One on One with Dixie Chick at Equifest

When I was 10 years old and showing a 16.2h behemoth of a school horse named "Bullwinkle" white ponies were my nemesis. In the Childrens Hunters I was safely sequestered from their evil cuteness, but the equitation ring offered no protection from their adorable guiles. Suited in jods and paddocks - with a mushroom helmet but no garters - and mounted on a large-headed chestnut freight train with a double-twisted wire for protection, Bullwinkle and I were no match for tiny girls in tiny bows and tiny jods appropriately mounted on tiny, solid white ponies. Even if The Moose and I did manage to pull together a halfway respectable trip the subconscious "cute points" earned by pricked ears, a bounding step, and a much more impressive effort over 2'6" fences was unbeatable. There were of course no fewer than six adorable white ponies that cruised our Circuit for what seemed centuries. Each of them could navigate any course in our mainstay North Arena with their eyes closed. They were the Evil White Ponies. Of course it's clear now that by "evil" I meant "ridiculously appropriate" (and by "white" I meant "grey", for you color sticklers), because that's exactly what these ponies were. As confirmed show mounts they went in the ring a laid down the same winning trip every day. They stood by idly, yawning and cocking their weight from one hind leg to the other as they waited for the jog. They were far easier for a 10 year old girl weighing 65 lbs soaking wet to groom, get on, stop, turn, sit, etc. when compared to my Megabeast. They were exactly what a young, learning rider should be mounted on, and that's why they won. I can see this now of course, though I still believe the white ones get even MORE "cute points". And it's good to see they're still out there. We have a couple listed and I had the chance to catch up with white pony veteran "Dixie Chick" late this summer at the Equifest Horse Show at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL . . . . To read the remainder of this article with plenty more details and photos of sale pony Dixie Chick please click here.