# Pony Clean-up Day



## ForMyACDs (Aug 17, 2008)

First is "Rita" our 4 year old 45" registered Hackney. Rita came to us because she was no longer competitive in the show ring. She did well in halter as a youngster, but she doesn't have the hind action to be competitive in the driving ring and she doesn't have the dead on conformation anymore to continue in halter classes. She's used here for pleasure driving so her show shoes & feet came off right away and she was allowed to grow back her forelock (braided here for neatness because after just a year it's already nearly down to her nose).

I keep ALL tails here wrapped up, but this girl can grow some hair!! When she arrived last year her tail only reached her fetlocks and even in this photo the tail is bunched up on the ground:







Okay......here's a better left side photo:<br>











Unfortunately, this photo was from a distance (before we ripped the old shed out). This is what she looks like when she's IN shape.....:


----------



## ForMyACDs (Aug 17, 2008)

And this is "Epi" or "P" as we call her for short.......after all "P" is for "pony" "princess" and "produce" (she likes carrots an awful lot). She came to us as an upgrade almost 2 years ago. She was purchased at auction by a client looking for a pony for her grandkids. P was supposed to be amish broke to drive, but in her case that is probably pretty unlikely.

The vet I work for was called in to do a coggins on her so she could be sold when our client realized this pony was absolutely not what she thought she was. In order to draw blood on her she was run in to a barn, lassoed and snubbed to a post and even then we both nearly got killed. I was with the vet that day on calls and to me P didn't seem like a bad pony......she just looked scared. I didn't want her to go to a bad place so I bought her ($700 for a brand new cart, a brand new harness and her......I know they paid a lot more than that.....amazingly enough).

When P first came you couldn't get anywhere near her front end and she was afraid of everything. She's now pretty far advanced longlining (prep for driving) and is comfortable with that. I can also clip, bathe and load her in the trailer now, and when people come to visit she's our "steady eddy" to visit with the kids. She's certainly come a LONG way. Nothing phases this mare anymore.

P will probably only be used for pleasure driving as we don't have kids around here to ride her and I'm WAY too big to break her out myself.






I did have her mane braided, but it was piling on TOP of her crest and making her look cresty so I took it out:






Gosh, I love that cute marking on her face.....a perfect circle around her eye:


----------



## Leeana (Aug 17, 2008)

Looks like both cleaned up very well



. Those are some very neat markings on the second mare..nice ponies



.


----------



## AnnaC (Aug 18, 2008)

Lovely pictures of lovely girls!

I'm into minis so not much experience of hackneys, but your girl in the first picture - Rita - has to my eye a fantastic 'frame', and I think she just needs to 'mature' to turn into 'some horse'!

Little P - felt so sorry for her (from your story) so glad you were able to rescue her and many congrats for all your hard work with her. It is so nice to read of 'happy endings' these days.

Anna


----------



## muffntuf (Aug 18, 2008)

I love both your girls! Especially Rita!

Thanks for sharing!


----------



## OhHorsePee (Aug 18, 2008)

They are lovely! Wonderful pics. Thank you for sharing.


----------



## alphahorses (Aug 18, 2008)

I would say that "Epi" in particular is one very lucky pony! Would have been easy for a pony like that to end up in a very bad situation, rather than in a home where someone had the patience to work her through her issues.


----------



## hairicane (Aug 20, 2008)

Very pretty girls. Im so happy both got intto a loving home. Your overo girl is just my type, she will look so pretty driving one day


----------



## EAD Minis (Sep 3, 2008)

* Beautiful Ponies!! Love the markings on the second horse but the first one is what I picture when I think of my dream horse



I used to have a model horse that was almost the same coloring and I promised that when I grew up I would get one



. *

Great horses!


----------



## fancyappy (Sep 5, 2008)

Beautiful horses.So glad you rescued Little P and are teaching her to trust again. She has beautiful markings.


----------

