What’s the number one way to tell if you are spoiling your pony?

You buy him another pony.

Haha… ahem.

Well, as all the readers of the blog know, we love and cherish Cody Pony.  He’s our big lap dog of a Shetland Island Pony.  He has blossomed into a wonderful little guy, the very best pony in the whole universe, of course.  And he is spoiled and loved and just generally has it made in the shade.  He’s even getting a line of pony snax named after him!  (But that’s another story)

But Cody is a little lonely for another equine in his life.  He had a horse buddy at his own home and when he moved here, I think he thought, hmmm.  Ohio has no horses.  So he just resigned himself to that.

However, that one chance meeting back in the Fall, with that young lady and her horse, well, it changed him some.  He was so excited to find horses in Ohio.  But then, as quickly as he discovered this, they were gone.  He was heartbroken.  He whinnied and cried for an hour after they left.  He paced around, he considered the fences, he was just so dejected that the horse left.  And we watched with broken hearts.  We knew what we must do.  Cody needed a friend.   A herdmate.  A pony herd of two.

Now, I didn’t want a mare.  I didn’t want to have to deal with the whole breeding issue, because the world is FULL of ponies that need good forever homes.  Some people love ponies, some people hate ponies and there isn’t a lot of in between space.  I for one, love ponies.  And I love snotty little crabby ponies the best!  I have come to see that it’s just a front, it’s a learned behavior and it makes sense to me.  In this world of too much entertainment, hobbies and such, a pony has a hard time competing.  It has to be trained and brushed and fed and watered and exercised and ridden and such, and that is a lot of work for most kids.  So the ponies get kind of left behind for the new Zelda game or ATVs or other way cool, easier hobbies.  Horses take a lot of work.  So do ponies.  And I think, unless you have just a super duper pony crazy kid, they just don’t hold the attention of modern kids as much as they did in the old days.

I wanted a pony so bad as a kid, oh my goodness, it hurt.  I read everything I could on horses and ponies, I collected Breyer horses, I played horse with my friends.  I remember nearly breaking my neck with the neighbor girl, jumping over bushes and pretending we were Grand Prix horses.  I wrote horse stories.  I just love them.  But ponies are not really the common girl accessories where I grew up and so as a result, I just didn’t get that chance.  It’s cool, lots of pony crazy kids didn’t.

I did get a chance as a teenager to work at a riding stable and I learned a TON that summer.  How to handle tough horses, down on their luck horses and I also learned to ride, at least the basics.  Nothing fancy, but it was just wonderful.  I spent nearly all my earnings on ride time.  Yeah, pretty sad, eh?

One of my most favorite memories of living in San Diego, California was going to the nature preserve on the Pacific Ocean, just a wee bit north of Mexico and trail riding through the marsh flats and then hitting the beach.  It was magical.  Riding through the waves like those cigarette commercials!  Hooves pounding in the spray, the salty air whipping through your hair.  Oh my gosh, it was like a dream.  We did it often, just my hubby and I, pre-kids.  I’m pretty sure he was just along for the ride, so to speak, but for me, it was nirvana.

So, flash forward…  my oldest kid is nearly 22 and I finally HAVE A PONY!!!   Cody Pony was just a dream come true to me, I just love every stinking bit of him.  I finally have an equine in my life that I can hang with, and smell his sweet pony smell and touch his velvety muzzle and give treats to and groom…  he is just the sweetest dude, and I love him to bits.  And now, Cody has his own pony friend!  I hope he still loves me too…  but for awhile I think I’m going to be second fiddle to a brown and white piebald pony I have name Domingo.

Like all good horse crazed pre-teens, I read all of Margarette Henry’s books… and one of my favorites was Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion.  And in that book, the horse was named San Domingo.  Now, I know, my little Domingo is not a Medicine Hat horse… for those are mostly white with just sorrel markings and generally, horses.  But he’s kind of close.  Sorta.  He’s white and brown?  His name before was Amigo and he started life with a Mexican family.  So it all kind of fits.  And I like the sound, since Cody is named after Wild Bill Cody and he had a brown and white medicine hat stallion and so… ah… well,  I just like the sound.  And the girls agree.  My second choice was either Whiskey or maybe Frisco.  I dunno.  Yeah, we all liked Domingo a lot better.  I thought the neighbors might think I’m a little off if I’m out there yelling… “Whiskey!!!   WhiskeeeeeeyyyyyY!!!”

So, how does one go from thinking they would like a pony and then HAVING a pony delivered????

Craigslist.

Yeah.   Of course.

My buddy Bill told me, ponies are always needing good homes.  And that it’s usually not too hard to find a pony if you’re looking.  So, that in mind, I said, here are my requirements.  A gelding.  A flashy pony, so that if we get to the point of taking kid pictures with ponies… somthing Jessy wants to do, he would fit in and have a job.  Not too old, but not too young.  It would be nice if he was broke to ride.  Or drive.  A sound pony.  And lastly, a pony that we could afford.

