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"Alright ma'am. Here are the papers you're to sign before you can see your new pony." said a balding man, pressing several sheets of stark white paper into my hands. Along with the forms he offered me a pen, flashing me a small, business-like smile. I ducked my head quickly before resting the paper onto the desk. I scanned all of the words, something about "You must care for this animal properly" and "if proper care is not given your pony will be stripped from your ownership and readopted to someone who will provide proper housing, food and care." I rapidly scribbled my name where it asked for a signature on all of the papers.
"Okay, uh." I said, returning the forms. "Is there a specific place I'm to go?" I inquired, trying my best to be polite. The man glanced at me and gave me a brisk nod.
"Correct." He handed me a small scrap of yellow paper. "That number is the number of the animal that has been assigned to you."
"Thank you!" I said, fighting back my excitement. I turned and unfolded the bit of paper. "Number 90." I murmured to myself, shoving the object into the pocket of my jeans. I sprang into a walk, wanting so badly to race along the ailses of equines. But I knew I could not, as such an action would frighten the ponies.
86, 87, 88, 89... and there he was.
Number 90.
My pony.
I made my way to the stall, heart pounding wildly. The creature within was a stallion, his coat thick with mud, mane tangled with filth. He was turned away from me, munching on his hay, oblivious to the world around him. I could tell he'd once been a beautiful animal, but now he was so malnourished it was difficult to tell. I would make him beautiful once more, make him feel loved. I spoke softly, not wishing to startle him. "Hey boy," I said. Slowly, his head raised. He turned about, facing me. The stallion's eyes were a very clear blue that at once reminded me of glass or even a still lake, possibly a cloudless, clear sky. His calm air did not last long, however, for he backed up quickly, pinning his rump to the stall. His eyes were afire with fear. "Hey, easy, I won't hurt you."
They told me he hadn't been abused, just abandoned. But it was possible that the stallion remembered who'd locked him in the pasture with dozens of other equines. Besides, he'd been alone so long he no longer trusted humans. Maybe he'd never fully trusted his owner to begin with?
The stallion let out a tiny, soft nicker, calming slightly. "That's it boy." I whispered. "Nice and calm. I wouldn't ever hurt any animal."
Our meeting was interrupted, however, for a short, stout woman walked up to us. "Ma'am, would you like to load him now?" She had a slight smirk on her face, as though she'd heard me talking to the stallion and though me an insane lunatic. I immediately took a disliking to her. The stallion was obviously not very fond of her either, for he snorted, tossed his head wildly, and pinned his ears upon seeing her.
It was a struggle to keep the bitterness I felt from entering my voice. "Yes, I suppose now would be okay." I exited the barn, reluctant to leave the woman alone with my new pony. He obviously disliked her, just the same as I did- we already had something in common, at least.
Once I'd backed my trailer in so that I could load him, I sprang out and vanished within the rescue center. I quickly made my way to the stallion's stall, horrified at the sight before me. The woman who'd been so sour to me was yelling at the pony, waving and screaming in an attempt to force him out of the stall. He was terrified and rearing, flailing his front hooves wildly at the woman, occasionally bucking.
"Stop it," I hissed. "Leave the poor thing alone." The female halted her actions. "He's mine. The stallion is mine, and I want you to leave him alone." The woman rolled her eyes.
"Have fun loading him." she spat at me.
"I'll bet I can load him better by myself than you could with all of the helpers aiding you." I snarled in return, entering the stall. The stallion was still scared and very evidently nervous. To my surprise he calmed down instantly when I entered the stall. "Hey there sweetheart," I murmured. "Yeah. That mean lady won't ever touch you or be near you ever again." I told him. Those clear eyes fixed on me, brimming with curiosity, ears flicking forward as I talked. I smiled and gently raised my palm. He backed up suddenly, only going several inches before he halted and moved forward once more. "I won't hurt you. That's what I can promise." I whispered. A huge grin spread across my face as I felt the stallion's warm breath against my outstretched hand. He then proceeded to nudge my hand gently. "How about we get you home?" I asked. I slowly crept towards the open door that led outside and then to my trailer. I was astounded greatly when I heard the dull sound of hoofbeats following me. The cremello stallion was pursuing me, wary despite his curiosity. I was stunned into shocked silence. It seemed impossible that a wild creature would already trust me enough to follow me. I stepped up into the metallic trailer, to see how he would react. Much to my astonishment, he walked up to the edge of the immense object, but he did not jump into it; instead he skittered away, fearful of the white trailer. "Hey boy," I tried once more. The cremello danced away further. Yet I had a secret weapon: grain.
