I dig a pony

Here is a fun picture of me on Pie and my friend Kathy Savory on Sovereign taken Saturday.

In 1980, my parents bought me an adorable dark bay pony, Penny Lane. I posted about her before here and here. Penny Lane, aka "Star" had been owned by Kathy Savory (isn't Kathy's last name lovely?). Kathy needed a bigger horse to show and event so she sold the sweet and impish Penny Lane to us. (Coincidentally, Pie REALLY resembles Penny Lane. He has her same gorgeous almond-shaped eyes, as you can see, above.) Kathy was a few years older than me, and I remember idolizing her teenager lifestyle (she could drive!) and her courage as a rider. I groomed for her at a week-long show in Middleburg and at an event in New Jersey. Both instances taught me that I did not have the guts to ever attempt the riding Kathy did. The fences that she took in the woods on these crazy inclines while being timed looked nuts to me. I remember grooming and riding all the horses around for cooldown and thinking that I had the better end of the deal! The last time I saw Kathy I was 13 years old, but I always wondered where she was and if she was still riding.

Well, Kathy is still riding - she owns and events 3 horses in Maryland! Thanks to the wonder of the internet we reconnected after not seeing each other for 30 years and she drove up to ride with me on Saturday!

Last Christmas when we were in Florida I got an email from Kathy wondering if I had ever owned a pony named Penny Lane. She had stumbled upon my blog apparently because she recognized my photo on my post about Walton's Mountain!

Sovey loved Kathy and was a perfect boy for our entire outing.

The morning sun gave way to dark skies and wind, but we didn't care. The horses seemed to sense that this was an extra special ride and they had wonderfully willing attitudes the whole time. One neighbor had 3 sets of sheets on the clothes line. The wind got hold of the fitted ones and lifted them like sails. Pie was having none of that, but Sovey and Kathy pushed us on in such a confident manner that Pie had no choice but to act like a good boy.

Maizie, the photographer, captured the beauty of two Tbreds in late autumn light.

Pie and Sovey gobble the last bits of their barstool apples, above. While we rode, Kathy told me about her horses and eventing. She is in the heart of serious horse country in Maryland and trains with some of the best. She had the opportunity to take her horses to Ocala a few years ago and we both talked of our dreams of living part-time in Aiken or Ocala.

We had a hysterical mix-up in our conversation at one point. I was telling her about our trip to the track to see Found in the Fog. I said that Brian had been such a patient husband this week by taking me there and listening to all my horsey ramblings. Kathy asked, "How old is he?" I answered, "Forty-seven." Shocked, she asked, "Really, and he is still racing?" And, I said that he runs the mile now. Then, we started cracking up - she was asking about Found in the Fog and I thought she was talking about Brian!!!