It was my daughters’ number one dream and I just knew the happiness it would bring to them all (especially as they’d been going on about it for so long!)
I was a bit of a pony fan when I was young too, so it was also tapping into that childhood nostalgia – and that’s a very powerful thing.
And happiness she has brought us – shoulder fractures aside.
The kids spend every spare moment with her, or sorting out the stable, or Googling ‘matchy matchy’ riding gear.
At the moment I don’t even have to ask for her poo to be picked up or her tack to be cleaned. Long may that continue.
And the other half is happy because he got to build something, in this case a stable.
Meanwhile, I am basking in the glow of being a top parent (and ignoring the squabbles over who has ridden her more) . . .
But I also realise that it’s not just our happiness that counts, I also want the pony to be happy.
After all, we can’t explain to her who we are or why she’s here and why she had to leave her last home. There are ways we can show her that though, most notably in the care we give her and the attitude we have around her and I’m sure she can’t fail to feel the love radiating off the girls.
But just to be sure, I have been doing my homework and reading up about equine body language and behaviour and questioning anyone I meet that also has a horse.
Now I am mildly obsessed with checking for signs that our pony is happy and relaxed, which is causing much eye rolling from the other half. He may scoff, but there was a definite change in her mood when he moved her pet lamb companions to another field. She was obviously pining for them, so back they came and everyone’s happy again (except him as he hates to be proved wrong!).
I am probably totally overthinking it all and I am sure that the longer she’s with us, the happier and more settled she will be, especially if I can learn to chill!
