By: Farin Phillips

I would like to tell you about my pony Lola. But first you may need a little history to understand why she is so perfect to me. A few years ago I had a serious riding accident that was intentionally caused by a very nasty pony. Without going into the details of the accident, the outcome was that I was not very trusting of horses afterwards.

As time passed I wanted to get back into riding and showing again. The horse I currently had didn’t have what it takes to be a quality show pony. So when my brother lost interest in riding, I took his 4 year old pony from the field and though I would try to start over.

In September of last year, Lola and I started our adventure. Lola was a broke pony, but really green. She mostly only walked and trotted under saddle. She didn’t know how to pick up her canter leads, she had never jumped a fence and had no show experience. So we really started at the beginning. The thing that kept me going was her willingness to always try. I found very quickly that Lola could learn after only a few repetitions.

We worked all fall and then entered some local schooling shows and I found very quickly that Lola was quite at home in the show ring. She even enjoys her baths and getting ready to go. Although, we still need to work on braiding patience. In the spring of this year we began showing on the Short Circuit.
Lola and I go into the ring as a team and her quietness and confidence allows me to focus on my performance. We are just beginning hunter classes and Lola and I both still have a lot to learn, but each class gets a bit easier and she is very willing to jump anything I ask her to.

Lola has impeccable ground manners, something the nasty pony certainly lacked.
When I go to the barn she is always happy to see me and greets me with nuzzles and wet kisses. She is very mischievous and always into something. She opens the feed bins, throws buckets and eats cat food. She really is the barn clown.

Lola is the perfect pony in so many ways. She has given me back something that was once stolen from me with another pony. She has restored my confidence in horses that they can be kind, loving, willing and a real partner. Lola and I have come along way together and will continue to move forward as a team.