Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Something special this way comes



Look into my eyes... look deep into my eyes....

No! Stop! Don't do it. Don't listen to him. He is trying to draw you in and gain control over you. lol

This is my pony stallion Lightly Frosted. He goes by Kat, the little man and sometimes even Bear, because he is so incredibly lovable.

When I went to look at him I almost walked away. I was not impressed. He was in a small pen with another rank pony stud and wore a halter and lead 24/7, because he was difficult to catch. His owner led him out, tried to lead him off so I could see him walk and evaluate his line of travel. He was just all over the place. Wobbly is one way to describe it. At one point he was almost being dragged along as he refused to move. He was put back in the stall, we went to look at the woman's other horses, she was called inside for a phone call and that's when it happened.

I looked over at the pen to see him, his head barely above the back of the other pony. About what you see in the picture above... He shot me a look and I was doomed. My friend asked what I was doing? Was I crazy? "He can't be caught, he doesn't lead, I doubt he loads and you are out of your mind!" All of that from a teenager. Yeah, sigh.

I paid for him, we led him out, got him in the trailer and headed home. He tried to climb out the side of the two horse trailer when we stopped at a red light. We pulled into a gas station I tied him up differently and off we went again. Moving he was fine, stops he got antsy. We tried to hit as many green lights as we could and got back on the freeway.



At his new home, he quickly settled in, stood like a champ the next day for a full body clipping and soon turned into everybody's favorite. Except for the barn owner. If he was turned out, I had better be showing up. Otherwise he wouldn't come in, wouldn't let anyone catch him and was just a little brat that way. Treats didn't work, wearing him out didn't either. I would walk out to the gate, he would stroll over I would put his halter on and bring him in. They could be heard grumbling about it the whole time.


(Yay cell phone cameras!)

He was supposed to be the pony that was the next 'step up' for my daughter. He was supposed to grow up and be bigger than her current pony. He did get taller. A whopping 2 inches taller... It became clear that he was not her pony. Not at all.

Over the years he has always been a keeper and his place with me is as solid as it gets. His first time in long lines, he was hooked up and pulling a drag around in no time at all. He pulled it past the mares and never even acknowledged they were there.



Sunday night I dragged his old harness out and put it on him. He hasn't worn it in years. Clearly a few things have changed- like where the britchin' strap lays... and how I needed to re-adjust the crupper. But he seems happy to be going back to work. We did a bit of ground driving. Circles, serpentine's, all the way around the rail, stop, wait, back a couple of steps and walk on. He never got excited, never tried to speed up, just put his head down and walked on. Even when the horse in the next pasture over, snorted and rushed the fence every time we went by. The biggest reaction he got from the little man was, he stopped, stood there and waited for the next command of what to do.

So last night we took it up a notch. We 'drove' down the street. The neighbors dogs rushed the fence barking, a car came up from behind us, I told him to "Walk on" and he never missed a step. The easy ones are great and we tend to forget, they don't all learn so fast and they aren't all so easy.

13 comments:

  1. Can't resist that look myself!

    What a cutie. :)

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  2. I am thinking we can drive him around the neighborhood on Christmas eve. Put some lights on the meadowbrook.

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  3. CL Queen- I just left you a reply on your post about the mare at BNT's barn. I also added your blog in the list on the right...

    Bad ways to sell your horse features ads along the same lines. Highly entertaining and downright scary, all in one shot.

    I see you are also here in Phoenix. Care to say what part of the valley? You can drop me an email if you like- addy is in the profile. Maybe we can meet up sometime? Maybe we already have?

    JR- we are going to need something a little bigger with more seating room for everyone. Then again we may need another, (bigger) horse to pull it... Or a second pony and cart combo.

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  4. The eyes are the thing ! never look 'em in the eye! He is such a good looking boy!
    Funny about the "hard to catch" ones , for the most part around my place ,the only thing hard to catch is my second wind!

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  5. CNJ, He is such an adorable little guy!! I wish I had need for a cute pony around here. Oh wait!!! That's right! Rowan will be needing a pony in a few years!! GET ON IT!! You can make me a really cute little pony with that little guy!!

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  6. What a cutie! I'm glad he has a home with you.

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  7. Fern- I have to agree with you and I was clear across the womans yard from him when he gave me 'the look'. Distance does you no good either.

    Roses- You have mares and you can make your own.... Then you know how it has been raised, the mare has been cared for and you can choose who starts the pony under saddle. Win, win, win.

    Sprinkler Bandit- You would be amazed by his movement. If he were only 16 hands...

    The one horse I have seen in person that is comparable in build and movement is a horse by the name of Savant at Ponderosa Performance Horses. I have a few pictures of him on a disc at home. The pic's on the website, I don't feel show his true abilities or talent.

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  8. He is stunning. Love the face, the eye, the color...how tall is he? How about a vid of him moving...love the little package he is. I take it he is Welsh?

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  9. well, if that isn't the cutest little booger.
    His colour, what is that called?
    My old, old, OLD schoolie had that colour.

    Good colour.

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  10. Pha- he's a whopping 11 hands. In some circles they go by inches. Welsh cross is how he was advertised and Welara accepted him a few years back. The photos show him in pudgey pasture shape. He and I both need to shed some weight so ground driving is doing us both good! That and our new to us, elyptical machine. (Those things kick your a$$!)

    JR had him in long lines the one day and had him moving in a way I had never seen him do before. He was rocked back on his butt and letting those front feet FLY! I will try and get some video of that but he needs to be in shape first. He had the former farrier enthralled the one day when he spun and bounced around, diving back and forth just playing in the pasture. He said it would be tough sticking with him through that if you were on his back.

    GL- I used to put down on paperwork he was chocolate roan, since I had no clue. I am learning more now about the color classification known as silver dapple. There is a website- Silver Equine.com (sorry, no clicky link at the moment- on the iPhone) and I am in touch with UC Davis to find out which tests to have run.

    Besides his deep chocolate color, he has a fair amount of roaning over his body. He has the white spot on his butt and a small white spot in his mane- classifying him as tobiano, and a few other markings making him an interesting looking pony in a number of ways.

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  11. OMG he is PRESHKUS.

    I can see how you were suckered in. ;-)

    I love how unsentimental horse people can be.

    Until.

    Yeah....

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  12. CNJ...sterling could pull a cart..hint hint ;) wink wink..nudge nudge

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  13. C3d

    if you can find a way to get him here, he will not be denied a home. It is just the stinkin transport that is the problem

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