Meet Roana, a pony who is looking fabulous at 45, enjoying a life lived exactly as she wants it – and including frequent unscheduled trips across her yard owner’s garden.
To celebrate National Horse Day on 13 December, Harry Hall tried to find the UK’s oldest horse, and thinks Roana is the one. The 13hh mare only retired a few years ago owing to injury, which has since healed, and has survived strangles and a fractured hock along the way.
Cerys Brown, who has owned Roana for nearly 30 years, told H&H she is “everything” to her.
“I know how lucky I am to still have her,” she said. “Many people are lucky to have 10 to 15 years, let alone 30. Every day I see her wee head over the stable door is a bonus.”
Cerys started having lessons at her local riding school in Northern Ireland aged five, and when she first rode Roana, she was not convinced.
“I only rode her as the pony I usually rode had had to be put to sleep and they said ‘We’ve got this lovely pony for you’, but I didn’t really like her,” she said. “She was hard to get going, didn’t really like all the trotting round behind the others; she was more happy doing her own thing – as she still is now!”
But when they started jumping together, “I actually thought ‘I quite like her’,” Cerys said. “And she quite liked jumping. We found common ground and started to enjoy each other’s company.”
Cerys and Roana competed together but in the early 2000s, the riding school closed and all the ponies were to be sold.
“My granny stepped in and bought her for me,” Cerys said. “I was too old by then to compete in the classes we’d been doing but I didn’t want her to go to another riding school as she wasn’t a fan of riding schools, or children. She liked me because I always had treats in my pocket – I had a secret weapon – and when Stud Muffins came out, I found she really liked them, so they became my go-to!”
Roana became one of the family, teaching Cerys’s friend’s children to ride and appearing as guest of honour, with Cerys’s other horse Tinkerbell, at her wedding to Peter.
“We have a different level of bond, I know her inside out,” she said. “I know how she is feeling just by looking at her. Everyone should know her story as she has been such an amazing companion and has had an incredible impact on my life.
Picture by Carrie Davenport
“Our wedding was supposed to be in July 2020 so of course it was called off and we had a little ceremony in my granny’s garden, and I got to bring the horses – there were no Covid restrictions on how many horses you could have – and I rode Tinkerbell; if I’d ridden Roana, she’d have been guaranteed to buck me off!”
Both Roana and Cerys have had challenges to face; the former caught strangles in the 1990s, and another pony kicked her in 2005 and fractured her hock but she bounced back both times. Cerys was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 18 years old and spent her early 20s in and out of hospital.
“If I hadn’t had her and my other horse, it would have been hard to get out of hospital and get well again,” she said.
“I always have a friend, there’s always someone to talk to and she’s been there through every major life change. Owning horses has given me something to get up in the morning for; even on my lowest days Roana and Tinkerbell gave me purpose. They’re like siblings to me and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them.’’
Roana is thriving and, Cerys said, looks nowhere near her age.
“She’s lost a bit of muscle from not being ridden but you’d never guess how old she is,” she said. “She has lost a few teeth and all her hard food is soaked, which is her most favourite thing, but she still manages haylage; they make it at the yard and it’s soft and lovely, and grass. Keeping her moving and muscled has been key; supporting her joints and making sure she has as natural a life as possible. But she does as she pleases and lets you know if you’re ever late or out of a routine!”
So Cerys is just grateful for every day she spends with her “family member”.
“She’s as important to me as my family as she’s been there through pretty much everything,” she said. “She’s such a strong character; she still bucks and carries on, has a wee hooley now and then, and takes herself where she wants – she has a thing about going straight for the yard owner’s garden. She will let me know when she’s done, but for now she’s more than happy to keep me on my toes.”
Harry Hall managing director Liz Hopper said: “Horses are living longer; due to advancements in nutrition and medicine, we are witnessing them surpassing expectations of the average age, which is around 25.
“This means equine friends are remaining with their owners for much longer – which is wonderful to see! In light of this, Harry Hall set out on a mission to find the UK’s oldest horse and uncover a heartwarming story ahead of National Horse Day on 13 December.
“From our database of Harry Hall One Club members, Roana was crowned the oldest horse. It’s remarkable that Cerys has been able to spend the majority of her life with Roana by her side, it truly is a beautiful partnership.”
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