I retrieved the scoop of grain I'd brought along for this exact purpose, giving it a gentle shake. The stud's ears pricked up, and, slowly, he approached. Peculiar as it was, I realized that the mud on his coat was dried solid, rock-hard. I felt so bad for all of these ponies, and was so pleased that they were all given a second chance. I dumped a small portion of the grain onto the floor of the trailer and a sudden movement from the right caught my eye. I glanced over in that direction and saw my pony munching up the grain, seeming to inhale it from where I'd scattered it on the floor of the trailer.
I was amazed at this little pony. One so wild and untrusting of humans, already seeming to trust me. I emptied what remained of the feed farther back, into one of the buckets I had within the trailer, hoping to lure him into it. "Come here boy," I cooed, stepping farther into the trailer. He warily placed a hoof into the mouth of the trailer, startled by the dull thud that resounded from the action. "Easy boy." He approached once more, this time jumping in awkwardly. I chuckled, allowing him the rest of the grain. I quickly stepped from the trailer before shutting the doors behind me with utmost care, not wanting to scare the stallion once more.
This little pony was my summer soldier, I thought. Summer soldier, I thought once more. Summer Soldier was the perfect name for him. "Now for a call name; soldier. A soldier is a defender..." A tiny, lopsided grin passed my features.
"Titan. That's it."
It'd been around three days since the cremello stallion had been introduced to his new home. Despite the fact that he'd been slightly trusting of me, he still disliked to be looked at or touched.
When I'd pulled into my gravel driveway, horse trailer in tow, I had heard the cremello let out a sharp cry. My eyes opened wide and I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal, grateful that we were near the stables where my horses were kept.
Oh God, I thought.
He's injured himself. I leaped from my truck, silver door hanging ajar behind me, and raced frantically to the doors of my trailer. With shaking fingers, I fumbled for the latch, heart racing wildly within my chest. I then flung them open with strength I hadn't known I'd possessed, expecting some horrifying sight. But Titan simply gazed back at me, slightly confused. I slumped with relief against the door, sighing as I did so. I then began to chuckle at the way I'd overreacted slightly. Thinking quickly, I decided I'd better hurry up and unload the stallion before he did truly injure himself.
"C'mon boy," I cooed, stepping away from the trailer. Titan was currently pinned as far back as he could possibly go, pawing the floor of his metal prison wildly. He then stomped a single hoof, baring his teeth. I chuckled, sensing that he did not truly mean any of it. "It's alright Titan, I won't hurt you."
This continued for around thirty minutes, until suddenly Dex, my other stallion, let out a whinny. Titan froze, gaze locked in the direction the greeting had come from. His ears swiveled forward, his eyes sparked afire with excitement, and he returned it. With what appeared to be little fear, and simply curiosity, he walked to the front of the trailer. He sprang down with ease and trotted forward, searching for the pony.
Before he could escape, I quickly fastened the gate behind me, expecting Titan to wander right in. However, just before he reached it, he slammed to a halt and lowered his head. Nostrils flaring, the cremello stallion began to nibble lightly at the blanketing of straw that carpeted the floor of his stall. Curiously, he raised his head once more, slowly taking one more step as he continued a thorough investigation of his new home. I was growing slightly impatient, noticing the thick storm brewing towards the north, but then reminded myself of something:
At least he wasn't panicking or fighting.All at once, Titan vanished inside, tail flicking nonchalantly. I quietly peered inside from the doorway, watching Titan with amusement. He'd strode over to the hay manger. Rather than eating it, the stallion was blowing air from his nostrils and watching little strands of the hay go skittering about. He appeared to be entertaining himself. I was eager to see what he'd do with the grain I'd left in a bucket, dangling from the set of bars, but at that very moment a violent clap of thunder rocked the sky. Titan slammed into the wall of his stall, calm to frantic in less than 5 seconds. The cremello stallion wheeled in my direction, and suddenly all I could think of was my death: being trampled to death by a terrified pony.
