You're Never Too Old For Your First horse...

As a kid I always had a (not so) secret fantasy that some Christmas my Dad would (magically) surprise me with a pony in our driveway.  Deep down I knew that he was way too pragmatic to even attempt horse shopping without me, let alone to justify the expense without extracting priceless promises from his adolescent daughter in exchange.

I never got the surprise horsey with a bow around his neck, but today The Boy fulfilled that fantasy for me.  Well - not for me, but I was there at least.  He did it for his Mom, which is probably sweeter on the  consideration continuum, and honestly was pretty fabulous to witness.  

Awesome.

Gus (the one wrapped up in a bow) has been the "second big announcement" that was a holdover from my post a few weeks ago.  His story justifies several posts itself, but suffice it to say that The Boy talked me into rescuing him to (at the very least) provide him a safe and humane euthanization.  Turns out Gus is a former six figure derby hunter who after a big injury to his DDFT had some bad luck and uneducated owners which left him waiting for a trailer to take him to auction.  

Flash forward two months and he's happy, healthy (and if not 100% sound), perfectly pleased to bop around with anyone on his back and take care of them.  

Enter The Boy's Mom (or M2) who rode for years but never had a horse of her own.   She hasn't ridden in several years but she has been a dedicated fixture at our shows and loves any chance to visit the barn to give carrots and kiss noses.

When we saw how well Gus was responding to some basic vet care and maintenance we knew that putting him down was no longer on the agenda. Then, when we also saw how wonderful his brain was we knew that he'd be a perfectly patient partner for M2.  

So, while we've been slowly rehabbing the Gus, M2 has been out of town, which meant that we had to keep Gussie a secret (SO HARD) until she got back.  

But back she is.  So The Boy conned her into visiting the barn where he presented her with her very first pony, bow and all.  It was awesome.

Gus was a doll while we got him all cleaned up.  S pulled his mane so he looked like a respectable beast, I polished hooves and tried to wipe off a layer of dust.  S's mom made Gus a big red bow for the occasion and while I was slightly concerned that Gus might try to eat said bow, it was like he knew he was getting ready for a show and naturally he won a ribbon without even trying.  Cutie pie....

Big Red Bow courtesy of S's Mom - Gus courtesy of The Boy...

The Boy waiting with his surprise while I met his folks in the parking lot...

Leading him out for the Big Reveal...

I tried to snap a quick phone video... it's not the best but the gist is there.

So much more to come on the adventures of Gus and M2, including how Gus came to us and details his rehab over the last few months (needles, acrylic hooves and more, oh my!)

Bah! So obsessed with Gus, I want to ramble about him forever, but I'm putting my horse-ramble muzzle on now.  The details can wait.