Horse Of The Week - Marcus.

Marcus is a 14.2hh, New Forest cross, owned by Caroline Skinn.  Marcus is 20-years-old and has been owned by Caroline for 7 years.  Primarily they hack around the local woods together. Marcus, the New Forest cross.[/caption] Caroline told us: "Marcus was purchased for my daughter Robyn as her first pony.  This was in January 2008 when he was 13-years-old.  He had previously been a riding school pony and then privately owned briefly, before being moved on.  I am still in contact with his previous owner, and reading in between the lines he'd had his day in the riding school arena.  He was an 'old school master' even at that time, and taught Robyn a lot about having to ride correctly, as he gave nothing for free.  He knew his job only too well but always made Robyn work for it!  Marcus was a great all-rounder and enjoyed showjumping, always winning ribbons but wasn't too keen on schooling which made him really hard work (all those years of kids jumping on and off him in lessons, I think probably the reason).  He is as close to 'bombproof' as any pony can be and has an incredible calming influence on other horses, especially those that are young, nervous, or a bit feisty.  He is particularly good for this when out hacking, as he doesn't react when others are upset.  He is a true gent and looks after whoever it is on board.  Marcus doesn't have a nasty bone in his body and is a very easy pony to care for." "He does have issues however!  He took it upon himself to decide not to load one day, unfortunately for us this was at the end of a show jumping competition which he had won.  It took four adults and four teenagers 2 hours to get him into the trailer by which time it was pitch black!  He isn't keen on water in buckets and will not drink from one on the yard after working, he will wait until turned out!  His fear of the hose is even worse, and he will demonstrate his own version of river dance if somebody inadvertently brings one anywhere near him.  It has taken me over 6 years to win his trust and allow me to sponge him off, but a bath I think is a few more years off!  Marcus believes that wheelbarrows are out to kill him.  We cannot get clippers near him without sedation from a vet as he actually goes nuts, clipping therefore is a rather expensive exercise.  Despite these small issues, Marcus has impeccable manners and really is an angel." "You have probably caught on for my love for this old fella, and hand on heart I can say that he changed my life the day he arrived.  I loved horses but was terrified of them, and needed to get my act together to support Robyn and Marcus.  Eight weeks before Pony Club Camp, Robyn broke her collar bone; so I bit the bullet and started riding Marcus to keep him fit and I have never looked back!  After Robyn got her second pony, I could not bring myself to part with Marcus so we had lessons together and even learned to jump.  Together we have won a pony games competition with our local riding club, where we were the oldest combination and beat all of the speedy agile ponies!  After Robyn discovered boys and her second pony had to go, I still couldn't part with Marcus.  So together we are the veterans on our yard, and I could not imagine life without him." Caroline explains: “Clarity is a fabulous supplement, we couldn't be without it.  Marcus used to head-shake very violently whilst I rode, especially on those days where there was a high pollen count.  His nose also used to run and the rides would be very stressful for us both.  Since being fed Clarity, Marcus is much happier and less stressed.  I am so pleased that we are now able to ride from April to September when we couldn't before, and it’s all thanks to Clarity”. A FREE 2kg tub of Clarity is on its way to Marcus for being our Horse Of The Week! Each week, the Feedmark team select a horse of the week from reviews, letters and emails sent to them.  If you would like your horse to feature, then please send your horse’s details in to [email protected] or go online and write a review.