Poor Penny
Anna has owned horses all her life. She has a small farm in Illinois with a few horses she keeps for pleasure riding. David, her sister’s young son, loved horses so Anna began looking for a gentle horse for him. She wanted something sweet, well-trained and small. She preferred a gelding, but didn’t rule out looking at mares. She wanted something cute; maybe a pinto or palomino. Anna was very excited at the prospect of surprising David with the horse on his birthday, or Christmas. David and his family live in a suburban neighborhood, but Anna was more than willing to keep the horse at her farm, only a few miles from David’s house.
For months, Anna spent weekends driving all over the area looking at horses advertised for sale. None of them were as described in their ads. She had been to look at a black “kid broke” pony that was standing almost hock deep in a mud lot. The pony was being offered for sale by a horse trader. His son waded out into the lot and bridled the pony. As soon as the young man swung onto the pony’s back, the pony lowered his head and took off bucking. The young man slipped off the pony and told Anna that the pony had never done that before, although they’d only had him a few days. Anna thanked them for their time and drove home.
A week later, the trader called Anna to tell her of a small horse that might suit her and currently belonged to a friend of his. The animal seemed very promising, although it was a bay mare and not a fancy colored gelding.
“Penny” was 13.3hh, 12 years old, and “broke for anyone.” The photograph the trader sent to Anna showed Penny bridled and saddled, with three tiny tots sitting on her back. Anna looked carefully at the photograph and noticed the mare’s right knee seemed swollen. Nevertheless, Anna called and talked to Penny’s owner, a young woman named Christa. Christa had owned Penny for 5 years but was moving and couldn’t take the horse. Anna asked about Penny’s swollen knee and Christa told her that Penny had fallen backing out of a trailer shortly before the picture had been taken. The vet had examined Penny and said she was fine. The injury would heal quickly and without permanent damage. Anna asked many questions about Penny’s temperament and training level. Everything Christa said encouraged Anna to make the hour drive to see Penny. Anna specifically requested that the mare not be tacked up when she arrived; she wanted to see how easily Penny could be saddled and bridled, knowing that David would want to do this himself.
When Anna pulled into the driveway at Christa’s home about an hour earlier than her scheduled appointment, she could see a man on a horse, cantering circles in the adjoining field. Anna parked her car and walked toward the field. She could see that the man riding Penny was lashing the mare with a crop to keep her cantering. Penny was lurching around the field, clearly extremely lame on her right front leg. Within moments of Anna’s arrival, Penny went to her knees in the pasture, close to the gate. The man got off the horse and led her, hobbling, through the gate.
Christa and Anna stared at one another without a word, and Anna got back in her car and drove home.
Several weeks later, Anna ran into Jessie, an acquaintance from work. Jessie asked Anna for some horse advice. Jessie had been looking for a horse for her 8 year-old daughter. Her daughter was a beginner rider, so they were looking for something very safe and gentle. They had purchased a small mare the week before. When Jessie had taken her daughter out to look at the horse, her daughter had been able to walk the mare all around the field on her own. It was love at first sight. Unfortunately, now the mare would do nothing but walk. Anything faster caused the little horse to limp badly. Additionally, when anyone tried to clean her feet or brush her legs, she pinned her ears back and tried to bite. Jessie told Anna how they had tried to return the mare to the seller, but the seller already had four new horses at her farm and didn’t have room to take the horse back.
“We don’t know what to do, Anna,” said Jessie. “My daughter is so attached to Penny already, if we give her back to Christa, it will break her heart.”
For months, Anna spent weekends driving all over the area looking at horses advertised for sale. None of them were as described in their ads. She had been to look at a black “kid broke” pony that was standing almost hock deep in a mud lot. The pony was being offered for sale by a horse trader. His son waded out into the lot and bridled the pony. As soon as the young man swung onto the pony’s back, the pony lowered his head and took off bucking. The young man slipped off the pony and told Anna that the pony had never done that before, although they’d only had him a few days. Anna thanked them for their time and drove home.
A week later, the trader called Anna to tell her of a small horse that might suit her and currently belonged to a friend of his. The animal seemed very promising, although it was a bay mare and not a fancy colored gelding.
“Penny” was 13.3hh, 12 years old, and “broke for anyone.” The photograph the trader sent to Anna showed Penny bridled and saddled, with three tiny tots sitting on her back. Anna looked carefully at the photograph and noticed the mare’s right knee seemed swollen. Nevertheless, Anna called and talked to Penny’s owner, a young woman named Christa. Christa had owned Penny for 5 years but was moving and couldn’t take the horse. Anna asked about Penny’s swollen knee and Christa told her that Penny had fallen backing out of a trailer shortly before the picture had been taken. The vet had examined Penny and said she was fine. The injury would heal quickly and without permanent damage. Anna asked many questions about Penny’s temperament and training level. Everything Christa said encouraged Anna to make the hour drive to see Penny. Anna specifically requested that the mare not be tacked up when she arrived; she wanted to see how easily Penny could be saddled and bridled, knowing that David would want to do this himself.
When Anna pulled into the driveway at Christa’s home about an hour earlier than her scheduled appointment, she could see a man on a horse, cantering circles in the adjoining field. Anna parked her car and walked toward the field. She could see that the man riding Penny was lashing the mare with a crop to keep her cantering. Penny was lurching around the field, clearly extremely lame on her right front leg. Within moments of Anna’s arrival, Penny went to her knees in the pasture, close to the gate. The man got off the horse and led her, hobbling, through the gate.
Christa and Anna stared at one another without a word, and Anna got back in her car and drove home.
Several weeks later, Anna ran into Jessie, an acquaintance from work. Jessie asked Anna for some horse advice. Jessie had been looking for a horse for her 8 year-old daughter. Her daughter was a beginner rider, so they were looking for something very safe and gentle. They had purchased a small mare the week before. When Jessie had taken her daughter out to look at the horse, her daughter had been able to walk the mare all around the field on her own. It was love at first sight. Unfortunately, now the mare would do nothing but walk. Anything faster caused the little horse to limp badly. Additionally, when anyone tried to clean her feet or brush her legs, she pinned her ears back and tried to bite. Jessie told Anna how they had tried to return the mare to the seller, but the seller already had four new horses at her farm and didn’t have room to take the horse back.
“We don’t know what to do, Anna,” said Jessie. “My daughter is so attached to Penny already, if we give her back to Christa, it will break her heart.”
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