Every Girl Needs a Pony
I think every horse girl needs a pony. Even the grown-up ones. Actually, I never wanted a pony as a kid. But now that I’m an adult, it’s one of my long-term horsey goals.
I’ve always planned to someday have my 16-hand-plus thoroughbred for riding and showing as well as a pony for playing around on. I always loved ponies and their agility and smarts. Then I actually got my 16 hand thoroughbred gelding, and did it several years sooner than I thought. And promptly forgot about my dream of some day getting a pony.
Until I was driving to work this morning in my dad’s little Hyandai Accent.
See, I had a little incident on some ice last week and was in my first car accident ever. I’m perfectly fine (not even a scratch!) but my car kinda lost the battle with a guard rail. My wonderful parents, who not only facilitated and encouraged my horse habit, also lent me one of their cars until I can get a new one.
I’d always fancied myself as an SUV kinda girl. I like their size, their look, and how they drive. I like the amount of space, the room for packing in a family (no minivans!), driving high up off the ground, all wheel drive. And of course my dream SUV would be a hybrid to save me a little on a gas and help the environment.
So I felt a little silly climbing into my dad’s little two-door Accent that was barely higher than my chest. It’s an economy car, meant to be inexpensive and great on gas. No power locks. No power windows. It’s just not how I pictured myself.
Then I started to drive it. And fell in love. It’s a cute little car. It drives really well. I kinda liked being low to the ground. I felt more in control. It was much easier to drive and park in the parking deck downtown. It reminded me that I’ve wanted a mini-cooper ever since I saw The Italian Job.
And then it reminded me of how much I want a pony.
My favorite lesson horse to school at the barn where I grew up was a medium-sized Arabian pony named Joy. Boy could she jump.
As kids, we used to (sometimes) enjoy riding a fat, black pony named Beauty. Beauty was used to haul 500 pound rocks before she came to my barn. She certainly knew she could haul us little girls around. But it was fun because we could just hop on her and go, even if we did get dragged whereever she wanted.
We had two shetland ponies, Dapples and Cherie. We would hop on Dapples (the bigger of the two) and ride her bareback holding on to her halter and Cherie’s leadrope to take them back to the pasture.
Ponies are very smart. They are very strong. They have a lot of heart. And they have unique personalities. There’s just something a little different, and yes special, about ponies. They never fail to have a lot to teach us, no matter our age.
Maybe my pony will be a Haflinger. Maybe it will be a rescue. Maybe it won’t be good for anything but trail riding. Maybe it will like to buck.
And we sure will have a blast together.
Have you ever loved a special pony?
Yup! As a 5′ 4″ teenager, I often get put on the tall or medium ponies.
Except my darling Evvie.
I have tons of fun chasing them around the paddock.
Anyways, I still love them.
Here’s a story about Spencer, a rather big bellied pony at my stable.
When the barn owners purchased Spencer, he was a NIGHTMARE to clip. Nose twitches had no effect. They eventually started to tranquilize him to trim him.
It went on like this for quite a while. But (verrry) gradually, he began to trust them around clippers. He still had to be twitched, but atleast he didn’t have to be traquilized.
Recently, I was at a show clinic, and learning how to clip horses. We took them out one by one and took turns clipping. Since little Spence was coming, he had to be clipped too. His ears were fuzzy monsters, I don’t know how he could hear.
He let us trim his nose and underneath his muzzle no problem. Just stood still. Then we moved onto his ears. Given his history, of course he had a twitch put on. He side stepped a bit, but other wise stood still. At some point halfway through the first ear, the twitch slipped off.
And he didn’t even notice. He just stood there, not miding that a freaky machine was buzzy away in his ear.
We were being supervised my the barn owner’s daughter, and she went to get her mom to come down. They couldn’t believe it. I swear her jaw dropped.
The pony that had to be tranqd to be clipped anywhere allowed them to clip his ears no fuss. He was the only one that didn’t need a twitch!
He got a nice extra big handful of grain after that.
I never had a pony as a child but always wanted one. I still do,even though I couldn’t ride one. It would be great to have a Highland pony or any pony who was cute and fuzzy and lovable. Hope you get yours someday.And be careful in that little car.
Oh, yes…a pony named Prince, who certainly never lived up to his name. But he was a special pony and certainly he did teach me a lot about how to stay on top of devilish little sprites such as himself.
I hope you find your perfect pony!
My first lessons were on a Haflinger-mix named Spice that had been pulled from the kill pen. My trainer at the time did everything from Pony Parties to endurance/CTRs, and so Spice learned to do all of that, too. He competed under saddle and in harness, and taught a few of us how best to deal with ornery ponies. He was the perfect school pony, because he had a thousand and one tricks up his sleeve, but once he learned you wouldn’t put up with them, he wouldn’t put a foot wrong.
