Well, would ya look at that?  Shadow doesn’t mind little kids on his back!

Looks like at some point he was trained to ride!   Yahoo!   We actually have a riding pony on the ranch!   Cody Pony pulls under harness but no, thank you, to riding…   But Shadow was pretty cool about it.

After a few minutes he was a little restless and had to do a wee little buck, but we think he hasn’t had to do anything formal like this for years!   A little work with a saddle and bit will help remind him of the procedure and maybe in a few weeks, he’ll be all refreshed and ready to give the odd occasional ride!  He has a NEW job on the farm…   child amusement!

Our friend Justin’s sons are pretty comfy with riding little wild ponies and have been around them a lot.   Brayden, his older boy, actually got some reins on his bridle and rode him around the yard a few days after.   It was kind of funny…. Shadow was a little ornery to him.   I think he realized all of the sudden… SHOOT!   I gotta work now???   So he gave Brayden a ride for his money… but Brayden was more stubborn and managed to stay put for a little while.   It’s going to be good for Shadow… he’s been getting a little portly from all the good feed and not a lot of exercise here on the homestead.

We’re going to be putting up a little homemade round pen in a few weeks…  one that we can work both ponies a little now and then to keep them healthy and happy and trained!  Even Cody will be in for a rude awakening soon enough.   It’s not so much that they need to work to earn their keep, but more that they benefit from a little workout and a little training now and then.   Both of them are too young to just be retired pasture pets!   We would adore getting a little pony cart for Cody to pull at some point… just waiting for the right one to come along.   And now, it seems that Shadow can make use of the nice pony saddle and bridle set we got at a garage sale last year!   Perfect!   I know quite a few children that would love a little pony ride now and then!  Just another neat thing that has been discovered here at our happy little place!

If you’d like to see a video of Shadow and Brayden….  

you can view it here on our Facebook page!  

Click to watch the video of Shadow giving his first unescorted ride!