Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
undefined
undefined

The Wild Ponies

Welcome

(``)--(``)
( ^ o ^ )
0) `"`((0
.(_O_O_)


The Wild Ponies

. . About the age of 14, my father noticed that every little boy wishes for a horse, and being a farmer, from the old days, times were getting a little easier, so we went to Valdosta GA, to the auction, to see if we could come home with one, that we could afford. When you buy ponies, its always good to get one with colt on the way, that way its like getting two ponies, for the price for one.
. . But its good to have at least one acre in Florida, per horse, or the food bill could run you broke, & since we had a big field out back, that we really didn't want to mow anyway, it seemed like a good idea.
. . So here we go, looking for ponies, our new little friends. My father was quite familiar with pony personalities according to breed, so he decided that a Welsh pony is more of the gentle nature, so they would be safe & more enjoyable for us.
. . But because of the cost of a pony, we could save a lot more, if we could get wild ponies, that have never been ridden.
. . So after about a month of looking, we finally come upon a neighbor that just had two of the ponies, we were looking for, at the high price of $125 each. . . When we got them home, we were now blessed with the chore, of turning two wild ponies, into little friends, that would love to take us for a ride.
. . So in the beginning, Dusty & Rusty become our mates, that we would start with a halter & walk them around, a little feed in the hands, would usually make them a little easier to catch, & it was always good, to become friends with them first.
. . Then the next step is to put a saddle on them, & all seemed OK at first, Rusty was a very pleasant pony, & just stood there, fought a little bit, but was in acceptance very shortly, & this little Rusty, Red Pony, became the pony of my little brother, Duane. He was much smaller & needed a gentle pony, & Rusty was not nearly as strong as mine.
. . Then came time to train Dusty, well that was a hoarse of a different color.
Dusty never trusted anyone, & if something didn't agree with her opinion, then you were definitely wrong. But in time she did accept a little tender loving kindness, & would tolerate you, if you had enough patience, to out last her stubbornness.
. . When it come time to put a saddle on her, to start the feeling that someone is on, she pulled away backwards, since she was tied to a tree, until she was laying down, as if she was gonna pull that tree along with her. And she was very insistent for nearly the whole day.
. . Time went on for a quite a long while, but in the process of walking her around, & talking to her, it took only a few weeks, for her to start accepting me as a friend, but always with limited trust.
. . And soon it was time to start riding her, she never really liked a bridle in her mouth, so it was easier to just leave the halter on her. She didn't complain nearly as much that way.
. . But it was a thrill, that every time you thought, that you had her under control, she would find a good stump, that was burned flat with the ground, to toss you on to. So in the beginning, I felt, that I spent more time on the ground, getting up, than I ever did riding her.


(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
. . Time went on over the next few weeks, & she became an accepting friend, but even at her best, she believed in being treated, with tender loving kindness, before she would let you on, And in the next following moments, you just had to wonder how soon it would be, before she would rare up, in hopes that you would slide off her back.
. . But me & Dusty, we stuck together & we were mates, & for the first year, no one ever rode her, but me. Others tried, but she wouldn't let them.
. . One Day, my oldest brother, Kenny said he would like to try to ride her, so I instructed him, that since you sound & look a lot like me. You will just have to pet her, tell her words of kindness, & as she shows a little trust, then you can get on, with one quick jump. And once you are on, you will have to expect for her to rare up, & if you don't slide off, as you reach around her neck, then she will let you ride.
. . So for the first time, I actually saw someone else, but me, ever get to ride that little pony of mine.
. . In the beginning, my little brother Duane & his pony, Rusty, & Me, with Dusty, rode through the groves, the back way to civilization. But in time, we each went our own way.
. . I lived next door to a girl named Karen, who had an Appaloosa horse, and a little girl, my age, Collene, that wanted to ride with her, so she would take Rusty, & they would ride together, chasing cows in a neighbors pasture.
. . When they got back, she was always so dusty, with sweat & dirt all over her, but Collene was washable & detergent resistant, & after a good shower, she was back to herself, the end of a good day, of a long weathered ride.
. . In time, I got a little less interested in riding Dusty, but by then she had a little colt, we called him Frisky, for he seemed to have energy that would never run out. His hair color was a mixture of gray & white, & at times he had the look as if his hair was blue.
. . One day we decided to take him into the house, & tell mom, hi. She was lying on the couch, resting, & Friskie came upon her & started sniffing at her, and even though, she was always a very active woman, I don't ever think I saw her move so fast, before that day.
. . We kept Frisky for a long while, until he was big enough to ride, but someone needed a good little stallion, to breed his ponies, & we were already feeling a little short of pasture, & so he got a new home, before long.
. . I noticed, that nothing was gonna get the best of him. As a little colt nearly 3 months old, he run upon a snake. We saw him jump up & down pounding his front hoofs into the ground. By the time we got there, we saw fragments of a snake, chopped into little pieces.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
. . On good moon light night, I would notice the ponies & their colts beside the little pond, & sometimes I would just lay down beside them, along the sandy beach, for they were a lot like a big puppy dog to me.
. . About the same time that Frisky was born, Rusty had a new little pony, we called Misty, she had chocolate & white spots, that blended in with each other, a very pretty little pony, And was just as gentle as her mom. We kept her for a very long time.
. . About two years later, my father noticed that we didn't ride the ponies & play with them so much any more, so one by one, he sold them to neighbors, that needed them.
. . My worst feelings was the time, that he sold Dusty. She did not like anyone, that wasn't kind & loving, & the fellow that took her was anything, but that.
. . He was telling us the plans that he was gonna teach her discipline, but to him, Dusty was the worse bargain he ever got, she ran away from him a few times, & to show him that she was a kind and gentle Pony, I put a handful of feed in my pocket, & went into the nearby grove where she ran, & told her hi, halter rope hanging off one side, & I talked to her a little while,. Petted my old friend & hugged her a while too.
. . And there he saw that wild, uncontrollable little animal, as gentle a friend, as I could know, & Me, riding back, with only a halter rope around her neck.
. . I never did know what become of her since, but it broke my heart, that she couldn't have found a nicer home, than the one home he gave her, had anything but love, & Love was the only thing she understood, & that was something he had so little of.
. . In the end we only had Misty, she become the trailer park favorite, & every one of the retired people, would take their turn to visit, & feed her a little something, while they were there.
. . One day she started getting sick & was having trouble walking, the vet said that we was suffering a condition of being foundered, that she needs to eat less, so we then, had to hang a sign, to the people of the park, not to feed the pony anymore.
. . So as they come by to see her, they kept taking their goodies back with them, & by now she must have understood, that the little wooden sign, had something to do with it, for after a week of wondering, she ate that little sign.
. . She was about 5 years old, before we let her go to a neighbor, that needed her, but we had very rich grass in our pasture, & she could get sick too easily, from over eating, but she was a great little friend, to many, for a long time.
. . Later, my father still needed some animals, to eat the grass, so we wouldn't have to mow the unused pasture, so often, so then he went into cows, for over eating, was never a problem for them.
. . And it also gave the people of the park, friends that they could make their visit to, every day.
. . So then the cows were a part of the trailer park, for about the next eight years, until he sold the park.
. . I got married five years before then, at the age of twenty-three, & had all three children, all boys, before they sold the park.. . So this was the end of my horse & pony days, but my memories will always lingure, of my little friends, of my boyhood years.
Sattelite Picture Home: Minerva Trailer Park Find your home if you like
Please be patient with me, Under construction
Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire.
Please come back and visit again!
Home: Lee's Story Time

Email: weaser205@cs.com