Thankful Thursday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HELOISE!

 

#1 here. I had been watching Mama Hotesse closely and, on a sunny April 29th, four years ago, this is what I saw:

This little girl was special for several reasons. Firstly, we knew she would be Hotesse's last foal. At the age of 22, she had more than fulfilled her obligations as a brood mare, having produced ten foals in total. Secondly, the little filly's daddy, Titus, had been breed champion stallion and was a favourite of mine. And thirdly, she was a half-sister to my sweet Violette. For her last foal, Hotesse had produced absolute perfection! I was asked by her breeder to name her, and I called her Héloïse.

I went to visit them every day, and got my first cuddle in when Heloise was 2 days old!

It was clear right from the start that Heloise would be a stunner.

She grew up in the verdant fields around Poupounette Central.

She was a stunning yearling filly:

When she was about 18 months old, she went to Ms. C's for a while, to learn basic good manners, and was taken to her first show:

At two, she was a real beauty and, just like her sister Violette had done at that age, she decided to come and visit me!

She was still living in the same field but, in the autumn of her second year, I started to get worried. Her breeders had sold her older sister to the meat man, and I was really scared that she and Mama Hotesse would meet the same fate. I didn't have the funds to buy her, so I started a GoFundme campaign to which many wonderful people contributed. I then started to negotiate with her owners who, knowing how attached I was to them, tried to up the price. A deal was finally struck, and in March 2020, just as the Pandemic started to flare, they moved to Ms. C's! This is them on the day they arrived:

Shortly after that, France went into a strict lockdown and I was not able to see them for six weeks. The reunion afterwards was wonderful!

If such a thing was even possible, Heloise became even more beautiful!

She started her training with Ms. C:

And still enjoys cuddles just as much!

She has the unusual privilege of living with her mother and one of her sisters.

And she is a bit of a clown!

Today, Heloise turns four. Over the coming months, Ms. C will continue her training and we hope that, by the end of the year, she will be both ridden and driven. And who knows what the future will hold for her? Maybe some babies of her own?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HELOISE! I am so thankful to share my life with you! The spelling  does not have an "H" in it but here are some words from the late 1960s hit song, Eloise, that really resonate!

My Eloise is like the stars that please the night,
the sun that makes the day, that lights the way
And when my star goes by, I'll hold it in my hands and cry,
her love is mine, my sun will shine

💝💝💝💝💝