Tuesday, June 3, 2008

all the pretty ponies

Rosie dog and I got up early this morning, shortly after six. I had settled into my easy chair to eat breakfast and watch early morning TV, when Rosie went wild and started to howl. The howl is usually reserved for something very disturbing, so I went running to find out what was going on -- also to see if I could shut her up before she woke John up.

Then I saw what Rosie saw -- three brown ponies and a large white horse running around our yard! The ponies were not much larger than Rosie. Shortly after the equines appeared, so did two men carrying a bucket of feed and two halters.

The two men, working quietly and calmly backed the white horse and one of the ponies into the dead end between the cliff, our fence and the Johnson's fence next door. Rosie and I watched them talk quietly to the animals, holding out handfuls of grain. I thought that they were trying to get a halter on the big white horse, and perhaps they were initially. But, after about fifteen minutes we saw the men leading away the smallest brown pony, haltered, and all the other animals, the two other ponies and the big white horse were calmly following the haltered pony. I guess horses are pack animals like dogs, and if you can get the "alpha" everyone else will follow along.

It is good to know I'm not crazy. Last summer one day, I was washing dishes in the kitchen, and saw a flash of movement outside. When I looked up, I thought I saw small brown ponies running through my yard. But no one else had seen them, and over time I began to wonder if I really had seen ponies.

1 comment:

Jessica said...

That is so funny! See, you're not crazy!