I wrote this children's book for an assignment for school and I thought I would share! It is inspired by my miniature horse, Poncho and his new buddy Riot. I love how it turned out so let me know what you think! :)
Poncho’s Big Move
Poncho is a funny name for a miniature horse, I thought, staring at his furry little body in an old photograph. He lived on my Grandma’s funny farm where I had seen him once or twice before but never given him much attention. When I heard the words “Poncho is coming to live with us!” come out of my mother’s mouth, I immediately gained interest.
Grandma and her smorgasbord of pets lived deep in the woods of Virginia, miles from a Walmart. I never minded trips to her house because I got to play with her sheep, llamas, donkeys, and other assorted farm animals. I had not seen her since she got sick though. She began to digress and was losing the ability to do manual labor that having farm animals entails. Grandma knew that we were looking for a companion for my horse so she knew to call us when the time came.
She began to find other homes for her high maintenance animals. A few sheep went to an old friend that ran a wool farm and the donkey went to a distant neighbor. Her miniature pony was set to come to our house in Maryland. The only problem with this was transportation: Poncho had never been in a horse trailer in his life! He had a three hour ride ahead of him.
When his homecoming day arrived, my older sister and mom loaded the truck and trailer with hay and set off for Virginia. Seven hours later, “BEEP BEEP”, the truck rested in the driveway with a swaying trailer in tow. I ran down to the barn to give my horse, Riot, a pep talk.
“Your new roommate is here!” I screeched. “Just don’t step on him, he’s little.”
As I ran back up the hill, the trailer's tiny passenger door swung open, exposing a snout hanging six inches from the ground.
“OH MY GOSH!” I exclaimed. “I had no idea he was THAT small!” I squatted to the ground to get a better look at him. His hairy little head swiveled to face me, showing his worried eyes and tired expression. I crept toward him, still squatting, keeping our eye contact. As soon as I got close enough, he stretched out his neck, pressed his nostril against my knee, and sneezed. He shook his head as snot went flying through the air toward me. I fell back onto the pavement with a yelp. When I got my bearings back, I sat up and looked at him. His expression deepened into a sort of apology. I crept closer to him once more as he rested his head in my hands.
Poncho’s next hurdle to cross was exiting the trailer he so reluctantly entered. This would be an easy task since he hates that box on wheels. I was surprisingly wrong. He resisted as he pulled and yanked at the leadline countering my mom’s weight. Something must have persuaded him because in an instant, he darted with a heroic leap out of the trailer landing on the pavement with legs spread.
Once he got his footing on the slippery pavement, he lifted his snout as high as it would go, which was only about four feet, and took a mighty inhale. He realized he was no longer at Grandma’s farm with the sheep, llamas, and chickens. Does he know how far he has traveled today? But he is staying for good! I reassured myself as I smiled and watched him explore his new home.
After he thoroughly investigated the black pavement and surrounding vehicles, his ears followed by his head, jerked up. Riot whinnied a boisterous sound.
“He is saying hello… I hope” I reassured Poncho. He wasn’t paying much attention to me though. His entire body pointed in the direction of the noisy horse as he trotted down the hill to the barn. He could not yet see Riot but they were already holding a full conversation! It sounded like a full orchestra of whinnies and neighs in different tones and pitches. A constant stream of noise came from both horses until their eyes met.
Riot has never seen a miniature horse before… Right? As I pondered, he leapt backwards as if to gasp and say, “What is this creature you have brought to my home?” He lowered his head and cautiously stepped towards the newbie. Poncho had lived with horses before so he wasn’t shocked at all at the giant in front of him. The two met face to face with a second of intense staring followed by a few sniffs, a squeal, and off they went! They walked side by side through the pastures to find a shady place to munch on grass. They became instant friends.
In the following days, Riot helped Poncho continue to explore his new home. Poncho was adjusting well but there was one last obstacle before he was free to roam: bath time. To our knowledge, he had never received a bath in his life. We knew it was going to be a challenging process but it needed to be done. He was matted with dirt and smelled like a wet dog.
“Today is the day!” I shouted as I skipped down the hill to the barn. I put Poncho’s halter on and led him out of the barn and up to the deck. As my mom prepared the hose and soap, Poncho was naively grazing in our backyard. He was clueless as to what was about to happen.
“Ready?” Mom asked and she held the head of the hose. I nodded to her as she pulled the trigger of the hose and aimed it at Poncho’s rear. As soon as the cold water met his back, he kicked out his little legs and let out a long squeal. I yelled at my mom to stop so I could regain control. I held on to his halter tighter this time as she squirted him again. This time he took off in the opposite direction of us, practically dragging me across the grass headed anywhere but in the hose’s direction.
I regained control for a second time and crouched down next to him and whispered, “We are only trying to help!” He had a sense of relief in his eyes as I scratched the middle of his forehead. I had my mom squirt him again while I was at his eye level. He flinched at the initial shock but then calmed down. As I looked into his big brown eyes, I realized that being on his eye level calmed him down. Poncho doesn’t know how to look up at you so he would stare at your legs which is impersonal and rude. By crouching down to his level, he saw me as a person instead of two moving sticks in boots.
I sat in the grass with Poncho as he dried off, watching him graze in the yard. He is a quirky little guy who just wants to be loved, I thought as I admired his valiant efforts. We made a connection during his bath as he trusted me with his life. Ever since that day, me and my little Poncho have been best friends.