Bad idea, bad idea, I thought, paralyzed by fear.
The stallion didn't trample me, instead racing forward and nudging me into the shelter of his stall. Outside, it began to hail, violent bits of frozen water striking the earth relentlessly. Moments after he'd taken me inside, Titan returned to a wild, scared pony. I quickly shut him inside and exited the stall, amazed with him.
He would do nicely here, what with his ability to entertain himself; not to mention he and Dex seemed to get along well.
Was the incident that occurred really reality, or simply a dream I'd conjured up?
Knowing that I'd need to have Titan's trust in order to have a strong bond with him (and in order to train him,) I'd taken to spending far more time in the stables with him and Dex. Nearly every day, I would awaken at first light and head straight to the barn, where I would groom Dex, talking all the while to Titan and the appaloosa.
Gradually, over time, Titan began to grow used to the sound of my quiet murmuring and thus my voice. Once that obstacle was passed, I took to spending time near Titan's stall, humming softly. I left small tidbits of sugary treats in his grain bucket, anything from apple slices to peppermints. One night I ate at an Asian-style restaurant; they would offer free buttercream mints in a small wire basket at the front desk. Out of sheer curiosity I took a handful, stuffing it into my pocket, images of the pale rescue pony floating into my mind. "He might like them. If he doesn't, I guess Dex will." A woman, who happened to be rather close to me, eyed me curiously. The look in her eyes seemed to scream "Lunatic."
The moment I arrived home, I exited my truck and entered the stables, pulling out one of the smooth, white mints before entering Titan's stall. Still wary of me, Titan backed up uncertainly, refusing to give in to his curiosity. "Hey there Titan. I brought you some mints." I gently tore into the crinkly wrapper, watching as Titan began to succumb to his curious nature. I set the spherical treat into the palm of my right hand and gently offered it to the pony. Slowly he dared to come near, ears pricked, blue eyes watching both me and the mint. Nostrils flared, taking in the scent of this strange treat. And slowly, ever so slowly, the pale pony snatched it up within his teeth, chewing it delicately.
He seemed to want more, so I offered him two more of the buttercream mints. There really wasn't any harm in it; he couldn't gain too much weight from two mints, could he? He was underweight anyway. Then, like Titan had dared to take the treat from me, I dared to pet the cremello. Uncertainty was evident in his wary blue eyes, but he did not flinch as my fingers brushed his shoulderblade. With the pat came another mint. I realized that, whereas I had been scared to enter his pen a couple of weeks ago, I no longer felt that fear. Just trust was all that remained.
As I gazed into the pools of endless blue, I saw the same trust miraculously reflected back at me.
The past few days had been bitterly cold, dreary, and damp. The chill that clung to the air like fog was the kind that crept into your bones and refused to let go, no matter how many blankets you piled on top of yourself or how many jackets or coats you pulled on. It was Tuesday afternoon when the temperatures were very high, skyrocketing into the 90s. Since the sun was out, it was hot, and Titan was still filthy, I thought it would be perfect to bathe him for the first time.
In preparation for that, I had purchased special shampoo designed specifically for lighter colored horses and a sponge as well as a mane and tail comb. Since Titan seemed to dislike tougher bristled brushes like the ones I generally used, I had also picked up several softer ones and a rubber curry comb. My other hose was beaten up and torn in several places; nothing major, but just enough to be annoying. I had invested in a new hose as well. "It better hold up," I'd said, gazing at it in the store.
