The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-02-27
MY PONIES.
BY ROBERT RICHARDSON.

One day when | had returned fr' m
school and was walking along the broad
gravel walk which led up to the house,
| was met hy George our cnachman, who
said:
Come round into the yard, Master
Robert, and you'll see something as
| please ye, | think"
| accompanied George to the Stale
yard, wondering not little what lie
could mean, but very soon discovered.
Standing before the stable-ya getting
his legs washed down by Mike, our boy,
| was beautiful little pony. His color
was light brown, his name short, and
what is called "hogged''-that is, stiff
and erect, from frequent close cropping
| and his tail long and bushy
"Oh, whose is he, Where did he come
from, George" exclaimed.
Its yours-yours and Master Jacks,
leastways. Your father bought him t.
day. Amt be a little beauCy"'
"Splerdidr cried. as walked round
| the pony, aud examined bIm from all
points, patting his back and stroking him
on the head
This was my first pony, and | need
not tell my young readers how much
| that means to boy, for perhaps no after
pleasure ever surpasses that experienced
in the possession of ones first pony. We
called him Tafiy My father gave him
the name and it seemed to tit him ex-
actly, though cannot quite say why, ex-
cept that he was brown, and compact,
and tough, and sturdy looking, and the
name seems to convey all this. He was
Shetland pony, and a capital specimen
OF his race. OF course he was small but
he was big enough Tor my brother and
myself at this time, when | was thirteen
and Jack not twelve.
We soon learned to ride Taffy. We
had large paddock for the COW, and
Jack and made our first attempt at
Craftsmanship here. OF course we got
some tumbles, but tumble off horse
of Tatfy $ size was not very dangerous
matter. The first time Jack fell off was
very laughable-it was so quietly done
on Tatiy's part. He walked gravely up
to low, bushy, tree, that grew in the
paddock, stopped his head with sud
den, quick jerk, and deposited Jack
among the branches, from which he
mbled down, a good deal tumbled |
and disordered as to his dress, aud with
a few scratches on face and hands. but
otherwise uuEarmed.
Taffy quickly became a prime iavorite |
aud pet with everybody. You see he
was not too big to make pet of. He |
WAS, on the whole docile and tractable,
but nevertheless he had some tricks, as
most p pnies have. There was not bit |
of vice about him, but one or two tricky |
ways lie did reveal. He had il frequent |
fashion OF rushing to one side of the road, |
so that If you We're riding along IA street
he would tIv IT, run you against the curb: !
or, III the conn1ry, if you dad not take
care, lie would canter SD close To fence
or heTse as to brush you az ,iust it. This
trick is not an unco nmon ona with
ponies, aid is diff ,ult to care if no. cor
rected early.
Another trick of Tally S was that, when
you we're mounting him. he would lift
one of his hind legs aud give you sly
stroke of more or less force With his
hoof. With strangers he almost always
tried this little mischief, and whenever
any of our friends were going to have a
ride on him, We had to warn them to
look out for Tafy's "IIoa dye do" If
wrcng side, as inexperienced persons
sometime did, he became quite FESTIVE
and frightened, rearing suddenly away
but many horses as well as ponies, Will
do this.
In time Taify became so d, c;lr ana
familiar lliau he Won Il eat cake or biscuit
from your hand We hid. at this time
IA very line tortoise shell "a; C HE'D NJ ,dye
Madge and Taity became great fiieni>.
and it was frequenr sight TO behold, On
entering the stable, The cat seated cozi "
on the pony's baci.
But the funnie, VI sight v as when Tafy
was turned loos il lie paddock. to STE
Mange jump Up "n ,:is II elk, v lille the
pony 2alnped rm al AMI round the ii, ID
think.
After awhile Taft became too 81. II
riding horse t"r my brother and myself
or | shout rather say grew too big
for him--s' We had to pant with him.
need hardly say Tat we were all very
sorry for this, but there was no help fer
it.
Our next pony was very good one
Barney we call d him-and served my
brother and me well and faithfully, but ,
we never had the same feeling in regard I
to him as to T ,ffy-not the same feeling ,
of familiarity and affection. This was ;
inevitable, for the sensation Of novelty
iii the possession of IA riding horse had
greatly worn of, before we got Barney. !
and we had come to look on the exercise
OF riding as thing of course
Many and many spl ndid ride had
on Birney-o,er breezy commons along :
the grassy base of the low hills near
which our house was situated, and over t
the smooth, hard, wet sands of the sea
shore.
One favoritc ride of mine was along the +
margin of large swamp, or morass,
about two miles distant from our house.
The surrounding landscape was perhaps
the finest galloping ground imaginable e
yery level the earth un6pr foot heinz at