Horse Side of Pony
My trainer friend Ashley used this phrase the other day and I thought it was fitting for one of my favorite, height challenged horses, Bling!
Ponies are notorious for bad attitudes! Along with the shorter legs often comes a stubborn streak a mile wide! What I love about Bling is he is a pony wanna be! He is on the horse side of height and also temperament so the term, 'on horse side of pony' fits him.
Bling may not be a true pony but he is not above trying the tricks! Ponies believe its all in the attitude.... they can rule the whole herd by their sheer attitude and might. I had a mini who was so full of his breeches that he not only ruled the pasture with the horses but had our big, horned Scottish Highlander bull, Curly, running from him. Curly was all thick neck, testosterone filled fierceness but Bobbysocks would prance around the pasture, strutting his stuff and the other animals just cleared a path for him.
What Bling will do is give the pony attitude a try... acting like a hot shot or showing a stubborn streak but when confronted with anyone who challenges him he backs right down. :) I love this about him because he looks for the 'holes' in someone's handling, riding and will push the boundaries to test you but when you tell him no, he backs right down and becomes this compliant creature. It is a great learning tool for kids to see in a safe way how to handle a horse and be assertive. There is an instant reward of compliance when you stand your ground and ask for what you want. And he is SO cute while he does it! He is so easy to read.
This painting is in honor of a wonderful teacher, great heart and just a teeny bit of pony that provides lots and lots of humor!
Bling is a 'kill pen' rescue horse who came to me this summer with no history but some tell tale signs or hints to his previous life. His hooves were some of the most cracked, brittle, short hooves I have ever seen. Thankfully he is growing some nice hooves with better nutrition. He also came with a pretty dramatic scar on the inside of his hock... jagged and rough which leads me to believe he got into a fence accident and was kind of left to his own devices. Luckily he does not have any lameness issues. He was worth taking the risk of stepping into the 'unknown'. I am sure many people would of passed him by because of these scars and issues. Maybe this is a reminder that we need to look beyond life's imperfections and see the beauty within! This is Bling for real doing what he does best! Tyler has just begun to learn to ride and is doing a fantastic job!
Thanks for stopping by! I use the sale of my art to help support my horses. If you've enjoyed this story, can relate to a good equine teacher in your life or are just looking for some horse-y art please stop by my web site at http://www.horseartonline.com
Sue Steiner
Ponies are notorious for bad attitudes! Along with the shorter legs often comes a stubborn streak a mile wide! What I love about Bling is he is a pony wanna be! He is on the horse side of height and also temperament so the term, 'on horse side of pony' fits him.
Bling may not be a true pony but he is not above trying the tricks! Ponies believe its all in the attitude.... they can rule the whole herd by their sheer attitude and might. I had a mini who was so full of his breeches that he not only ruled the pasture with the horses but had our big, horned Scottish Highlander bull, Curly, running from him. Curly was all thick neck, testosterone filled fierceness but Bobbysocks would prance around the pasture, strutting his stuff and the other animals just cleared a path for him.
What Bling will do is give the pony attitude a try... acting like a hot shot or showing a stubborn streak but when confronted with anyone who challenges him he backs right down. :) I love this about him because he looks for the 'holes' in someone's handling, riding and will push the boundaries to test you but when you tell him no, he backs right down and becomes this compliant creature. It is a great learning tool for kids to see in a safe way how to handle a horse and be assertive. There is an instant reward of compliance when you stand your ground and ask for what you want. And he is SO cute while he does it! He is so easy to read.
This painting is in honor of a wonderful teacher, great heart and just a teeny bit of pony that provides lots and lots of humor!
Bling is a 'kill pen' rescue horse who came to me this summer with no history but some tell tale signs or hints to his previous life. His hooves were some of the most cracked, brittle, short hooves I have ever seen. Thankfully he is growing some nice hooves with better nutrition. He also came with a pretty dramatic scar on the inside of his hock... jagged and rough which leads me to believe he got into a fence accident and was kind of left to his own devices. Luckily he does not have any lameness issues. He was worth taking the risk of stepping into the 'unknown'. I am sure many people would of passed him by because of these scars and issues. Maybe this is a reminder that we need to look beyond life's imperfections and see the beauty within! This is Bling for real doing what he does best! Tyler has just begun to learn to ride and is doing a fantastic job!
Thanks for stopping by! I use the sale of my art to help support my horses. If you've enjoyed this story, can relate to a good equine teacher in your life or are just looking for some horse-y art please stop by my web site at http://www.horseartonline.com
Sue Steiner
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