Demand Met

  

It's those eyes, man.  Just one look and you're done for.  We consulted a baby translator, and while we thought her words, "Ahlala dada!" meant, "I love you, Daddy!" we found out that they actually meant, "Nana, can I have a pony?  Please?  Pretty please?"

Every little girl has a pony stage.  I can distinctly remember sitting in the back of my mom's car at about five years old and brushing at a tickle on my cheek.  I looked down at my hand to see an eyelash on my fingertip, then promptly squeezed my eyes shut, blew the lash away with a rush of air, and repeated in my heart with all the earnestness a little one can muster, "I wish for a pony!"  Every birthday candle, every shooting star was the same.  I just wished for a pony.

Well, except for the spree in third grade when I always wished (and prayed) for "a seal-point Himalayan kitten."  But that's another story for another day.

After years of lessons and proving true pony commitment, I was allowed to lease a little horse named August.  I loved every piece of her, from her lovely little Arabian contoured face to her pleasantly plump tummy to her funky crooked front tooth.  More years of hard work at barns and more proving my ability and love led to a horse of my very own, a crazy bay thoroughbred mare named Tori.  With Tori came our beloved Josh, a retired chestnut Intermediate level retired event horse, a wonderful patient protector and teacher who was given to us.  Finally, our Moose joined the ranks, our ridiculous bay gelding who is really just a giant puppy.

My first girl

Several other horses have lived on and off at my parents' farm, including our dear Eddie, the pony of a friend who became like our own.  How we miss him!  I don't know that my mom will ever truly get over losing our wonderful Josh, who lived to be 26.

Recently, it came to be that a pony needed a temporary home.  A dear, adorable ball of silver and gray and white of a pony.  A pony beloved by her owner, who has grown just a bit too big for her and wants her to be well-loved by other little girls.  "Did anyone know any little girls who could help play with a pony for a little while" and so on and so forth.

And so, enter Bean.  And Sweet Pea.

This is a temporary lease, and we are continually reminding Bean that the pony's owner is "just letting us borrow her, and isn't that so nice?"  The "on-loan" pony's name is Victoria.  However, a certain little girl can't seem to stop calling her Maximus.  After all, the similarities are striking.

via google images

via google images

  

Little Victoria, who is only three but is literally sweeter than syrup, and probably weighs less than my friends' pit bull, is certainly going to be very well-loved.  Is that every pony's dream come true?  Just fields of lovely, lush green and little girls with brushes and kisses and carrots?

  

Ponies come with a lot of responsibility, of course, but what better way to teach little ones about chores, meeting the needs of others, and hard work?  You certainly don't need a pony for that, but we'll certainly be making the most of those teachable moments.

  

  

I'm deeply thankful for that beloved farmette of my parents and opportunity given to us by them (and Victoria's owners) to share my first love with our babies in this way.  I'm excited for them to learn to love horses and to care well for all creatures great and small.  I'm looking forward to watching a horse and rider relationship built on mutual love and trust.  Fear makes both horses and riders yucky, and there is a lot to learn about love, trust, respect, compassion, strength, gentleness and pride from a fuzzy back with your hands tucked into a soft mane.

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