Tales of a Pony named Flicka I

Many moons ago, there was a man who loved horses. I don't really know why, but he did. The pony in the picture is Flicka, and oh my...the memories we have of this pony. (I will have to break this up, because there are lots of memories!) As long as I can remember, which is not that far, we had horses. Our Dad enjoyed them..I think he mostly liked to watch them, or maybe he liked watching us with this pony! Flicka was very smart, smarter than we were! Now, I must say that I was always a little afraid of these crazy animals. I had just as soon be on the back as to be in control...if you can control them!!! I mean, just look at this pony...do you see the look he is giving me & you???Ha! He bit my sister's ear one time, yep she was loving on Flicka & he just nipped her ear right quick like! That was enough for me to know that this animal could not be trusted. Next, every time you try to put a saddle on them...they blow their bellies up so the girth is not so tight on them...in hopes that you fall off & they get a break and laugh! One afternoon my cousin, Paula & myself decided we would ride double...well about the time we got by the grain bins, he decided he would just lay down...yep, he got us off his back right quick like! This pony was so smart he would wait until we were all tucked in our beds, in our night gowns, to inform Daddy that he had not been watered! Oh yes he did, the nerve of him! I don't think we had central air at this time or we might have gotten away with it. But, he would stand at the gate & neigh until Daddy would ask us, "Girls, did ya'll water the horses?"( yes there were 2, one did not belong to us...but we had to tend to it & he was meaner than Flicka ever thought about!) Then, would start..it was Lynn's turn, no it wasn't..it was Jill's turn! Then Papa bear would say...get yall's butts out there right now & water those horses...did ya'll feed them...uh...sure we did! We would say to each other...they will be o:k till morning...it was real dark up there at that barn! Besides that, you would have to play dodge the tree's with Flicka just to get to the barn!!! Yes, he would chase you!!! Most of the time it was o:k, but then he would decide to chase you...or get right behind you & follow you...just daring you to run. I mean, one would think, if someone is going to feed you, you would not try & play games with them. I have jumped from tree to tree, to a pile of ole criso posts, back to a tree, until I could get to the gate. He did not chase you all the time....just when he felt like it! Now, back to the water...it wasn't like we could just turn on a spigot & fill up the trough, no....that would be to easy....instead, we had to drag a hose across the road & fill it up, then drag it back again, imagine that! We tried leaving it across the road, but Daddy did not like that to well. We also tried to get Daddy to run a pipe under the road, he did not go for that one either! Flicka was always getting out, he was smart I tell ya. One time Daddy was tired of him getting out...so he loaded some bird shot in the gun & busted the hind end of that dumb horse. Well, after that...he ran straight to the gate & waited for Daddy to open the gate & let him in. I do not think he ever got out again.