Part of me would love a Haflinger.  But the decent ones are pretty pricey and I’m not sure we have the right facilities and such for a larger horse, to be honest.  One might think that we are willy nilly about animal acquisition, but trust me, no.  I have already thought hard and long about things like cow and pigs and larger animals… and I learned from the goat experience.  Nope, I want something that I can deal with, in our capacity, and makes sense for us.  Perhaps in the future, who knows.  But right now, I will admit, I thought another Shetland might be the perfect hitch.

And then, hey, don’t you think a little team of Shetlands would be the bomb?  haha…   They are pretty close in size, it would be so cool to train them to drive a little wagon or rig.  That’s a goal.  We’ll see how that unfolds.

So anyway…  one of the things I knew was that when the time was right, the right pony would come before us and we would make it work.  And Saturday night, I found the ad and the photo of this little guy.  Talked it over with the girls and we hmmmed and hwwwwed a bit.  Money is tight.  Still got to get our well fixed.  I know.  Just bought a ram.  Yep.  So I said, well, lets at least write and see.  Perhaps we can work something out.  You just never know until you ask.  He might already be gone, that happens a lot on Craigslist.  We can only ask.

And well, we managed to strike a deal and it was a good one.  So we took a little drive north,, just over the border of Michigan, and went to meet him and see what we thought.  I have a fair understanding with my girls.  When we go to look at an animal, if any of us feel it’s a wrong match, then we’re done.  I want everyone on board.  It’s only fair.

When we got to their farm, the first thing we encountered with a cute pair of lab puppies!  They were wrassling and playing, just as darling as could be.

Domingo had a donkey friend named Seven.  He was a cutie.   I like donkeys but I dunno…  I think I’ve learned that I really love my sheep and my ponies and Jessy loves her bunnies and Maggie, her chickens… and that is enough species for the farm.  Works for us.

I am beginning to think that the Lord keeps putting cattle in my pathway to teach me that I don’t want cattle. Yep. I think they are awesome and all, but they are HUGE!!!! My gosh, they had three of them in this lot and my gosh, one especially was giant! I just don’t think we are set up or ready for such a beast in our midst. We hardly go through a gallon of milk in a week. I think the very best thing for me for my butter and cheese making is to find a local dairy and just pay the price for good stuff now and then. Don’t you agree? Thank you Lord!!! I was actually considering a small milk cow AGAIN after seeing this awesome book about the family milk cow and so once again, I am slapped in the face with reality and the reality is, they are huge! And I just don’t think we have the space or the time or the need for such a beast. Thank goodness, even a calf is at least $300 or more. And then it’s like 2 years of commitment until your first drop. That’s a lot of time and money just for milk. No, I think we definitely need to research the family dairy I read about in Defiance… Yep.

Once again, it was such a pleasure to meet Todd and his family. More members of the choir! Yes, homeschoolers, work at homers, homesteading folks. Love their big property and all the things they had going on. Maggie said she thought it would be the best place for any kid to grow up! Swimming lake and ATV track and woods and animals and all… yeah, she’s right! And just nice folks. I hope their little daughters enjoy their new bunny… we found a great home for Fye, the rescue bunny that was found on the side of the road! He’s going to go live there and be a pet for their little daughters! I know they will love that big white bunny boy! He deserves a chance to be someone’s special pet. And it was super nice of Todd to bring Domingo out for us! I know that sometime in the future, we really need to get a little stock trailer. Of course, a little truck would be nice too, but we have that in the works and we’ll see how that pans out!!! (Thanks Larry!!!)

We went home to get ready for Domingo’s arrival. Maggie and I mucked out the pony barn and laid down a nice new layer of fresh straw. It wasn’t bad, put it just seemed to be a great way to burn off a little nervous energy and to make it nice and ready for the boys. Cody, of course, was in the action as likes to watch us tidy up his room. After we were done, I continued the ongoing grooming session that we have been working on… spring cleanup! I think that pony has shed out at LEAST a pony and a half of hair since the weather has been turning nice!!! He loves to be brushed and groomed. I put him out in the back pasture tall grass for an hour and then brought him back into the middle yard for a little lead practice. Since I don’t really need to put him on a lead much, I try to do it anyway once or twice a week, just to keep him mindful of being a good boy on the lead. We just walk around and practice stopping and standing on the lead, things like that. I think its good for even a pony without much of a job, to keep those good boy manners in check. The more I learn and read about ponies, the more I know that Cody is a real gem. He’s really got no bad manners! Okay, well, he DOES like to poop right in front of the sheep paddock and I believe that is a statement towards the sheep, haha…. but other than that, he’s a real gem.