One day my friend and I were both taking a lesson, and while I got to “graduate” to a big horse she was still learning on Spice. She tried to bridle him and Spice pulled out Trick #72, the Six Foot Pony — threw his nose straight in the air and became as tall as he could. After watching her struggle for a few minutes, I went over, took the bridle, and growled, “Spice, cut it out!” He dove right into my hands and took the bit like it was candy, while my friend fumed and treated me to a Death Glare. It’s been nearly 10 years since I rode that pony but I will never run out of use for all of the things he taught me.
I have actually ridden more ponies as an adult than I ever did as a kid — Spice was the only true pony of all my lesson mounts, but when I started schooling horses for people I got to ride a few Icelandics, one or two little Fells, and a handful of others, including a 13hh mare that did dressage through 1st-2nd level.
Of course, even though my guy stands at 15.3, I still call him Pony because he’s everything I wanted my first pony to be. ;D
My guy was named Rowdy. He probably looked a lot like Spice – like a little Haflinger. Flaxen maned sorrel with lots of chrome. Let’s just say that quiet, obedient-to-the-point-of-timid little girls probably shouldn’t try to ride a pony named Rowdy. He was Garfield as a pony.
These days, I get to hang out at a leadline/beginner’s pony barn. I like being around the gang (three Shetlands, a Welsh, a QH mare and a cart mule.) I haven’t been since Christmas Eve. Life gets in the way of the good stuff sometimes.
To tell you the truth I didn’t want a pony as a child. As a kid I loved big horses, the taller the better. I didn’t fall in love with ponies until as an adult, my instructor put me on a pony trained through upper level dressage. I instantly loved the sporty, mini coup handling. I adore small horses and ponies now. My guy I ultimately bought is 15hh and I would have still bought him had he been even shorter.
I dream of getting myself a draft pony. I started riding older then most people so I never got to ride many ponies growing up. In college though, my senior year, the college got a donation of this wonderful 14.1 draft cross pony. This mare was HUGE…she looked about as wide as my car! She was so fun to ride and was a great pony with a big draft mentality. I loved it! I still dream about getting a horse like that again some day!
All of your stories just make me want a pony even more! Thanks for sharing.
Maybe Ace would like a little pal?
I hate ponies…I still have a scar from the last one that bit me….and I was saving it from getting kicked in the head…ungrateful!!!!
Not-a-horse-dude,
Oh, you do not have a scar yah big wimp. You barely even had a bruise. It was really just Junior’s round-a-bout way of saying Thank You for rescuing him and making sure you didn’t send him back to the lions (err, flying hooves).
love yah hubby.
I have been wanting a pony for awhile. You are completely right, every girl does need a pony. When I was a kid, the ponies were for my (unsupervised) trick riding. Never mind that I landed a two day stay in the hospital once, it was still fun!
Yes every girl needs a pony!
The first true pony I rode was a 13.2 hand 24year old welsh. Winnie was cute as a button and she knew it. Dark seal brown with identical socks on her left front and right hind and a star/stripe/snip. She could jump and run faster then any horse I knew. She gave the most amazing extended trot and had auto flying lead changes. But she was one of the hardest ponies I ever rode. She would test you at every turn. When I first saw her at age six I WANTED her. Every chance I got I would pet her groom her and love her. But still I wasn’t allowed to ride her. Finally at the age of 10 I rode her. It was like my favourite dream and worst nightmare rolled into one. She was a pony but she was not for beginners and if you did not LOVE her there was no way you’d want to keep riding her. She would randomly spook at things and did NOT have brakes but. Galloping across the ring bucking was one of her favourite tricks and add a little spin at the end and she usually had you off. Winnie fed off of a persons nerves it was like fuel for her. The more nervous you were the more fun she had, at your expense of course. But when she was good, boy was she good. I learned how to jump on her and had the time of my life. She could go over any fence and no matter what her rider did she would find the perfect “spot” and be able to look like a level A hunter pony while doing it.
Now I’ve pretty much made her sound like the evillest pony in the planet but she really wasn’t. On the ground she had perfect manors, never kicked or bit; was perfect for the farrier and vet and had the perfect pony attitude and cuteness.
Although she tested me at every corner she truly taught me how to ride. I learned how to sit every random buck, gallop, spook, and spin. Yes half the time I was terrified that she was going to spook at any little thing and I had a near panic attack if someone left the ring gate open while I was riding her. But I loved that pony and every time we got something right it made all those hard times worth it.
Now at 17 I’m too tall to show her at 5’4″ but I still hop on her every once and a while and now that we’ve clicked she rarely gives me trouble and now always gives me that “pleasure” canter I could never get her to give me at shows.
Even though I’ve graduated and am splitting my time between riding a 17.2 Warmblood and a 14.2 Arabian [both mares! she turned me into a mare freak] I still use the lessons that Winnie taught me while riding other horses.
Yes, every girl needs a pony.