"Titan." I said, letting out a small whistle. "C'mere boy." The cremello stallion trotted up to me, ears forward, tail swishing. I moved quickly, haltering the stallion. I had recently halter trained* him, and he had taken to it like a turtle to water. I walked confidently out of my barn, heading for the small square of concrete where I would give Titan his first bath. I tethered my stallion to the bar of metal and stepped back, gently retrieving the hose. In a small plastic bucket were the supplies I'd need in order to wash Titan; the shampoo, the fairly small sponge, the mane and tail comb, and the curry comb.
I halted where I was, hose in hand, gazing at my stallion. He was still relatively skinny, skinnier than I wished him to be, but I knew that soon he would be healthy and be the proper weight for a pony. "You're definitely one of the filthiest ponies I've ever seen." I said, turning on the water. I was careful to turn it on the lowest amount of pressure, knowing that Titan would most likely begin to rear and buck at the water's cool touch. The hose seemed to come alive as it filled with water, the translucent liquid beginning to patter against the hard concrete surface.
Sure enough, the moment Titan saw and heard the water, he let out an ear-piercing shriek, stomped a single hoof, and launched into a fit of panic. He tossed his head wildly, sending bits of dried mud careening through the air. Titan crow-hopped slightly, hooves slamming into the concrete. "Hey now, easy Titan!" I exclaimed, shutting off the flow of water. "Easy boy." Now backed into a corner, Titan watched the hose as though it were a deadly rattlesnake, poised and ready to strike. "Easy there Titan," I said, grabbing the hose once more. Titan pinned his ears flat against his head, warily pawing the ground. In one last fluid movement I advanced forward, dragging the hose along with me. I raised the object close to Titan, holding it still as I could. "See boy, it won't hurt you." Reluctantly, Titan nosed the plastic-y material of the hose, sending it to the ground where it landed with a dull
thud. Titan, looking somewhat triumphant, raised his head and inched back to the original position he had been in. I tried once more. I would wash Titan even if took all day.
Once more, the hose came to life, filled with water. The cool liquid gushed from one end, and, with extreme caution, I targeted Titan's withers and began to rinse what dirt I could off. At first Titan shied away but once he realized that no, the water wasn't going to eat him and no, the hose was not a vicious, sentient being, he accepted it, obviously relaxing while the cold water washed over his body. I rinsed as much dirt as I possibly could from Titan's soiled coat before I shut the flow of water off.
Plastic bottle filled with a bright purple liquid in hand, I moved up to the stallion. I poured a considerable amount of the syrup-like shampoo into my hand. I then began to gently lather the shampoo into Titan's coat, whistling away as I did so. Before long, the purple substance became a dirty brown, signifying to me that it needed rinsed out.
This process continued methodically for around an hour, and still Titan was slightly dirty; I had scrubbed his coat, mane, legs, and tail, but still his face remained, crusted with a mask of dirt. I retrieved the sponge, added a bit of water to it, and gently rubbed the dirt away, washing the horse like I might a human infant. I heaved a sigh and rinsed the sponge clean, stepping back to admire my now clean pony.
I left Titan at the wash rack for a good twenty minutes to allow him time to dry, keeping an eye on him. Once I was certain he was no longer wet, I headed outdoors once more, patting Titan on the shoulder. "Great job today, Titan."
Titan looked at me and seemed to say, "That was fun. Can we do it again?"
*I will be doing the fun task with the halter and lead rope, however I must complete the important tasks first.
The following day after I had bathed my cremello stallion, I knew it was time to take him to the veterinary clinic. This said clinic was at the far end of my town. Granted, I could have gone to someone closer, but the vets that worked here were the ones I trusted most. I had also helped out my aunt at the same building when I was slightly younger, and the same staff were still here. So, the moment the sun was at its peak, I loaded Titan up into the trailer and headed out.
I had scheduled an appointment last week, wanting desperately for my stallion to be examined. Though I knew a lot about horses, I was hardly a professional and knew I would rather be safe than sorry.
