Bess was a 5 year old 15hh Black Cob Mare that I bought at a sale for my (then) husband to learn to ride on. We actually went to see a Skewbald gelding but he had been sold the previous day and Bess was on the lorry in his place. She had been hunted as a four year old and had bred a piebald colt foal which she tragically lost in the field.

A friend of mine bid for her for me and I was told that as the price went up I got whiter and whiter! We finally bought her at the top price of the day. As we live in a good hunting area there was obviously a lot of interest in her.

We got her home that day, tacked her up and off went my husband around the fields without any trouble at all. After that he rode a couple of times but didn't want to learn to ride properly - just gallop! I took her on and after some schooling we entered a few local shows where she was extrememly successful in Best Turned Out with her black coat and four white socks. She was also placed in Working Pony and Show Jumping classes.

When we moved house we decided to sell her and a lovely gentleman in his 70's bought her to hunt through the winter and then in the summer she was loaned to a local riding establishment for training the BHSAI pupils.

I saw her at a local show some time ago and she looked wonderful. She was placed 2nd in the Cob class. When she was correctly trimmed out she really looked a picture and I often regret never showing her at County Level as a Lightweight & Working Cob at which she would have excelled.

Update: I saw Bess a couple of weeks ago out hunting and she looked lovely. She is now 13 years old. Last year she got kicked in the leg out hunting which broke a bone and resulted in her having an operation to remove the fragments. Whilst on recuperation she was sent to stud but unfortunately did not get in foal. Her owners are possibly returning her to stud this year so I will keep you posted!