On pony camps, we do much more than just riding. We play in the dam; we have shaving cream fights; we paint a pony; we do a bareback lesson in the dark; and, sometimes, we even have an out-ride. On Monday and Tuesday, 5 and 6 December, we had our yearly pony camp at Silver Oaks Equestrian Centre. It was lots of fun. We started off with an earlyish morning lesson. Many horses joined in, but we survived it. ☺ After the lesson, I needed to wash M&M by hosing him off. He was quite naughty, but I still gave him a few treats for being so cute. When I put him back in the stable, he immediately rolled – getting dirty all over again! Our next activity was to turn out a horse. We had to trim a horse’s ears and clean it. We decided to do it with my friend’s horse, Hearts on Fire. We braided his mane and tail and brushed him until he sparkled. We went inside the house to have a quick...

Mythical Music is my darling boy. He is a 10-year-old dark bay gelding. He enjoys rolling and sometimes, sadly, bucking. ;P He is totally in love with Spar’s and Woolworths’s carrots. Some horse treats also rank high on his list of things he enjoys. In late August 2016, my riding coach told me that I had outgrown my pony and that she thought it was time for me to start riding horses. In a way my heart was broken, I loved my half- leased pony with all my heart. My coach did not have any available horses for me to ride, therefore I had the option to either buy or full-lease a horse from an outside source. I had a long talk with my father as I really wanted to own a horse, but I knew it to be an expensive option. My father told me if this was my heart’s real desire and that I promised that it was not just something I wanted for the short term, he would think about it. One week...