I'm looking for a horse I used to own.

Oroel

Hello,

about 8 years ago i sold my 15'2 chestnut thoroughbred gelding called 'Gin and Tonic'. I kept in contact with him for about two years, but then he was sold on without my knowledge. I got very close to him but no one knows where he went after he was moved from a stables which is also part of a hotel in Wicklow. The place was pretty run down. They actually told me he was out in the field, I couldn't find him, and the guy eventually remembered that he was moved. It was kind of a weird interaction.

A woman called <snip> used to work in Spruce Lodge, where I kept him for years [and] Apparently <snip> sister now owns Gin and Tonic. This is great news to me, as I know that he's in good hands, i would just love to see him again. One of my biggest regrets was selling him. He'd be pretty old now, about 17 or so. Another woman who worked in Spruce Lodge <snip> is still a dressage rider, so if anybody has any suggestions as to how the OP could go about finding contact details for people who used to work in Spruce Lodge could they post here or PM Oroel.

If anyone knows ANYTHING or has heard of him at all, i would greatly appreciate any hints in any direction!
This has been tearing me up for two years now trying to find him, I'm back in the country now and determined to find out where he is!
Thanks

convert

Hi Oroel, Have you tried contacting Spruce Lodge directly to see if they could help you with contacting the individuals you mentioned in your post? Their contact details can be found here. If you knew the people's surnames you could try doing a search for them on the 'net (i.e. 'convert' and 'dressage ireland') and see if that threw up any results? Then you could look up when they were competing again (entries are usually on the DI website a day or two before the competition) so you could always try that route and see if it yielded any results?

I know this may sound a little harsh, but sometimes it is better not knowing or seeing them. We sold a pony a few years ago, and while we know where he went and what he'd be doing, and even though we'd love to know how he got on, we never went to see him because we knew that despite being well looked after, he wouldn't be minded the same way we minded him, and that it would make it harder on us...

Oroel

Hey Convert,

Yep I called all the people that were around back then, including the owner etc, but nothing came of it, apart from one place where he had been moved from just months earlier. This was about two summers ago.

I understand what you mean about not seeing him again, but I'm not emotionally vulnerable in that way. I had him for six years.

As far as I am aware he didn't do any more competing after I sold him.
thanks for the advice, i just keep going down deadends, both metaphorically and literally!

Puzzle35

Hi Oroel,

There is another irish web site called stabletostable.com you might try posting on that. I really feel where you are coming from. It would be my great fear if I buy a horse that one day I would have to sell him on. Reading your story has just confirmed that for me. The best of luck with your search, keep us posted and I will keep an eye out too....Don't suppose you have a photo you could post? Puzzle

Oroel

hey thanks for that link! will give it a shot.
No photo on my laptop unfortunately but he is 15'2, three white socks, a white blaze and a pink nose