Dear Whiskey,
When you arrived at us I’m sure you were confused. One cold December morning, your original owner never came outside to feed you. That must have been confusing, but he got sick quickly and died in bed during the night. You never saw him again. Up until that point, the only human connection you had ever known was that of an older man weighing in at barely 150 pounds and 5’5.
My in-laws loaded you up from a tiny corral that was packed with manure, wet dirt, and rocks. Although that was the only home you’d ever known, I’m sure it felt good to dry up your hooves and get in that trailer. You guys drove off and in about 20 minutes you were unloaded onto ten acres of dry desert with many sandy washes to dance in. You calmly backed out of the trailer, touched noses with my other two mares, and then you wanted to stretch your little legs! After we walked you around the perimeter of our property (so you could get a feel as to where our fence lay), you hit the desert running and I can only imagine the freedom you felt.
We gave you a few days to settle in inside our round pen so you could acclimate to our feeding times and faces. After all, we were your new home and you were our new pony. We would go out to love on you and check on you over the following days. I’m not sure if you had ever seen a small child before because at first, your face looked puzzled when our two-year-old ran up to kiss your front right leg, but you stood as still as post and let her hug you. I feel like that was the moment that it all clicked for you. We were your humans and you took to the girls quickly.
After a few days once you had met all of us multiple times and let us all love on you, my oldest daughter wanted to jump on bareback and take you for a spin. Once you were warmed up, I tossed my tiny western kid’s saddle on, and then my four-year-old and two-year-old had the opportunity to ride you. You listened to every word they spoke as they talked to you and you walked at a pace that was so tender and slow.
Since then, all of our girls have had the opportunity to groom you, ride you, and love you. And I just want to take this time to tell you to thank you for giving them the confidence they needed and for taking such good care of them. You are their pony and they are your humans. I know you’ll never be able to read this letter but once your time has come and my children are grown I will cherish these words as a way to remember the love you showed them and remind them of their love for you. Thank you Whiskey for being you. We love you!
Love, Emily, Chloe, Charlotte, and Cora
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