Wednesday, April 25, 2018

When a pony turns 18...

You remember the little girl who saved her money from age 3 to age 7 and bought him. He was 4 and now he’s 18 and all you can think of is how in the world did all those years fly by?

You remember the pony and his girl cantering no hands over jumps, galloping around the fields with a video camera clasped in one hand, attending Pony Club ratings and events, traveling to cross-country trainings with Annie and her horse Johnny, bringing home ribbons from schooling shows where the other competitors were adult women and their giant warmbloods.

You remember the girl doing math in the pony’s stall, dressing up for Halloween, working out girl and pony issues under saddle.

Everything the girl and the pony did together was a first for both of them. They were a good team.

These days the girl is doing undergraduate research in neurobiology and shining like a star, and the pony took over being best friends with the donkeys after Salina died. He grooms with the Big Bay and plays tag over the fence with Cody.

Sometimes I think he misses the little girl but most days he leads a pretty happy life. Yesterday after the little party I threw for him, during which time I told stories about how all the equines came to live with us and recounted the names of their sires and dams, fun times, hard times, and ended with carrots, the pony headed out to check the fence line, which he does sometimes.

Here he is. Happy Birthday Little Man!!!


4 comments:

Matthew said...

So many memories of the two of them! Still the world's most handsome pony.

Grey Horse Matters said...

Happy Birthday Little Man! Time really does fly by much too quickly. It's fun to remember all the good times. He looks like a happy boy and I'm sure he's missing his girl at times but he has a very special life at your farm with all his friends to keep him company.

billie said...

A, he does enjoy his herdmates and he stays busy grazing. You never know when there might be a famine and a pony starves to death. :)

billie said...

Yes, and yes, Matthew!