Two years ago I got a present I'd longed for since I was four years old - a Christmas pony. Mind you, she wasn't really ours until about March when we finished paying for her, but she wore a Christmas ribbon anyway.
Today Peanut lives in a pasture at Camp Sherman with four other horses. She is the queen there, a saucy little minx who prances around when she's trying to get the lone gelding's attention. If she's trying to get my attention, all she has to do is stand there and look cute.
I went for a therapeutic ride today with two friends, Demarie and Kathy. Demarie, who is 10, rode Peanut and they looked like an enlarged version of a Thelwell painting, especially when Peanut popped over a small log across the trail. Demarie rides her bareback, with a little pink backpack, black helmet and mile wide grin. My other mare, Katie, walks more briskly than Peanut, so I spent time out in front, and every time I'd glance back, that smile lit up the forest.
I love that my horses give other people pleasure. It is a delight to watch, and I'm so grateful to those who over the years taught me to share the blessing of a tractable horse.
And I'm grateful for a husband who indulges his wife in her childhood fantasies, and to my Nana and her sister, Gin, for sharing stories of the Christmas when they found a pony tied to the fence with a bow around his neck.
3 comments:
One of these days that grin is going to belong to our shared grandson. Won't that be glorious!
I can hardly wait!
The other day Logan helped Rowan mount his stuffed dragon and he started bouncing on its back so excitedly that he tipped over backward. I'm pretty sure he'll like riding :)
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