Some Folk Collect Stamps
Soon realizing that I wouldn’t be able to sell Hippy anytime soon, I despaired of being able to save all the ponies I’d seen.. Hippy needed to gain weight, she had no training, and had ringbone on both back legs. My vet told me that she probably got it, because she’d been so awfully malnourished for so long. The trauma of simply being a horse and running around had created stress and injury. He advised that the best I could hope for was that it fused, and her pain was alleviated.
Grandma was in no shape to do anything but rest, and to recover from her hard life. It would be a very long time, before she was able to do anything other than recuperate.
This was a bit of a problem, as I needed to sell horses, in order to go and buy more. I couldn’t stop thinking about the rest of the ponies I’d left behind. As soon as I saved a few dollars, I went out to see them again.
The ponies were looking a bit better than before. Though there wasn’t much grass for them to graze on, there was still enough to help put a little meat back on their bones. Choosing which pony to buy next was absolute torture. I felt like the ones I didn’t choose, could be shipped at any time, and the very idea tormented me. Still, I was only a teenager making minimum wage. There was only so much that I could do. Though there were some who needed tender care, I made sure my head ruled my heart … this time. This time, I chose a lovely palomino pinto pony that wouldn’t take too long to put weight on, and I would be able to train and sell her rather quickly. The sooner I sold her, the quicker I could come back for more.
There was a blind, chestnut mare and her three fillies that needed saving, as well as a few other ponies. In the barn, standing on many years worth of manure, was a three year old Appaloosa colt as well. There were so many to save, and I had so little money to do it with.
I named the palomino pinto Caramel, and she was as easy to bring back to health and train, as I’d guessed. She was such a sweetheart, so incredibly easy to train, that I had her trail riding everywhere within a month, and sold her without any problem at all.
Back to the farm out in the boondocks, I went again. This time, I picked up a smaller, sorrel shetland pony, as well as a black gelding. To my surprise and dismay, there were far fewer ponies out in the pasture. Only the blind mare and her fillies were still there, as well as the Appaloosa still in the barn. I had the worst feeling that he wouldn’t wait for me to come back for more ponies, and felt the desperation of it in my heart. I couldn’t wait until I sold more horses before I bought more. I had to do something, and now.
I told a friend about the Appaloosa, and though we returned two days later to pick him up, and arrange to buy the blind mare and her three years worth of fillies, I was too late. They were gone, and I didn’t want to know to where.
When we went into the barn to retrieve the appaloosa, I noticed another horse further in the dark bowels of that disgusting, dank barn. I couldn’t afford it, but a lovely palomino gelding came home with me as well. I had done the best that I could, yet still felt horribly sad. My plan to save them all had failed, but I’d done my very best. The palomino was a treasure and a beauty that I was able to train and sell very quickly. The appaloosa I’d talked my friend into buying was quite the other story. But that’s for another day.
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