Though pony ownership is every little girl’s dream, to this very day it remains a bit of a mystery to me as to how my own family ended up fulfilling it. Sure, every kid has dreams, but one thing I learned early on was that a dreamer was sure to be disappointed.

Ours was not one of those, “Darling, be a good girl and daddy will buy you a pony” kind of families. It was not a family of shiny leather and acres of well-manicured equestrian paradise, paddocks and riding crops and golden sunshine shafting through the haze of sawdusty air.

*cue Horse Whisperer soundtrack*

Robert Redford. That is all.

Hang on… I’m stuck in a Robert Redford moment….

(Umm… where was I again?)

My family was more like, “Pony dreams are for rich girls – does your daddy look like he plays Polo?” My family was more, “beer in…