, both fillies, were found by the
police. They discovered them road racing when they were only
nine-months old. They had already been shod, after a fashion,
hobbled for racing and clipped.
“Pinto, my four year old stallion, was badly bitten
by a dog. He’d been sewn up with fishing line
“When he came to me. I immediately sent him down
to Cliffe’s for a scan of his leg. Now
he’s on long-term anti-biotics. Sally’s looking
after him. At first, he was difficult to handle. But he’s
wonderful now.”
For Sally,
Fiona has nothing but praise.
In fact, when Sally recently got married Fiona drove her
from Plumpton to East Chillington Church for the service.
“Dick Grey, President of the Oaks Driving Club, lent
me his two ponies, Tinker and Penny. It was the least I could
do for Sally.
She’s wonderful.”
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