If you mention the name, Ginny Hajdukiewicz, many in Wotton under Edge, Kingswood and the surrounding area remember her and immediately recall how they learnt to ride on one of her ponies at her riding school.

Some even followed her story after she left Kingswood for Wales in 1982 to set up a trekking centre with her ‘misfit’ horses.

Ginny dedicated her life to horses. Always deeply concerned regarding the welfare of horses and ponies, and distraught at the treatment of the ‘wild’ ponies that were sold at market, in 1985 she formed The Lluest Horse and Pony Trust (lluesthorseandponytrust.co.uk).

As a fierce advocate for horse and pony welfare, her decision to found ‘LLuest’ and rescue so many shaped the rest of Ginny’s short life, which she sadly lost to cancer at only thirty-eight. It was a physical and emotional rollercoaster way of life with countless highs and lows and she often wrote about her experiences on scraps of paper.

These stories have been lovingly revisited, transcribed and made into a book by her friends and Trustee supporters, Barbara Metcalfe formerly of Wotton under Edge whose daughter owes her lifelong passion of horses to Ginny, and Stella Gratrix with the support of Ginny’s husband, Peter Hajdukiewicz.

The book can be found on:

https://www.feedaread.com/books/Ginnys-Story-of-the-Lluest-Horse-and-Pony-Trust.aspx

Her lively accounts collected here feature not only her horses and ponies, but also her beloved dogs, cats, chickens and even Herbie the crow. And, of course, they include many of the people she met along the way.

Ginny would be proud that the Trust continues its work, rescuing and rehabilitating horses, ponies and donkeys. The proceeds from this book will go to the Trust, as she would have wished. So if you are looking for a last minute stocking filler, look no further.