Brigita's Blog: Clyde Sleepy Hollow

Have you ever owned a horse that everywhere you went, everyone recognized?  No, he's not a famous race horse.  Nor has he been in the movies or the Grand Prix.  This is your plain old grade horse, unpapered and unregistered.  He is CLYDE.  Clyde (his barn name) is a 14.1 hand, buckskin pony that everyone, young and old, love.  At shows he is known as "Clyde Sleepy Hollow" and the name fits him to a tee.  Let's start from the beginning.

My son and daughter grew up on a horse farm.  They came up to the barn with me daily to take care of the horses since they were born.  (My son, my firstborn, actually rode before he was born.  Maybe that's why he has a passion for horses.)  In their younger years, I ponied them on my horse, Chanty.  They had a blast.  Upon reaching the age of 6 or 7, I was bugged about getting a pony.  Not wanting to have the chore of another horse to take care of, being the oldest, my son had to take care of my horse for 1 year (feeding, grooming, etc.), no matter what.  The only exceptions being: 1) school or after school activity or 2) illness.  (My daughter went through the same routine when she was the same age.)  Needless to say, they both completed the task because they were serious about getting a pony.  Now came the time to find that "special" pony.

When I shop for a horse, I never take any money with me on my first visit.  I always figure it will take time to find the right horse I am looking for.  Not so with Clyde.  I found out by word of mouth about a good pony for sale on a private farm that the kids had outgrown.  When I saw Clyde, he was just standing there, without a care in the world.  He didn't flinch when he was ridden.  Here was a dead quiet horse that kids would be able to learn on and get confidence on him.  I knew that if I didn't at least put a deposit down on him, he would be gone.  The only money I had on me was my grocery money, so, guess where that money went.  Certainly not on groceries. 

Once Clyde was brought to his new home, he settled right in.  He was put into the field with my horse, Chanty.  Now, Chanty was the top horse of the herd at the time.  So, here's Clyde, just muching away, minding his own business and Chanty comes trotting up to him, figuring he will put this newcomer into his place.  Boy, was he wrong!  Clyde just turned around and stared at him with his ears flat back and Chanty, at that point backed off as if to say "OK, your the leader now".  That went a lot easier than anyone would have figured.  No fighting.  Clyde was the type of horse that the only thing that interested him was food.  He was happiest when he was eating.  Anytime a child rode him and they weren't paying attention to him, he decided to take off to, you guessed it, the nearest source of food.  I never had to worry about him running off into the next county or having him spook.  He never had a worry in the world. 

I started giving riding lessons to beginners and every child loved him.  His stall was always decorated by drawings that the children made.  Even though he ran off to eat while they rode him, they still loved him.  Even the adults loved Clyde.  He was the same at shows as he was at home.  Just stood there without a worry in the world.  Nothing ever bothered him.  Except for once.  This was after I had sold him to a family with a daughter learning to ride and take care of horses.  He was brought over to a pasture with alpacas in it.  Clyde got so wide eyed, that he fought the handler to get away.  The handler just finally let go and Clyde took off as far from the alpaca's as possible.  He didn't want anything to do with them.

I sold Clyde when he was about 20 and my kids had outgrown him.  All that came to look at him like him, but were worried about him passing on within a short time.  If you know Clyde, you will agree that he will live for a looooonnnngggg time.  Someone finally decided to buy him for her daughter, figuring that by the time her daughter outgrew him, he would be dead.  WRONG.  At 27 he was still looking good and going strong.  He even did low level jumps and his usual tricks.  He really didn't look his age. 

Clyde is now retired at 32.  He still looks good and he is mostly in the pasture and, once in a while, ponies the grandchildren around the property.  He has a very good home and well taken care of.  Clyde will probably go until he's in his forties.  Everyone that has come in contact with Clyde in his lifetime, miss him.  He is the best pony any one could ask for.  It would be hard to find another like him.  There are so many stories I could tell you about him.  Maybe in one of my future postings I will tell you more.