Escaped
Clyde has been a very bad pony, although he looked innocent enough today, his head poised alertly at the stable gate, his ears pricked ‘What are they doin’ ‘ere?’ and his snorty whiffle ‘Where’s me carrot then?’ But it was a sorry tale we were told by Shauna, the sweetest and meekest of the stablegirls, who works long hours for no money and only the faint hope of being asked to exercise one of the ponies as reward, confessing to us in a shy whisper: “I'm very very sorry... but this morning I put the barrow across the stable door when I was mucking him out… and he spotted a gap – and he just took off!”
And so it was our naughty Clyde escaped again, cloppered off determinedly into the yard evading all attempts at capture and nipped adroitly into the field where he munched as much grass as he could stuff into his whiskery chops before the Head Stable Girl arrived. I wouldn’t dare defy her myself, and Clyde knew the steely hand of authority when it clamped down on his mane (unbecomingly hogged). Back to the stable he went. Phew.
Well, it’s Christmas week, and Clyde has worn the reindeer antlers on several occasions. He looks very handsome in them. “Oh ma’poor boy!” Pat cried, rushing over to thump his neck with a calloused hand, “What ‘AVE they done to you!” and there he stood, nodding his Santa-hatted head and morosely agreeing with her, the traitor: “Ah’ know, ah’know, Pat. Owners from hell!” - but secretly I know Clyde is happy as a horse can be. He is polished till he shines, mucked out every time he lifts his tail, carrotted and appled daily, and Pony-girl loves him to bits. All that and a show browband in apple-and-fir velour!
A show browband... which leads me to the best big news of the week. Pat was watching J with Clyde yesterday, jumping a course with the big horses and striding himself right between the jumps (poor pony, he is small and has to take 2 and a half paces for every two of theirs.) Pat nodded approvingly - and delivered the ticket we've been waiting for:
“It’s time them two went show-jumping!”
Yessssssssssssssssss!!!!
And so it was our naughty Clyde escaped again, cloppered off determinedly into the yard evading all attempts at capture and nipped adroitly into the field where he munched as much grass as he could stuff into his whiskery chops before the Head Stable Girl arrived. I wouldn’t dare defy her myself, and Clyde knew the steely hand of authority when it clamped down on his mane (unbecomingly hogged). Back to the stable he went. Phew.
Well, it’s Christmas week, and Clyde has worn the reindeer antlers on several occasions. He looks very handsome in them. “Oh ma’poor boy!” Pat cried, rushing over to thump his neck with a calloused hand, “What ‘AVE they done to you!” and there he stood, nodding his Santa-hatted head and morosely agreeing with her, the traitor: “Ah’ know, ah’know, Pat. Owners from hell!” - but secretly I know Clyde is happy as a horse can be. He is polished till he shines, mucked out every time he lifts his tail, carrotted and appled daily, and Pony-girl loves him to bits. All that and a show browband in apple-and-fir velour!
A show browband... which leads me to the best big news of the week. Pat was watching J with Clyde yesterday, jumping a course with the big horses and striding himself right between the jumps (poor pony, he is small and has to take 2 and a half paces for every two of theirs.) Pat nodded approvingly - and delivered the ticket we've been waiting for:
“It’s time them two went show-jumping!”
Yessssssssssssssssss!!!!
1 Comments:
At 2:40 AM, Anonymous said…
Yeah! Time to go to a show - congratulations to J and Clyde!
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