A Christmas Pony

Carla Christian

50plus Magazine

I didn’t know what to make of the creature who stepped off the trailer on that December day. She was all gigantic head perched on a skinny neck, with long ears and thick shaggy fur. Her knobby legs danced impatiently as she stepped clumsily into her handler. I pondered her hairy face and called her Wookie.

The two-year-old Shagya mare was my first foster horse from an equine rescue. I excitedly tucked her into the stall closest to my house, where I could greet her first when I entered the barn.

Spring arrived, and Wookie emerged from her winter coat a dappled silver beauty. She’d grown into a clever mare with a sense of humor and an eagerness to learn. Since her next stop would be the rescue’s training barn, I started to teach her the basics – bridle, girth, saddle – so she would be ready to leave. Soon I was riding her around the farm.

The rescue would check in to see how she was doing, and by the way, someone might be interested in adopting Wookie. We’d deliberate, earnestly, and decide no, they weren’t quite right.

My husband began to say, “You need to adopt that horse, you know. You aren’t going to send her back.”

“Noooo, I don’t need another horse!” I’d wail. He’d supported the time and cost of one horse; I didn’t expect him to support two.

On Christmas morning, I had three presents under the tree. He laid them out smallest to largest, saying, “Start here.”

The first small square box hardly weighed a thing. Inside was a glass Christmas ball painted with a white horse. I glanced at him quizzically — we had agreed no more ornaments for our crowded tree.

Next was a child-sized shoebox with a little more heft. It held a carved wooden rocking horse painted white with colorful tack across its back. I was even more mystified.

He looked like a kid who could hardly sit still as he nudged the last gift toward me, a thin, flat, lightweight rectangle. I peeled it open and withdrew a single sheet of paper. Inside was adoption papers for Wookie.

My husband exploded with glee in the face of my shock. He had secretly conspired with the rescue to arrange this. Whatever the future held, Wookie would be a part of it.