Lucy Betteridge-Dyson

Always grumpy!. He is not a cuddly gentle horse like Pip - he tolerates people at best 😂

In a world of miserable companies and people who are horrible to work with, I want to praise my publishers @ospreypublishing.bsky.social for being bloody fantastic. The whole team are so kind, supportive and knowledgeable; it’s been such a pleasure working with them on Jungle Commandos.

Thank you. All the kind comments we’ve had mean a lot to us.

This little monkey cheers us all up. 🩷

Rode Max today, my first time back at the yard after the horrendous events of last week. We are so very lucky to be at such a wonderful place, the owners put the most gorgeous flowers out for Pip 🥺

Sharks are one of my favourite creatures. They’re incredible. Another fact that blows my mind: their teeth are constantly replaced like a conveyor belt - they go through 1000s in a lifetime.

Right that’s it. First fire of the season, it’s officially cold.

Have the Labour Party got an in house historian? Because after listening to @iandunt.bsky.social @dorianlynskey.bsky.social Origin Story recent episodes it’s clear they REALLY need one. I’m not volunteering, but you know, proves the value of knowing your history etc beautifully.

Hahah. Well, I was moaning to the guy who runs the cafe about it and then a man from table behind said ‘oh I think you rang my bell earlier. We were just getting my wife’s pram out the car’ (bullshit, no one was there and they always park there). This is why I don’t have friends in the village. 😂

Walked 3.5 miles today. Came across many twatty drivers. Including this parking.. honestly folks, don’t park over the pavement on a main road - it’s really not cool.

Random fact: I’ve been watching endless episodes of ‘Allo ‘Allo over the past few days and just read that Jack Haig (Leclerc) was offered the role of Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army before Clive Dunn but turned it down.

Went to collect our darling Pippi today. 😢 So very sad, but glad she is home, safe with our other boys and girls. How lucky we were to know and love her, Gizmo and Moomin 🩷

Trying my best 😢

The tears keep coming. Just keep thinking if we hadn’t given her the arthramid injections she’d still be here. It’s the pits 😞. Our beautiful Big Hoof deserved so much more.

People always assume the historian presenting has done the research. I always try to tell people I’m just reading someone else’s work when I’ve been on!

That’s so lovely of you to say. We loved her so, so much.

11 years today. We got married the same year that Pip came to us. I couldn’t have got through this week without my partner in crime.

Pip has been cremated. My heart breaks for my lovely Mum, Pip was her heart horse and they were meant to grow old together. To lose her at 16 after getting through her recent surgery so well feels so unjust. The pain of losing a horse you have bonded with on such a deep level is indescribable.

Totally heartbroken. Still can’t believe it’s happened.

‘Somewhere in time's own space
There must be some sweet pastured place,
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow -
Some paradise where horses go,
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again.’

🩷

Thanks Chris. She meant so much to us, one of the family and she was so smart, so emotionally intelligent. More so than many people I’ve come across in life.

I feel consumed by grief and the cruelty of life. Seeing the months of stress and dedication of my parents to getting Pip through so much, allowing themselves to finally hope and the unbounded love they had for her torn down in 24 hours and it ending like this is unbearable.

No, they can’t. How it has all happened is soul destroying.

Thank you everyone. Came hope late and did ironing etc till 2am. Just cannot believe this has happened. Seeing her lying down, head flat on the floor was just awful. It’ll haunt me. We could see in her eyes she had given up. She deserved so much more life, she was so special.

He doesn’t know yet really, asking his owner if she’d like our lovely yard owner to show him her body before it’s collected this morning.

Losing our beautiful Big Hoof leaves such a hole in our lives 💔. 11 years of joy and love, we thought we would grow old together but life kept throwing you hurdles and this was just one too much. You were so tired, and you told us that it was enough.

We are all utterly heartbroken. Goodbye our darling Pip, you fought so hard, it is all so unfair 💔

At risk of sounding desperate (also, WHY ARE ALL THE JOURNOS STILL ON X) - if you're a TV / history writer or podcaster and fancy doing something on Season II of #AThousandBlows and the true history of 1880s boxing and boxers, get in touch. Disney PR aren't likely to put me forward for things again.