Hi Amanda, Dynamite aka mighty - what a cute wee boy! He came into my life only a couple of weeks ago when I decided I needed a companion for my yearling warmblood Dulux who hated being left on his own whilst I was out training my arab Aladdin, for endurance riding. I decided to try to rescue a miniature or Shetland rather than buy one who already had a good home.

Within only two days of looking on rescue websites I found him. He was a perfect match as (although I wouldn't have chosen purely on colour) my ideal little miniature would have been a paint as this is a colour I love and have not owned as yet. I needed a boy as my warmblood is entire and I wanted something small so he didn't need much feeding. I looked on the wonderful DCH website and there, as if by magic, he was.

Within only a fifteen minute session in the round yard practicing some join up and Parelli playtime he had learnt to trot around and pop over a jump and turn to face me and change direction. All at liberty with no headcollar or lunge rein. He seems to enjoy his play time in the round yard and if I open up the round yard gate to train one of my other horses he barges past and trots around and pops over the jump and stops to look at me with an expression of how good am I? Is that what you wanted me to do? Im so much smarter than your arab or big warmblood! He is the cutest thing and I love him already and although he still shakes from fear sometimes from his past abuse and collapses if I touch his back legs - he is improving all the time.

I would like to thank Amanda and all the staff at DCH for doing such an amazing job giving up their valuable time to help animals that are in need of rescuing and also to the wonderful Sally who fostered Dynamite for some time before I took him on. What a wonderful job she did with Dynamite - she taught him to begin to trust humans again and showed patience and kindness when he needed it most.

I understand he had been broken in to saddle and harness - so Im not sure what Dynamite will end up doing with me - lots of exciting choices

but for now I'm very happy to have him as a companion pony in the paddock and a welcome member of our family to be loved and cherished and never abused again.

Sally

Dynamite came into DCH care in early 2011, he was

adopted on 14 February 2013.