My Pony (Butt)

I have had a love-hate relationship with Butt, so nicknamed because of his behavior. His name is really Butterscotch Sundae. His name was Butterscotch when I bought him, but he's marked such that he reminds me of vanilla ice cream with butterscotch topping. He's technically a pony at 14 hands (1 hand = 4 inches, measured at the shoulder) and looks like a pony; so I thought "Butterscotch Sundae" was the quintessential name for him.

I shopped around for a new horse a couple of years ago; I had a good idea of what I wanted, with fairly well-defined decision criteria. I wanted a horse that would be used mostly for pleasure riding but potentially would be suitable for competing in local horse shows. Butt fit most of those criteria, but I really bought him because he was irresistibly cute, ignoring the fact that he was known to be intractable at times. He tends to be a bully -- I think because he's insecure. I'm pretty sure he was handled very roughly when he was young and he fears that he will be punished or hurt. Therefore, he's easily spooked, tends to move much too strongly, prefers fast to slow. He is getting better, however. A trainer and I have been working with him, when time permits, to build his confidence through more sensitive, more humane handling.

The story of my life: I fall for the really cute guy, even when I know he's not right for me!

But, his personality when he's not being bull-headed is cute, endearing. He charms women through flirtatious, oh-please-pay-attention-to-me behavior. He recognizes my truck when I start down the driveway toward his pasture. He waits at the gate for a snack and attention. If my dog, Dog, is in the back of the truck -- and when he's in the back of the truck he's almost always barking with joy, Butt notices us before we even reach the driveway. His head and then his ears go up. And he heads for the gate to meet us.

He teases, he's mischievous. He's impish. He has the expressions of an 8-year-old adorable kid who's accustomed to being the center of attention and learned that no matter the transgression, he's usually quickly forgiven. Catch Butt doing something bad, like nipping at a sleeve, and he has an undeniable "who me?" look on his face. Wanting attention sans scolding, he pushes his nose into my face or hand and looks at me with soulful eyes. I'm a pushover for this behavior in an animal, but usually not in humans! Everyone thinks Butt is cute, which helps assuage some of my frustration with his behavior, which is so much like that of an adolescent boy.

Butt has thrown me, he has given me much grief in general. Not long after I got him I asked my trainer to try to sell him -- but only to someone who could safely handle him and who would provide him a very good home. Because of his bull-headedness, I was afraid that he might (again) be mishandled and/or punished; I certainly didn't want that on my conscience! The right buyer didn't come along, and now I don't want to part with him. I love having a brightly colored, attention-getting horse, the first such horse I've ever owned. I love having a cute horse, and I've come to really like him. He's not mean, he's not bad; I'm pretty sure that his problems were caused by humans -- that he was initially in the hands of a quick-results, domineering trainer, who tried to subdue him. But some of his behavior is just pony behavior, it's who he is!