Pulling in to the clinic, I quickly found a suitable place to park my trailer before I got out, spotting the vet. I strode up to him, returning his warm smile. "Hello there Matthew," I said, folding my arms across my chest.
"Hello. Please bring your pony in here," he gestured to the wide building they often used to examine horses and ponies, "and I can examine him for ya." I nodded my head to show I understood. Making my way back to the trailer, I unlatched it quickly and led my horse out. With Titan following me at a respectable distance, I headed into the building, quickly placing him into the small stall-like contraption they used to confine the horses at a safe distance. I tied the lead rope and drew back, looking to the vet.
Matthew moved forward, giving Titan a quick pat on the shoulder. "So, this is Titan, eh?" he asked, observing the cremello.
"Yup," I said. "He's a rescue pony."
Matthew nodded. "I can tell." While he spoke, the vet was examining Titan's teeth. I was pleased with how cooperative he was being. "The teeth look alright, but one of his molars is chipped." he said.
I swallowed nervously, feeling nerves begin to take over.
"How bad?"
"Not very. It's nothing to worry about, truly," he spoke confidently, seeing my nervous gaze. "I just thought you would like to know."
"Oh," I said, letting out a chuckle that was more relief than humor.
Matthew continued. "He is underweight for a horse, and his hooves are very long."
"Yes, I know." I felt a pang of annoyance lance through me. I was getting tired of people endlessly telling me Titan was underweight. I knew his hooves were bad as well. The farrier was coming out in two days' time to take care of his feet. "Is there anything I can feed him that might help him put on the needed weight?" I asked, glancing at Titan.
Matthew looked thoughtful. "I would recommend simply giving him a scoop of grain every night. Maybe increase the amount of hay he receives each day, but just slightly. And be sure not to give him too many sugars."
I glanced sheepishly at the ground, trying to hide my pinkening cheeks. "Alright. I can definitely do that. Now, about vaccinations..." I began.
"Here, hold on, I want to examine him further." Matthew said. I nodded and watched the veterinarian as he worked. He worked deftly, swiftly, and gently, so much so that Titan did not seem to mind him. He ran his hands along Titan's hooves, over his legs, withers, neck, and gently checked his head. "Other than his underweight condition, your horse is in fine health." he said. "As for vaccines, I would honestly say he has never been vaccinated in his life. I would recommend vaccinating him for the following conditions." Matthew listed a vast list of illnesses that Titan should be vaccinated for. It seemed ridiculously long and I doubted I could afford all of it.
"Well, I-"
"You should actually vaccinate him in increments with the more fatal things first. Come back on occasion for the shots." he stated, placing a hand on my shoulder. "There's no way you'd be able to afford all of them in one sitting, and it wouldn't be safe for the pony."
"Alright." I stated.
I ended up vaccinating Titan for just three things: strangles, equine influenza, and tetanus that day. In an undecided period of time he would return once more for the vaccinations.
I was content that he had a clean bill of health, unless you counted his weight and the fact he had had no vaccinations in his entire life until today.
Titan was noticeably improving, even in a couple of days. I had been more than willing to follow the vet's recommendations and, in doing so, was pleased with the results.
The scheduled appointment with my chosen farrier dawned in what seemed to be no time, and with it came a nervous ball of energy. Dozens of thoughts worried me, tying my stomach in knots and causing me to act without truly thinking.
What if he kicks the farrier?What if Titan stomps the man? What if he kicks out when he is being shod and hurts himself or the farrier, or what if both?And so it continued. What if, what if, what if... But they were all big ifs. "Stop worrying," I hissed at myself through gritted teeth. "The only time you've seen him ever kick at all was when he reared up at the woman." I had entered the barn while telling myself this, and was greeted by a quiet nicker from Titan. I made my way up to his pen, smiling as I did so. "Hey there Titan." At his name, his ears swiveled forward. I gently rubbed his velvety muzzle, smiling when the pony leaned in to my touch. After he'd been petted, I grabbed his halter and lead and fastened them on, leading him from the stables. The stallion followed behind me, curious blue eyes sparkling in the morning sunlight.
