Lessons From My Pony 1 My first lesson was learned the first day I met Hillie. Her owner had told me she was a small, unruly pony that didn't really inspire confidence despite looking the part of child's best friend. "Chocolate Box Pony" were the words used to describe her. We got her ready, and since her owner seemed worried about how she might behave (I don't think she'd been ridden for months) I was put on the lead rein, despite being a fairly competent rider. Within a quarter mile of setting off I hit the deck, all bones and body parts intact but pride mildly dented, as the orange devil pony darted off between gorse bushes up the icy path my cheap jodhpur boots couldn't get purchase on. Her owner managed to catch her and, if she was worried I wouldn't want to ride her anymore, she didn't show it. I jumped back on and we met my mum and her husband later, mum quickly catching sight of the big wet patch on my jodhpurs. Lessons learned: sit up when going down hills, particularly on short-necked ponies Don't judge a book by its cover, especially in the case of small cute ginger ponies. In hindsight; trust your gut, cause sticking with that pony is one of the best things I ever did.