So Bruno has gone to his new home with a little girl who loves him to tiny fragments. This may be wonderful for Bruno and his little girl, but it is a little sad for this little girl who loved him to tiny fragments too. Bruno is one of those horses that changed me forever, and through his totally uneventful training process, God saved my confidence, my business, and a great source of my pleasure all in one go.

Never forgotten, little buddy. God go with you. ❤

Thankfully, the awesome thing about schooling and reselling ponies is that when you sell one, you get to buy another one and start all over again. Meet the tiniest pony on the farm, with the longest name: Morning Star Touch of Gold. Midas to his (many) friends.

Midas has been at the yard for quite a while now. I saw him advertised on one of the Facebook groups and liked the look of him but had no cash; when his owner contacted me offering him for free, I could no more resist than fly, and he came home in short order. He is a little smaller than I like at just under 13.1hh, but has everything else. Looks, movement, temperament and bloodlines.

He is by Arop Naka, and I love anything with “Arop” in front of its name. His grandsire on the Nooitie side is Waaksaam Staal, one of the most successful stallions in the breed today. His dam was a Welsh pony who jumped CA named Silver Mystic and he sure looks to have mommy’s pop over free jumps. Plus he is palomino, and the little girl who loves ponies that I still am deep down has always wanted a palomino pony. What’s not to love?

He was quite the baby when we brought him home in February, a rising three-year-old entire colt, so I left him in a field with the Group of Idiots (all colts or geldings, all under five years old – it was chaos) until he turned three. Then we gelded him, did his teeth, gave him his shots and brought him into work about a week ago. So far, he has impressed me greatly. His breeder did a stellar job with him; it is an absolute pleasure to be working with a youngster who has everything done except backing. He’s good to box, bath, blanket, tie up (OK, so he knows how to undo a knot…), groom, and have his feet done. Even stood quietly for his teeth, shots and microchop. He knew how to go around on a circle too, and it took only a few sessions to get three gaits off voice commands. Last week I popped his first bridle on him, which solicited some chewing and headshaking but this is improving every time he works.

I did some very minimal desensitising before putting on the roller, which was a total non-event, and then the saddle, which was also pretty boring. I think it won’t be long before I’m on his back, and then quite shortly we will inflict the latest Morning Star spectacle on the world: 13.1hh of palomino cuteness galloping through the adults’ classes with my legs waving around his knees.

Gotta love my calling. Glory to the King.