So, I was out there, sitting on a spool and braiding his forelock when Todd showed up with the truck and trailer. At first, Cody was at the alert, puzzling over the noise. He was nearly falling asleep as I brushed him and played with his mane, but now he was all attention. I lead him over to the courtyard fence and Domingo made some sort of horsey noise and all the sudden, Cody let out with a squeal of PURE PONY DELIGHT. I quickly unhooked him from the lead because he began to dance about and I was afraid it would be nearly impossible to do so if I waited! He was just so excited. He was calling out and prancing the fence, just trembling with excitement as Domingo entered the courtyard for a little brief sniff and greet session. He almost stumbled on this dumb pile of rocks we have out there… (Note to self… MOVE ROCKS) and Domingo was busy looking around and trying to figure out what was up. When it was apparent that they were not mortal enemies, we let Domingo into the middle with Cody and got outta the way!

Of course, there was a lot of sniffing and pony noise for a moment, each checking the other out in excitement. But then they turned and took a little quick trot alongside each other and then back past us, running and just excited. It nearly made me cry, Cody was SOOOOO excited. They were adorable, Domingo is just a little taller than Cody, maybe half a hand? 3 inches? Other than that, they are nearly a little matched pair. They could be siblings, easily. Both are stocky old world Shetlands, traditional little dudes. Not the taller, thinner American Shetland ponies. At one point they trotted past, side by side, and all I could think was how super keen they would look as a team, pulling a little rig!!!

We gave them time to just get to know each other. Of course, Domingo was totally geeked about the yard and the grass and the space to run about. He didn’t have a lot of that back home, so he was really thrilled with it. Cody just shadowed him all over the place, and showed him his barn and the chicken coop and the shady part of the yard, just pretty much being his guide to the Windhaven ark. We took Todd on a little tour of the homestead and our neighbors came down to see the new boy too! Jessy took a few pictures, but it was getting a little dark, so the official photo shoot will have to wait until tomorrow!

Later that evening, Jessy and got them both to their barn and settled down. I had an old halter and managed to get it on Domingo with a little bother. He was too excited to just be too laid back with me, but I did it. A little time and patience and we’ll have him comfortable with our ways.

He’s a nipper, and we’re going to be working on that right away. It’s probably one of the main reasons that he was sold, with young children around, that’s a dangerous bad habit. I’ve been reading a bunch tonight on some strategies to start curbing that behavior and I was surprised to learn that there are a million and one tips for it out there! Obviously, a fairly common trait! And with horses and ponies alike. I like the one where you basically growl, roar and throw up your arms every time to comes in for a pinch. It sounds like a winner in my book. I know that smacking him in the head or snout is not really going to do the job and likely to make him head shy. But the growl/noise sudden big monster loud reaction is easy to do, and should startle him enough to make him think twice about it after a few encounters with scary person. There are lots of other tips that include something in your hand, a short whip, a nail, a toothpick, a wire brush and so on, but that seems that you have to be ready and set up with that “prop” to be effective. It’s like punishing a dog 15 minutes after a bad behavior… horses interact with each other with lightening fast response. If I have to carry around something and remember to use it, it’s going to be hard. And then Maggie or Jessy has to be ready as well to be consistent with the training. So, we will try out the scary distraction method first. Seems like it would be pretty effective.

I also want to watch him carefully when he does this. The couple times I saw him get ready, he was not laying back his ears or acting fearful, it was definitely more of a I’m Boss, sort of thing, almost playful. That’s a great sign, because he’s just being ornery and that apparently is much easier to work out, then say, a fearful, past experience sort of reaction. My plan is to just not be in the way of his mouth for a good while, react sharply and loudly when he does, then ignore and treats only when he behaves. Cody will get treats, but he will not, if he’s going to be nippy. Hopefully by example and some consistent response, we can start to work that from his bag of tricks! If it doesn’t work, I’ll check with some of my horse friends and we’ll figure out a new strategy. I’m not worried at all.

Always an exciting time, here at the old homestead! That’s for SURE… I promised the girls, we are not taking on any new projects until our to do cards are down by 50%. That means nearly 40 cards need to get finished! I’m fine with that, we’ve already had a very busy start to the spring! Got to get the garden ready for a big year, still got some clean up and yard work to get finished and we have half a dozen little things in the works that need to get finished up.

Gideon is doing fantastic! He’s settled in nicely to the flock and everyone is calm and content with his presence. I think animals like have complete family units. I think roosters have a place with their hens, and I think that sheep like a ram in their midst. I have noticed that they seem more friendly and more calm with him around. Both my little wethers have relaxed a lot… I think it was a big burden on their little yearling shoulders to have to be the men of the flock. Now, they can be silly lambs again and they have been particularly silly the last day or two. Even Momma Noel seems to be calmer. All is good with the world.

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