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Diamonds & Rust
Diamonds & Rust
It occurred to me that it's unfair that I have this great webpage dedicated to my dog, CC, but I neglected to honor my beloved pony, Rusty. I met Rusty when I was 11 years old. My mom asked me which pony I wanted to lease for the summer. I think she was hoping that leasing a pony for me would keep me out of her hair. I had a choice of two ponies; Rusty, and a chestnut named Bubba.
Bubba was sweet enough, but he was kind of a mutt. He was put together like a jalopy and moved like a sewing machine. Besides, my riding coach used him all the time for her classes and I knew I'd have to share him. Rusty didn't get used as much, plus he was a purebred Appaloosa. I also liked Rusty's independent personality. He was sort of like a cat. He appreciated attention, but he could take it or leave it, to tell you the truth, unless you were offering food of some sort.
After I made my choice, Rusty became my 12th birthday present. I'm sure my parents thought it would just be for the summer, but I got so involved with taking care of Rusty and spent so much time at the barn that the summer lease turned into a year-round lease. I soon became pretty much Rusty's only rider, mainly because he was so stubborn and slow that the other kids didn't like riding him. He was quiet enough for beginners, but it was hard for them to get him to do anything. The advanced riders wanted a more willing mount. So Rusty was pretty much mine, all mine.
At our first district horse show, which took place five days before my 13th birthday, Rusty and I surprised everyone by winning first place in the hunter pleasure ponies over fences class (this was after he refused a couple of fences while we were schooling). We took home a beautiful blue ribbon and a sack of grain. My parents had snuck a birthday cake along to the show, so after our big win, we enjoyed cake. The following year, my parents surprised me again by buying Rusty for me for my 14th birthday. I thought their purchase was pretty generous, since my parents are not exactly horse people!
By the time I graduated high school, we had won over 200 ribbons together, including two state reserve championships, a district championship, and a district reserve championship in two divisions. In 1988, we also won the high point award for our division in the Peninsula Horse Show Association, as well as the 1988 local equitation award. This was at a time when my self esteem was not at its highest, so these awards meant a lot to me. Rusty kept me out of trouble when I was in high school. I graduated without ever having had so much as a speeding ticket. In fact, I rarely even dated because I was always preparing for a show or a foxhunt!
When it came time for me to go to college, Rusty was 21 years old and still in pretty good shape. I didn't want to sell him because I wanted to be sure he would have good treatment for the rest of his life. I found a nice lady with a beautiful farm who was willing to take care of him while I was in college. She cared for him until he had to be put down at age 24, due to moonblindness. The sad thing is, had he not gone blind, he might have enjoyed many more years. He was still technically very healthy. But the moonblindness was very painful and irreversable, and it was dangerous for him to walk around unable to see. I felt it was kindest to let him go.
I'll never forget that wonderful pony! I hope he's somewhere in heaven, enjoying all the clover, apples, carrots, and sweet feed he can eat in a nice big, sunny, breezy pasture.
