Polly’s story is one of resilience, transformation, and the unbreakable bond between a horse and her rider. Rescued in 2011 from dire conditions, Polly was a neglected bay cob left abandoned in a field with several other malnourished animals. Despite her harrowing beginnings and being overlooked by many due to her “plain brown” appearance, Polly found a loving home with Ellen O’Hara, after meeting Ann Gardner, one of the volunteers who refused to give up on her.

Years later, this once-forgotten horse not only healed but flourished, eventually capturing the heart of a young rider seeking her next equine partner, enter Ellen into the fold. Together, they embarked on an incredible journey—from overcoming early challenges and learning together to competing at national and international dressage events. This article traces Polly’s inspiring transformation from a rescue horse to a cherished partner and accomplished competitor.

Polly’s Transformation:

Polly was rescued in 2011 by Holly’s Horse Haven, which has since closed.  The rescue received a call about a field of horses that had been left by their owner, who was renting the field. The field contained 3 small ponies, a donkey, and  3 cobs, two coloured and one bay, Polly. The rescue volunteers went to collect the animals and Polly wouldn’t leave until all the other animals had been loaded. They were all skin and bone. Sadly, the two coloured cobs and one of the ponies didn’t make it due to their terrible condition. The donkey moved on to The Donkey Sanctuary, and after being rehabilitated, the two surviving ponies were adopted out together. Polly was in terrible shape, she was so thin her skin was hanging off her. You could pull it up like pockets on her side, giving her the name ‘Miss Pollypockets’. She also has some scarring on her hindquarters. Polly stayed at the rescue for a year after being nursed back to health.

Time and again she was passed over by potential adopters who wanted a coloured cob rather than ‘plain brown’. Ann Gardner, one of the volunteers that had been there to rescue her, couldn’t bear to see her without a home, so adopted her. With Ann, Polly was simply allowed to be a horse with her friends. These years of gentle, correct handling have hugely contributed to her one of a kind attitude. In mid-2020, having started my 12.2 first pony, we began looking for my next pony. I was eager to continue jumping (and had little to no knowledge of ‘dressage’) so, we set out in search of an experienced pony around 14.2hh that I could have fun on in Pony Club, absolutely not a cob. After a few months of fruitless searching, a family friend mentioned an acquaintance of hers that had a rescue cob sitting in a field, that she wanted someone to do something with.

I was not hopeful, but after being shown a video of her jumping out of her field, we agreed to go look at her. This acquaintance was Ann Gardner and this horse was Polly. When I got off Polly, having walked and trotted a few steps on the road beside her field, I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. She came home the next week. Now, we have competed in dressage together at National and International at Prelim and Novice level. She’s helped me achieve my Pony Club C and C+ tests and will turn her hoof to anything I ask of her. She is my best friend and entirely one of a kind. 

Early Challenges:

It took a while for me to realise what I had gotten myself into. She’s 15.1, and solid, by far the biggest horse I had ever handled. She was also incredibly green, and I was overly confident in my abilities. I was so unprepared to produce a horse myself, and our story would be a lot different if not for her remarkable temperament.  Polly had been hacked out by Ann but had had no schooling. Our first challenge was her napping. We are based on our family farm, with plenty of hacking. At first, she would walk out confidently for about 100m, stop and plant her feet. Any efforts to keep her moving forward would result in spinning and backing up. I had no desire to bully her forward, so we addressed her confidence, the route of her issue. She walked out in hand, being led off another horse, following another horse, and then, finally on her own.

As she lost weight and built muscle her confidence grew. Our next and one of the biggest challenges we faced, was her canter. After finding her enthusiasm to work, she had no problems working in an arena. However, she had no knowledge of the aids for canter. Again, we introduced the concept by following one of her field mates and, in essence, staying out of her way whilst she built up strength. Once she had the ability and confidence to move forward in a rhythm we worked on her balance and suppleness. While this is greatly improved today, it is something she naturally struggles with due to her build, ad we are therefore always working at it.

Our journey has been rocky, I had no idea how to produce a green horse, and everything I was teaching Polly I had to learn myself at the same time. As a result, it took us a lot longer to grasp seemingly simple concepts and we have spent a long time correcting bad habits. We don’t have access to an arena at home, which can make schooling and preparing for competition difficult, particularly in winter.

First Signs of Potential:

The first time I truly thought Polly might be able to excel at dressage competitively was at the Wild Atlantic Dressage Festival in 2023. Prior to this, our only competitive dressage experience was in a team with my pony club, and it is safe to say those tests left something to be desired. At WADF, we rode our first registered Dressage Ireland Trailblazer Preliminary test. Polly gave me the most incredible feeling in the test and won the class on 71.5%. However, what really stuck with me was the judge, Jane Whitaker. Along with hugely helpful and encouraging comments, she went out of her way to speak to me after our test, complimenting Polly and encouraging me to pursue dressage further. From that day, we were hooked. Since then, we have had so much encouragement from judges and coaches alike, which is so important.

Representing Ireland:

The only way I can describe competing for Ireland with Polly at the BD Youth Dressage Home International was a dream come true. I applied with the hope to simply get on selectors’ radars for development squads, I hadn’t even considered the possibility of getting on the team. We have only been competing as Juniors since January, this being our second year in Dressage Ireland, and frankly, I did not thing we were at that level yet. I got the news we had been selected to ride at Prelim level while at our Pony Club Camp, and it was a huge shock (for me and my parents!) I felt so incredibly proud of and grateful for my incredible little mare. One of my best friends, Yasmin Hughes, was also selected, and she was a huge support throughout the entire whirlwind experience. Our preparation for the Home Nations was quite lowkey. Polly was already at peak fitness, we had spent the weeks prior getting fit for our weeklong residential Pony Club Camp, and our Pony Club C+ Test.

I tried to avoid ‘drilling’ her schooling wise and focused on keeping work fun. We had a few lessons with instructors, including Simone Hession. We schooled in different places, went on long hacks and many a gallop through the fields. A few days before we left, we went to Polly’s absolute favourite place. She got to have a proper blast across the beach, and a swim and a splash in the sea. This helped her to come into the arena with an enthusiastic mind. 

To be part of such a talented squad of riders and horses was unreal. It was daunting to be there at times, we certainly stuck out a bit, but I knew I was there with my best friend. To come down that centre line hearing ‘Miss PollyPockets riding for Ireland’ brought me to tears. It was such an incredible, validating moment to have the years of hard work come together in that way. Polly tried her heart out for me at every single moment. The travel was exhausting for us both, and she really struggled in the heat, but she gave me everything she had every day. We even placed 9^th in one test. I am so proud of Polly, there are really no words for it. I owe her everything.

Favourite Moments:

There have been too many incredible moments with Polly to list them all. There have been as many from competing, placing well, winning classes; as training, the moments where a movement clicks and we really understand each other. Some of our favourite days have been spent with friends at the beach, racing flat out, swimming bareback, at pony club camp, learning together and from each other, and competing together, cheering each other on. However, the moment I will always treasure, did come from the Home International. Having just made our international debut, Polly had laid down for a nap in her stable. I went in to sit beside her, and she simply put her head in my lap and went back to sleep. We sat alone together for over half an hour, Polly resting the full weight of her head in my arms. She was sleeping so soundly, ears and legs twitching in her dreams. To have this horse, that had been treated with such cruelty, give me her full trust in that moment, has been more important to me than any rosette or title ever will be.

Tune back in a few days to hear more about Polly and Ellen’s Journey.

Cover photo from Youth Home International by – Kevin Sparrow Photography