Sunday, March 3, 2013

Abby and the Little Horses: A Canadian Fairy Tale


Abby has a miniature horse named Willy that she bought nearly three years ago, once we settled here in Prince Edward Island.

Once Upon A Time, there was a little girl named Abby.  Since she was a very little girl, she had always wanted a horse.  Every year, when she awoke on her birthday or on Christmas morning, she would get up early, look out her bedroom window in Lowell and be disappointed.  There was no horse tied to a tree waiting for her to jump on it's back.  The fact that we lived in the city and our postage stamp of a yard was nearly the size of our house mattered not.  Abby wanted a horse.

She was a determined little girl, though, and when our friend Harvey in PEI got some miniature horses, Abby went in search of someone close by who might own such magical creatures.  She found a kindred spirit in her friend Diane, owner of two mini horses, who let eleven-year-old Abby groom, feed and exercise her horses several times a week.  Of course, since Abby was eleven, I drove her to Diane's house and helped Abby with the walking and horse chores.  After a year or so, Diane started to bring Abby along for horse therapy visits to nursing homes and rehab centers.  Abby loved doing this, and really enjoyed interacting with the elderly and disabled people who had been looking forward to their visit.  Diane was a great friend to Abby and Abby studied every aspect of horse care in great detail.  During this time, Abby also took riding lessons in English and Saddle seat to get lots of experience with big horses.

I told Abby when she was little that someday we might move to Prince Edward Island, and when we did, she could have a horse.  Abby was determined to make this dream come true.  We did move to Prince Edward Island, and within a year, Abby had her horse.  Harvey agreed to trailer Abby's new horse from Tiz A Miniature Horse Farm in New Hampshire to PEI.  So one fine weekend, Harvey, Dave, Abby and I took a trip south.  We came back home, horse and all, in a hurricane.  Abby boarded Willy (whose real name is "Tiz Braveheart") with Harvey in exchange for working with his minis.  She did well.  Abby, Monty, Buttercup and Cheyenne won many ribbons, and even won Reserve Champion at Old Home Week in Charlottetown!

Willy lived at Harvey's for a long time, along with Pepper, Buttercup, Cheyenne and Monty.  Willy now lives with us at our new house, in his own little barn with his friend Pepper for company.  Pepper belongs to Evelyn, Harvey's wife.  She kindly offered to let Pepper visit for an indefinite time to be a companion horse to Willy, who was looking very lonely without his friends.  Pepper and Willy spend their days playing in the snow together and sleeping side-by-side in the front yard.  Abby looks out her bedroom window every day and sees her very own horse.  Just like she always dreamed she would.  And they all lived happily every after.

No comments:

Post a Comment