Apple Pony

I first met him in late spring. Or was it early summer? I'm not really sure. It doesn't really matter, other than it was several months ago. I received a call from a woman on the islands about a mustang she'd ended up with when the owner decided he wasn't really on her list of high priorities. Trouble was, he didn't find humans on his list of high priorities, and his new owner was struggling to convince him it was okay to allow a halter on and off and be handled. That is...unless she had an apple with her.

The mustang and I got along well enough on that first meeting. He got curious about the stranger in his field, and it was driving him nuts to have my back turned to him. It wasn't long before his big, pink nose was in the back of my head, breathing deeply into my curls. I ignored him for a moment, then reached up to touch his muzzle. That lead to rubbing his face, although he wasn't convinced this was the smartest move on his part. Still, there was no halter or lead, so he tolerated quite a bit of rubbing and scratching before moving off a few feet to further assess the stranger.

September is when children head to school, said his owner, and so it was with Apple Pony as well. So I drove back to the islands with my trailer to pick up my new student.

It was a foggy morning. Normally you'd see well out into the channel at Deception Pass while crossing. Not so on this morning. Visibility was low and traffic was slow.

Apple Pony was out in his field, unaware of how his life was about to change for the next little while. I was handed several apples and as his owner finished up with the equine massage therapist, I walked into Apple Pony's pasture, refusing to look at him, munching on a juicy sweet apple and approached the horse on the other side of the far fence. I handed the sorrel a bit of my apple, which he took and enjoyed.

The big palomino could barely stand it. He came over, softly snorting at the apple toting stranger who dared to feed his neighbor and not him. I continued to ignore him while feeding the sorrel, and Apple Pony was beside himself. His muzzle was pushing on me as he demanded attention. I stroked his face and gave him a bite, then began to walk towards a catch pen that was at the end of his pasture.

By this time, his owner was there opening the panels so that we could walk inside. She was surprised at how eager her hard to catch boy was to follow. Typically he'd shy away from the pen, knowing what was going to happen. "Nothing magical or mystical...just like a kid who doesn't do something for mom but will obey a stranger," I said. And that is really all it was. He had no reason to believe I'd betray him. His focus was simply on apples, which he was not receiving nearly fast enough.

It didn't take much to get the halter onto his face once he was inside the smaller pen. There was nowhere to go, and he was still thinking about apples. This was the part his owner had been most concerned about, as he has a tendency to reach his head up high and avoid the crown piece as it reaches over his poll. And indeed he was tense, but again, being a stranger worked in my favor.

Once haltered, Apple Pony is a real gem. He leads and ties and stands for the farrier. He was cautious about loading, but we did get him in without any real struggle. Wish he were still loading that easily now that he's here! But alas...after a week I'm no longer a stranger, but the person who makes him stand still for haltering and if he doesn't, I make him trot circles until he decides standing for the halter is the easier option.

Apple Pony was broke to ride at some point, as his former owner did ride him when she tried him out. But once she got him home, he opted not to be caught, and that was that. No saddles or bridles or riders for a good couple of years made this pony happy. Doubly happy when there were no riders, but plenty of apples!

Of course, since he is now learning to be caught, he is also standing and allowing me to saddle him up. I thought he'd look cute in Darling's little English saddle, but Apple Pony needs a larger girth. Look at this boy! He's huge! Jay came out to give him a trim on Friday. I commented on how I thought there must be Belgian in this boy, and Jay suggested perhaps sorrel Percheron. Whatever it is, it's drafty. And I don't mean the wind whistling through a door draft, either. Apple Pony is one stout boy!

And he's cute, too boot!