A Christmas Present 40 Years in the Making

 

Like most little girls, every Christmas I asked for a real, live pony.  I would race to the Christmas tree with hope but there was never a pony under the tree.  It took years before I got my first horse but I never stopped wanting that perfect, adorable pony.

When my daughter was born my husband agreed to help me fulfill my pony tree someday when my little girl was ready for one. Late last year I as casually looking and found a great little pony, a well bred Welsh, older, been there done that, even went to Pony Finals. But it took me too long to try to convince Superhubs that she was the one and she was sold.

So I kept an eye out for a pony. And then I saw her.  A gorgeous little, chestnut Welsh mare, broke to ride, sweet and well bred.  She’s been with us a couple of weeks now and I am more in love with her each day.

My daughter loves that she can get on and off of her with just the mounting block, loves that she can get the saddle off on her own. Her barn name is Tara. She has a fancy registered name but we call her Tara. She terrorizes Cowboy and hangs out with Fox.  My daughter has already fallen off of her once, totally not Tara or Alex’s fault, just an accident. 

I hope we can do some lead line classes at some point and maybe some walk trot next year.  I already have dreams of pony foals dancing in my head.  

Keep it between the flags everyone. 

Pony Kisses

 The hardest part of loving is having to let go.  As the summer wore on Seneca made it more and more obvious that she was ready to rest. I chose a warm day in early September and had Superhubs take my daughter to a camp activity at her gymnastics gym so that I could be alone. Having to worry about other people can be overwhelming for me.  Welcome to my particular brand of anxiety. Yippee.

We had a party for Seneca the Sunday prior, letting everyone who loved the haughty bay mare say goodbye by spoiling her with treats. I tried to give her a piece of carrot cake but she literally turned her nose up at it.  I took loads of pictures of her and spent the morning just hanging out with her.  In the end she lay down quietly and slipped away as I stroked her neck. I clipped lots of pieces of her mane and tail and I’ll have jewelry made eventually.  I chose to have Seneca cremated so I could take her with us to the next farm. Her urn, a lovely carved wooden box with her name engraved on a brass plate sits on the table next to my bed. I touch it each night as I go to bed and each morning when I get up. 

She was lovely bay Queen and I will miss her terribly.  

Keep it between the flags everyone. 

The Chaos That Is

      So many months have gone by again since I have laid my fingers on the keyboard. Sometimes it is hard to know what to write because so much has changed and yet nothing has.  I am still working a job I hate but the end is closer yet. Only 18 more months to go!  I still have my terrifying daughter who is not quite four but continues to scare and amuse me every day.  I still have my wonderful Superhubs who is building me a barn this summer! A real one with stalls and everything, but more on that later.  

And I still have my High Queen.  She is still defying the odds.  I was certain she would be gone by Christmas but she hasn’t told me yet that she is ready to go.  She’s still happily eating, rolling, bossing the boys around.  For several months she was living with the neighbor and her mare. That is another story I will tell later. But she’s back home now and living with Fox who seems to adore her still.

Cowboy is living by himself which he seems mostly okay with, it was after all his choice to live by himself. Yet another story to tell. 

My daughter is slowly learning to ride. I don’t push but wait for her to ask me to ride and hope she will love it as I do.  Fox is her lead line pony for now, though I see a Welsh pony in our future.  He is gentle and tolerant with her and way more trustworthy, at least to me than, Cowboy.  My daughter has even ridden Seneca a couple of times, and because I knew it might be my last time I too swung up on the big bay mare, though in just a rope halter as anything else might cause my girl too much pain. 

Cowboy continues to be the naughty Appy he’s always been.  For awhile when I had all three horses together in the back pasture, with a truly lovely round bale so I could grow grass in the front pasture he was escaping nearly every day.   I could not understand why he was doing this, until I just left him by himself in the main pasture.  And the little heathen didn’t get out.  He wasn’t escaping to escape.  He was escaping because he wanted to be in a pasture by himself.  Cantankerous beast!

Several months ago now, we got new neighbors.  Lovely people who I really like and actually socialize with.  I know the anti-social queen actually wants to be friendly with the neighbors. At first they had just one horse, a big chestnut, OTTB mare named Amelia.  For awhile Amelia came to live with us because the neighbors property wasn’t ready yet but their boarding barn was closing.  From the first day Seneca was in absolute love with this mare.  She even shared her grain, which I had never seen her do.  So when the new property was ready I agreed to let Seneca keep Amelia company over there. It was great for everyone.  Until they got the third horse.  The gelding was a large, very stocky, old style paint, think part draft looking.  He was old and grumpy.  He did not like Seneca much and they did not get along well.  To the point that we all agreed Seneca should come home.

She moves slower these days and seems more tired. Yet she still seems happy, still eats, rolls, snaps at Fox occasionally, snaps at Cowboy always and seems generally happy.  We will see what this summer brings for us.

I am hoping I might get to a show or two this fall but life just always seems to get in the way these days. Maybe in another year or so when my daughter starts school, and I will be working a different job, in a different place, with new adventures to be had.

Until then keep it between the flags!