This week I visited Vero Equine Riding Academy to yap with Abby Walker, a mini-schnauzer who is operations and security manager for her Mom.
I was feeling energetic that morning ’cuz, for the first time in months, it was cool and breezy. I bet you felt that way, too, right? We drove up to this little farm, with stables, fenced pens and a ring with jumps. A bunch of young humans were saddling and riding horses. BIG horses. I gulped. I haven’t spent much time around horses and I was a teeny bit nervous. Then I remembered a picture my friend Chloe Meikle showed me, of her bumping noses with a horse, and she’s, like, half my size.
“Get hold of yourself!” I thought. “Remember WWRTTD! (What Would RinTinTin Do?)” Then this little black pooch comes flying up, skidding to a halt right in front of me. “Welcome to our barn, Mr. Bonzo! We’re all excited you’re here. I’m Abby. That’s my mom, Kelly, over there with the kids. C’mon, I’ll introduce ya around.”
And she ran toward the pens, by the trees. I took a breath and trotted after her. I liked the crunchy leaves under my paws. This was gonna be fun!
Abby called to a little grey donkey. “Yo, Jelly Bean! C’mon over. this is BONzo! Bonzo, meet Jelly Bean!”
“It’s a pleasure, Miss Bean!” I said. She giggled. I’m pretty sure it was a giggle.
“And this is Lambchop.” A black and white sheep was gazing at me.
“So you’re a writer. How interesting,” he said. “When you write your piece, please spell my name correctly. Remember the B. It’s silent.”
I assured him I would.
“Oh, yoohoo, Abby dear. Come, introduce us to your friend!”
Two smallish black pigs were looking at me in a friendly way, noses poking through the wooden slats. “I’m Bella, and this is my husband, Boris. Our piglets are all grown and gone now. it’s just the two of us, isn’t it, Boris dear?”
“Indeed it is, my lovely.” He turned to me. “Bella’s always been the Pig-of-my-Heart!”
I was touched. “I’m delighted to meet you both. You have a lovely place here.”
Abby introduced me to another plump pig, Lola, then to mini-horses Tucker and Angel. “When they got married,” Abby said, “we all dressed up and had carrot cake! Now let’s go meet the horses,” and she zipped back to the barn. “OK, Bonz,” I told myself. “You can do this!”
Abby fearlessly pranced up to the biggest horse I’d EVER seen. Abby didn’t even come up to her knees.
“Bonzo, meet my friend Princess. She’s a Percheron.“
I looked up into her big face. It was a kind face, I thought.
“How do you do, Miss Princess,” I croaked.
“Hello, young fella. Haven’t been around horses much, hav’ya?”
Apparently she’d noticed I was crouching, (well, cowering) with my tail tucked under.
“Ur … I … um …”
“No worries,” she laughed. I jumped. “l may be big, but there’s nothing to fear. The children love to ride me because I’m very gentle. They feel safe with me.”
Then she leaned waaay down and gave me a little nose bump. Her nose was very soft. And before I realized it, I had given her a nose bump back. It was one of those “Aha!” moments.
Abby’d been running around among the horses. She ran back to me, panting. “Gotta be sure they follow the rules. Oops, gotta go.”
Off she roared toward some chickens, who scattered as she blasted through them. As she flew by me again, I hollered, “’Scuse me, Miss Abby, I got a couple questions.”
She skidded to a halt and trotted back. “Sorry. I gotta watch these guys every second. I take my responsibility very seriously. So, whaddaya wanna know?”
“I’m dying to know how you got this cool job.”
“Mom never liked little mop dogs. And she totally didn’t want a puppy ’cuz puppies are a lotta work.”
I nodded.
“Then, her daughter Amanda saw me at a flea market. I was both a little mop dog and a puppy. She took a picture of me anyway, and showed it to Mom and my adorableness won! She went to the flea market the very next week and got me.
“I was only 10 weeks old, and she set me down right about where we’re standing. I took one look at all the animals, ran over to the farthest corner, and hid in the leaves. But after a couple days, it wasn’t scary anymore. And Mom needed me. So I Stepped Up and Took Charge. Hey, I have a Secret Talent. I sing! Wanna hear?”
“Sure!”
Abby ran to her Mom, jumped into her arms and yapped. Her Mom started singing “I Love you-ooooooooo.” Abby threw her head back and, out of her delicate little body came this big sound. “Owfff, owfff, ah-ROOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOO!!” It was great and I told her so.
Heading home, I remembered how everybody at the barn got along. Whinnies, woofs, oinks, baaas, clucks, fur, feathers, hair, hoofs, claws, paws – didn’t matter. I think there’s a lesson there.
Till next time,
The Bonz