Re: Pony Power!

["April Lee" <adlee@bigfoot.com>]

Lynette,

I am sorry you took so much grief for your pony.  I used to ride a tiny
little pony.  That pony helped teach me how to ride.  I'm small, too, but
that pony was itty bitty.  She was about 30 years old and kept up on all our
trail rides with horses that were many times her weight and more than twice
her height. (ok, maybe not that drastic of numbers, but she was very small,
I have short legs and even my feet were very close to the ground)  I never
liked riding her, but that had nothing to do with her being a pony.  She was
a...well, not a nice pony.  But she was a spunky one.

As for being hounded for being different, I can relate to that in a way,
too.  Being a bareback rider, I take some grief for not riding with a saddle
all the time.  I admit, I probably take many less bad comments than you do
(some of the comments are down-right head-swelling), but I believe the
principle is the same.

You're different.  People can't handle different.  If you don't do it the
way THEY think you should, then it's wrong.  Same thing with the infamous LD
vs endurance riders.  If LDer's don't move up, then they're ruining their
horses and stagnating themselves.  If they race at 25 miles, they're ruining
a perfectly good horse.  Maybe, maybe not.  All I'm saying is that different
gets picked on, plain and simple.  (Imagine if you rode your pony bareback,
racing LD's.  what kinda comments would you get then??  <g>)

I understand your outrage and being tired of taking grief and I hope the
other "pony" stories have helped you out a bit in your confidence in your
Cloud Dancer (awesome name, btw).  I say if your pony is healthy, happy, and
can do the job at hand, let him.  Not only let him, but enjoy it!  And let
the others go to that hot place under the earth!  :)

Good luck and more power to your pony!

April & Apache
Chattanooga, TN


----- Original Message -----
From: Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>

> Rayna777@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > So, I guess this will open up the pony power debate again, and that's
okay by
> > me.  I've been riding and driving ponies for over 20 years, and I love
'em.
> > People always underestimate the little horses.
> >
>
> This past weekend I did a trail ride on my beautiful 1/2 Arab,
> pony cross who is
> 13.2 hh. I am 5'9". I took two days of jokes, and put downs
> before I got to the
> point where I did not even want to ride next to anyone. My
> husband who is 6'2" realized that I was getting tired of all the
> grief, so he traded horses with me and he
> rode the pony to give me a break. He was not on the pony for
> more then 30 seconds
> before he started to get it. One guy who must of realized that I
> was getting tired
> of the comments, said, "I don't care, it is just so hard to see
> a big person on
> a little horse."
>
> I do believe that people who have never ridden a pony do have a
> hard time with
> "big people riding small horses." I offered to several people to
> take a ride
> on my brave little horse. No one wanted to. If they did they
> would realize the
> strength, power and brains that ponies have. Someone just told
> me that ponies
> have 10% more slow twitch muscles then Arabians. Ponies have a
> lot to offer in
> small packages, plus they are easy keepers. Some of you just do
> not realize
> just how strong ponies are. Yes, I do agree with the above
> statement, "People always underestimate the little horses.
>
> Lynette
> who is proud of her little Cloud Dancer!
>


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