by Belladora

Created on: January 24, 2007   Last Updated: May 16, 2007

"Prince the Forgotten Pony"

I remember attending a farm auction looking for primitives and antiques. I arrived late with my son who was eight years old at the time. I walked around looking at items piled on top of old farm wagons as the auctioneer sold things to the crowd.

There were two ponies standing over in a corral not far from the house. One was a dirty white with his head hanging over the fence. Now, I didn't know a thing about a pony but for some crazy reason he caught my eye and I walked over to him. He looked old and neglected but seemed to be very gentle. I recall looking down at his hooves and trying to figure out why his hooves were so long. They made me think of elf shoes. I figured someone hadn't taken the time to trim his hooves. I thought he was the most pitiful thing I had ever seen.

I walked back over to the things I wanted to bid on to continue with my mission. After awhile the crowd thinned out and I purchased a pile of things and placed them by my side.

The auctioneer then headed for the corral. He sold equipment sitting around by the fence and then proceeded to auction off the ponies. Naturally my son looked up at me and me down at him.

I had no place to put a pony. I lived in the city in an apartment. I didn't even have a clue how to take care of one. I watched them auction off the first pony for $200.00. He then started talking about the white one. I found myself listening, still looking at that sad example of a creature. But it pulled at my heartstrings and I knew I should walk away.

He started the bid at $20.00 and I tried to completely ignore his voice but I kept hearing him say, "Do I hear $20.00?" No one responded. Frankly, glancing around I could see no one wanted this pony. I then wondered what they did with a pony no one would take. Pictures of a glue factory jumped through my thoughts. Before I knew it I had raised my hand at $20.00.

"Sold." He said.

Naturally my son was delighted and I passed into a zone of a normal person buying stuff to an owner of livestock. I walked over asking the clerk, "How long do I have to get that pony out of here?"

She replied everything had to be moved off the property by the next day. I dreaded going home to tell my husband we now were the proud owners of a dirty white pony with big feet. I had done some crazy things but suddenly reality set in and I was hustling inside my brain on how to handle this whole situation.

When my husband came home from work. I said, "I have good news and bad news. He said. "Oh

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