Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was to ride my horse in a pond. There were two ponds near where I lived, and my best friend and I would often ride to one of them and swim for hours with our horses. There was also a creek near my childhood home, and being the tomboy, I loved to play in the creek. I really wanted Schuyler to enjoy all the fun that I had with my horse in the pond. However, I was too big to ride him, and the ponds were too far to walk to. So, I decided that he would enjoy himself in the creek, which was a lot closer to home. Unfortunately, Schuyler did not share my excitement about being in the water. Many times, I would drag him through the woods, down to the creek, and stand on the bank for hours, pulling as hard as I could, to try to get him to step foot in the water. He would have none of it! In fact, I remember he “pushed” me into the water multiple times instead (more like, I probably fell in because I was pulling too hard).
Years later, when we moved to Castle Farm and had a pond on the property, he did eventually get in the water … and LOVED it! I can’t remember exactly how we got him in. Probably a lot less forceful pulling and a lot more coaxing with treats and/or a buddy. But once he discovered the water, it was hard to keep him out! Whenever a kid wanted to do a pond lesson or during every summer camp pond day, he was always one of the best ponies to take in the pond. He would go right in with little to no asking (usually, he just walked in whether you wanted him to or not). Once in, like most horses, he would paw and paw and paw, splashing the water all over himself and his “lucky” rider. Then, he would shove his whole face in the water, right up to his eyeballs, and blow bubbles. I will really miss those bubbles. Sometimes, if he was feeling especially naughty, he would lie down in the pond, thoroughly soaking himself and whichever poor kid happened to be on him at the time. Through it all, you could always tell he was having the time of his life!
Steamy North Carolina summers + farm pond + pony = FUN!