In search of an ‘old lady pony’

Two summers ago, we brought home a POA yearling named Sally. POA stands for Pony of America, a breed that was created in the 1950s. The foundation stallion of the breed was an Arabian/Appaloosa/Shetland pony cross with Appaloosa markings named Black Hand. The original POA club’s goal was to develop a medium-sized pony for older children and small adults, with the coloration of the Appaloosa, the refinement of the Arabian and the muscle and bone of an American Quarter Horse.

Over the next half century, the Shetland pony genetics mostly disappeared, so technically, POAs are small horses, not ponies, but the breed’s reputation for being a great all-around horse with a slightly smaller stature remains. When a friend mentioned getting one to be her “old lady pony,” I wanted to know more. As luck would have it, we’ve got an excellent POA legacy here in South Dakota, created by the Carr family called Santee POAs. Soon after contacting them to see what they had available, Sally joined the herd.

Though too young to be saddled yet, Sally had a wonderful disposition from the start. She was easy-going and slow to startle — excellent assets for an old lady pony. Unfortunately, the first colt I’d fallen in love with years before, a bay we named Jane, had been similarly sweet until we put a saddle on her. Then, a previously unannounced, very strong, very opinionated side surfaced. As a relatively inexperienced, tentative rider, it was clear Jane and I were not going to be well-suited for each other.

I tried not to get my hopes too high that things would be different with Sally. When the day to start working with her arrived, I honestly wasn’t optimistic, as a purely self-protective measure. Well, she’s turned out not to be good — she’s turned out to be AMAZING. She is so amazing that anyone who rides her or spends any time with her wants to know if she’s for sale. So amazing that my husband, who didn’t think he’d like a POA, chooses her first when he’s got a job that needs a horse. So amazing that we ended up bringing home another POA colt last fall and then two more POAs with similar genetics this summer.

The irony of all this? Sally is probably not going to be my old lady pony. I mean, let’s face it, I don’t need an amazing horse. I need a horse that’s slow and steady, easy to get on and off of and isn’t going to rattle my bones too badly. In other words, I need a mediocre horse. Sally is destined to be a horse that gets used on the ranch for ranch work, not one that carries an anxious, aging cowgirl at the back of the pack.

Thankfully, one of the new POAs seems to be ready for the job. He is a bay blanket, which means his base color is dark red, his mane and tail are black, but he has a sprinkling of white dots and splotches over his hindquarters. My daughter thinks we should name him Sugar Buns because he looks like he’s been sprinkled with powdered sugar and because he is sweet. He is a great horse, but a little bit slower, not quite as pretty, and slightly less athletic than Sally. He’s also already five years old, but hasn’t been ridden much, so we are at similar ages and confidence levels, and so far, he is up for figuring things out together.

Oh, and the one thing Sugar Buns isn’t mediocre at? Hugs — both giving and receiving. If you pet his nose, he immediately starts doing the slow blink of pleasure and will lean into you for more. He lets me throw my arms around his neck and rests his head on my shoulder with a deep sigh. And, while being a good hugger is not an essential attribute for most ranch horses, I’m beginning to think it might be the most valuable criterion of all for my old lady pony.