A Girl and her Pony

I was always “horse crazy.” I wanted a horse so badly, but being on a dairy farm having a horse was not “practical.” We could not afford the extra time, and attention, having a horse was considered a luxury that was an impossibility.

I was 13 years old and my sister who is 8 years older bought a horse. Rebel was his name, a beautiful Palomino. Very spirited to match his name, he was a wild one to ride. He wanted to ***run***. Being a fellow horse-loving person, my sister was in heaven. I longed for my own horse and my father must have picked up on it. Which was uncharacteristic of him, being someone who was so work-oriented, more out of necessity than desire. He was one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever known. But to my *absolute shock,* he arranged to buy a little male Shetland pony from our neighbor. His name was Benny and he cost $25. I was over the moon. And giddy with the realization that he did this for, me.

My dad brought him home and he actually took the time to teach me how to ride. Again, for a man who had so much work piled on his shoulders this was truly an act of love. We had no saddle so my first lesson was bareback. Benny was a small Shetland, so small we nicknamed him “Benny the dog.” And learning bareback was challenging, it’s really a balancing act. I remember it feeling like riding a bike for the first time- you have to find your balance. But find it I did, and before long we purchased a saddle, probably not costing much more than the twenty five dollars that was spent on Benny. There are many stories that came along with getting a Shetland pony- none of them dull! Benny was a lively addition to our tribe.