A Very Special Horse

Forgive me if I get a little sappy here today. It's just that Speedy proved to me yet again why he is worth his weight in gold.

That's Chinese for SPEEDY IS AWESOME by the way.

The last time I had a halter on him was a week ago. I think my barn-mate turned him out once or twice while I was sick, and the farrier came out yesterday and re-shod him, but other than that, Speedy has had to entertain himself for a week.

Even so, I tossed on a halter, clipped him to one of the cross ties (who needs two when your horse is so awe-inspiring), brushed off his back, and hopped on bareback. We spent the next thirty minutes wandering around the neighborhood looking for left-over winter grass and visiting with the neighbors.

Speedy is just such an incredible fellow. He is so good that when we got to the Tanner's house, they have a bunch of small kids, he just parked himself on the lawn as the littlest girl ran to put on her sandals. Dad had said she could pet Speedy as long as she had on some shoes. I am not sure her little pink daisy sandals would have stood up to one of Speedy's ironclad hooves, but I didn't point that out. 

She just chattered about this and that as Speedy covered her little three-foot frame with kisses and nudges and nibbles as he nosed around for treats. She giggled and patted his face as he gave her the twice-over. How much more can you ask of a horse?

We left little miss twinkle toes and continued on around the neighborhood. I have not felt so relaxed in a long time. I need to remember that every ride doesn't always have to be about collection, connection, impulsion, or straightness. Sometimes, it's okay to just meander down the road on your Steady Eddy.

If you don't have a Steady Eddy, keep at it - he'll get there. Speedy was a giant pain in the ass for the first four or five years that I owned him. Now, he's worth way more than a blank check!

He was such a huge pain for this camping trip. He was five.

Way back in 2009, you could have bought him cheap. This photo is proof that he wasn't always such a rock star at being tied to the trailer. Here we are six years later. My once insecure pony now glows with confidence and takes everything in stride. He is a very special horse.