NEIGH-borhood Tales: When Good Ponies Go Bad- Cherokee

I’m the last pony who’d ever think of “going bad”, but there was one time I broke the barn rules. When Sonny and I were the lone inhabitants of the NEIGH-borhood, we always shared a paddock. Although some owners lead multiple horses, Mom always takes the safe route by handling one horse at a time. Although she’s no slowpoke, it takes a while for her to put hay in our paddock, fill the water, return to the barn for Sonny, bring him out, and then come back and get me. I don’t mind waiting to go out in the morning, but it’s a different story at the end of the day. By then, I’m tired and looking forward to my dinner.

On that day, Mom showed up to do the usual “put the horses in and feed them dinner” routine. She always takes Sonny in first because he’s the boss hoss, and too chicken to be left alone. Needless to say I never challenge his right to go first; I wait patiently for Mom to come back and get me.  I guess she was daydreaming or something because that day when she took Sonny out, instead of turning around, closing the gate, and saying, “I’ll be right back, Care Bear,” she just kept going to the barn.

I watched and waited as she and Sonny disappeared inside. The opening in the fence beckoned to me, “Come on Cherokee. You’re free. Free to go wherever you want to. No fence. No halter. No lead. No human. Go….go….goooooo!

Half of my brain was saying, “No way. Don’t listen to that little troublemaking voice. You’ll get beaten if you do.” The other half of my brain whispered, “Go ahead. Do what you want to for once. There’s nothing to prevent you from leaving.”

Before I could decide which half of my brain to obey, my feet took control. They didn’t want to explore new territory; they wanted to rest in the soft shavings in my stall and wait for dinner to be served. I ducked my head, feeling my skin blush bright pink under my fur as we clip clopped into the barn. Giving Mom a sheepish look, I moseyed down the aisle and into my own stall.

Shock, fright, confusion, and amusement flickered over her face like a slide show. Hurrying out of Sonny’s stall, she quickly closed my door, fearing I’d escape. (Silly Mom; I entered of my own volition, didn’t I? Was I likely to leave when it was dinnertime? I think not!)

Thankfully, she didn’t punish me. She chuckled, patted my neck, and said, “What a good boy you are Cherokee. Mom is getting very forgetful. Thank you for putting yourself in your stall and not running away.”

I was grateful to have an owner who didn’t blame me for her own mistake. She tried not to be too harsh with herself either. She knows no one is perfect.  Making mistakes is an important way to learn and improve. You can bet she never forgot to close a gate again! Can you imagine if The Meenster or Beau had been in that paddock? Do you think they would have put themselves into their stall? (The correct answer is, NO!)  See, I’m not really a bad pony.

Like millions of youngsters, Nancy Di Fabbio was infatuated with horses and never gave up dreaming that one day she’d be riding one of her own. She eventually realized her dreams and got her first horse, followed quickly by her second, third, fourth and finally fifth. Passionate about sharing her love for this amazing animal, she’s written Saddle Up! – And Live Your Dream, a comprehensive how-to for the budding equestrian which will be released this fall. She also writes a children’s column about the exploits of her herd, but the stories are informative, funny and touching enough to appeal to everyone. You can share their adventures on TheExaminerNews.com website under the heading: NEIGH-borhood Tales

Adam Stone

Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.