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Horseytalk.net Special Interview
with Lynn Kinnish   -  An Unsuspecting Mum

Lynn Kinnish is your NOT your typical Pony Club mum!

From the age of three her daugher Liz was horse mad. Lynn was quite unprepared for this, and further, what was to follow! Every time we saw a horse in a field when were out and about, Liz would want to go and see it.

Lynn, says, she was scared of horses. In her youth, she used to help with the donkey rides on the beach of a northern town, but they were slow and quiet.

Lynn Kinnish - An Unsuspecting Mum

Age 10, Lynn and her pal, discovered some horses in a local field, picked some grass, called to the distant horses, offering them the grass over the field gate. The horses came down the hill at full gallop, looking as if they would leap the gate. Lynn and her friend threw the grass into the air and ran for their lives scared  stiff! Lynn continued, nothing prepared me for my daughter Liz, and her apparent love for horses. Where did that come from??! During the course of a gentle family holiday in France, Liz persuaded her parents to book her a riding lesson. It seemed a nice idea. We explained to the proprietor of the French establishment, that it was Liz's dream to ride a horse. He promised to give her a lively time, and took her off, with her older brother, for a hack in the French countryside. Lynn and her husband setted for a nice lunchtime doze under the apple trees in the stableyard. Less than 15 minutes later, they all returned, Liz in tears, her dreams shattered. The proprietor had asked for canter almost as soon as they had set off. Liz had never ridden before, and returned scared and shaken. Oh dear? It all looked so easy in the cowboy films, jump on, and off you go.

Returning home from holiday, Lynn resolved to sort this out for Liz. RIDING LESSONS! Looking through the yellow pages she focused on Winton Street stables in Alfriston. Ringing the proprietor, 'boy was she so scary' says Lynn, she booked a lesson for herself and Liz. “Why did she want to know our height and weight, i did not understand? Of course, later, Lynn understood. The proprietor clearly thought Lynn was mad, and quite naive. How true!

 
Lynn Kinnish - An Unsuspecting Mum

Liz enjoyed her riding lesson, absolutely delighted. Lynn could not quite share her enthusiasm, relieved to dismount and go home to the ironing, and a G&T to steady her shattered nerves. Eventually Liz went to those stables each weekend volunteering to help out with the horses and continue her lessons. 8am prompt start, daren't be late. Wonderful experience, Liz learnt so much those years. Lynn also did a bit of helping out.

 

She remembers one day, having single-handedly levelled the entire sand school with a hand rake, turned her attention to mucking out. It started to rain, and so Lynn put on her coat, to walk round to the muck heap. On her 10th trip to the muck heap, in torrential rain, the proprietor shouted at Lynn, that is she was wearing a coat, she wasn't working hard enough! “Bloody hell H****! Lynn retorted, I'm a volunteer!”

If that proprietor ever reads this, Lynn would like her to know, how very grateful they both were, for the vast wealth of experience she passed on. Lynn would tell her what a DIAMOND she was. “She will know how VERY SCARY she was, AND be proud of it too! She loved her horses, and we particularly remember Ben, Ricky, Kestrel, Mattie, etc for teaching us so much, putting up with our failings, and showing us how it's done!”

Many years later, Lynn and Liz bumped into the proprietor. Liz now in her late teens, was able to tell her, how scary she was. “I KNOW” she replied. “BUT THAT MADE YOU LEARN A LOT DIDN'T IT?” Well, truly it did. With respect, Lynn would like to nominate that retired proprietor, as her unsung hero!

I will never forget, Liz's much loved loan horse, Christopher Robin, owned by Irene McCarthy Sommerville, wife of Peter McCarthy, writer of 'McCarthy's Bar' etc, who lived at Owl Cottage, Eastbourne Lane. Peter, Christopher Robin died so suddenly and tragically. The experience, of seeing Christopher Robin dead at Liphook, wanting him to get up, and live again. He had survived his abdominal surgery, I had watched his operation with Yvonne that night. Visited him almost every day, took Liz, and together watching his abdomen dripping serum, chained up with drips etc sang him his favourite songs, Teddy Bears Picnic, videoed him, thought he was recovering, only to get a phone call the next day to say he was dying. Raced over to Liphook, too late. He was dead. Seeing him in a darkened room, lifeless on a black mattress.

“Get up, get up, Christopher,” I cried to him. “You cannot do this to Liz!” He was lifeless.

 

The nice nurse, cut some of his tail for us, and plaited it, and tied a red ribbon around the end. Liz still has his tail, and his ashes in her bedroom. We will never forget that lovely pony. He had suffered too badly with sweet itch when we took him on. Turned him round, with love and attention and a Boett rug. If Christopher had arms, he would have helped us put on the Boett pyjama suit, it gave him such relief from those awful mosquitos. He looked like a pantomime horse and the others in the field gave him a hard time at first, until they got used to his disguise.

Lynn Kinnish - An Unsuspecting Mum
 

He was able to win Mountain and Moorland classes subsequently, he did so well. His hair grew back. If only he could have lived longer. We were distraught at his death. It was so sad for Liz aged 14, she was never the same for months-years!!?

Marcelle Tatersall's dear old boy, Magnum. She rode him in his youth, with her baby, Gemma, in a papoose. Magnum was tragically kicked by one of the younger horses in the field. His jaw was broken and so he needed to be euthanised. How sad we all were. I bought Marcelle a vase with white flowers in it from Sainsbury's. She kept that vase and flowers in the open door of his stable for over a week. Gemma is now a 2012 Olympic hopeful.

 
Lynn Kinnish & Boots

Lynn has just achieved her best score ever with her new British Riding Pony, Ninfield Dick Whittington, better known as Boots.

It was First Prize in the First Class Walk and Trot Dressage at Cross-in-Hand.

“It's the best score I've ever had on Boots. I'm thrilled,” she says. “Both for him and for me.”

Lynn bought Boots, who is five-years-old, just 12-months ago. Since then she has regularly competed him in local shows.

Lynn bought Boots, who is five-years-old, just 12-months ago. Since then she has regularly competed him in local shows.

Next stop? “Prelims,” says Lynn. “I've got my fingers crossed.”

This Boots is obviously made for winning!