Pebbles was one of the Macedon Ranges most loved and appealing equine residents. Not because she excelled at grand prix dressage, jumped like a stag cross country or strutted her stuff in royal show champion hack classes.
Pebbles was a family member. For all her 46 years she was loved and cared for to make her as happy and as comfortable as possible.
When her owner Shelley Valente was just 11years old in 1983 she was given 10 year-old Pebbles by her uncle. Together they attended pony club in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne and went on kilometre after kilometre of trails rides, their favourite times together.
“From a quick and feisty pony in my riding days, she then went on to teach my three children to ride well into her 30s,” Shelley said.
“In the 36 years of owning her she was always loyal and trustworthy.”
In her later years Pebbles came to live around Gisborne and then the Woodend district with the Valentes.
“She quickly became a favourite of the local equine specialists of the Macedon Ranges as she was older than some of them and definitely the eldest client of the others!”
Pebbles fully retired at age 39 from light riding with children on her back because arthritis was getting the better of her. For the last seven years she enjoyed retirement in the quiet pastures of Woodend. She had a regular team of horse health specialists to keep her happy from her farrier to her dentist to her vet.
Sadly, late last month Shelley and her family made the heartbreaking decision to put Pebbles to her forever sleep.
Arthritis and the cold Woodend winters were making her struggle too difficult. She was off her food and had lost her usual sparkly character. But through being cherished and cared for she lived right to her mid 40s which is so old for a pony, it might just be a Macedon Ranges district record.