I tethered the stallion to a sturdy wooden fence post sheltered by a small cluster of trees and glanced to the driveway, waiting for the farrier to arrive in his deep blue pickup truck. Whilst I waited, I untangled Titan's mane and tail with my fingers, working out the snarls slowly and gently. After about fifteen minutes, I heard the unmistakable crunch of tires against gravel and raised my gaze. Titan did the same, ears perking up upon sighting the vehicle.
"G'morning," the farrier greeted cheerily, smiling brightly at me.
"Good morning." I said in response, returning the grin. "It's a lovely day."
"Sure is." The man now had his supplies, everything that was most likely needed for my pony. Today, Titan was not going to be shod; his hooves would just be trimmed and cleaned.
"Yes. He's my rescue." I told him.
"I see. Has he ever been shod before?" I shook my head in response, watching as the man began to gently stroke Titan.
"Actually, I truly do not know. He could have, but I don't think he has."
"Mmm," the man grunted, seemingly in response to my words. "Well, he seems nice enough. D'you think he'll kick?"
"I don't think so. He's never kicked me, at least." And, gently, the farrier bent over and lifted one of Titan's front hooves. Confused, the cremello stallion lowered his head and butted the farrier's hand gently. The man held fast, gently yet firmly. He then cradled the hoof between his legs and reached for his hoof pick and began to scrape dirt and filth from it. "Dang, his hooves are bad."
"Tell me about it," I said, fighting back a sigh.
And there we have it, the millionth time someone's either told me he was underweight or his hooves were bad. The farrier continued the same process for the remaining three hooves before he retrieved his rasp and ran it along the edges, smoothing the hoof and shortening it at the same time. It took him just twenty minutes for him to complete his task, with Titan all the while standing calmly but confusedly at the post. "Annnddd we are... done." Returning all of his supplies to their rightful spot, the farrier shook my hand with a smile. "That's a real good pony you got, miss. Never seen anything like him 'afore."
"Thank you very much," I called to him as he drove away.
I had figured that Titan wouldn't mind his hooves trimmed too much, and he seemed to noticed the difference. Whereas his hooves had been long and what I assumed was uncomfortable, they were a suitable length and they were clean.
I chuckled to myself, thinking that the name "Summer Soldier" seemed a bit too burly for such a calm little pony. But hey, at least it sounded cool and fit the whole "warrior" theme Titan seemed to have.
Due to Titan's lack of proper care before the agency or I had stumbled upon him, I had purchased medicated feed for him. I had also searched around for the best quality hay I could find, selecting one from someone I knew very well that was very high in fiber as well as somewhat fresh. I'd thanked them warmly before I placed it in the pony's stall, adding a medium-sized blue bucket filled with the medicated feed and a bit of grain.
Though I knew horses were generally not supposed to have extreme amounts of sugar, I'd slipped a couple of peppermints in there as well. Daily, I placed a sugar cube or two into Titan's hay bin or his bucket. He would then go searching for them, sifting through the hay like a child through toys, nosing in his bucket eagerly.
Occasionally I would come out to the barn and offer Titan a handful of his favorite grain, sometimes a piece of horse candy, or maybe another sugar cube. Once I had found out he had a particular favoring for buttercream mints, I'd ordered a large box off the internet and taken a liking to feeding him them whenever we did work together. Once he had begun to put on the needed weight, I would stop giving him so much, though of course he would be sure to get a buttercream mint if he did good that day.
Eventually, with proper care and love, Titan was soon happy, healthy, and in high spirits. Though he'd been happy from the moment he'd arrived at my stables, he seemed to have gained a bit more bubbly-ness to his personality. I had loved having a rescue more than I could have ever possibly imagined, and it made me content to know he'd been offered a second chance- and I'd given it to him.
Here <3If you're wondering why the drawing does not contain pupils, it is because I felt I could not properly draw them. c:
(Also my real name starts with an 'I' which is why it's signed with one c:)
