Our family has had a lot of fun with gentle Brownie over the last ten years. She was the perfect horse for us Smucker children to handle as we learned how to act around horses. As small children we put a bridle on her and rode her around our farm. We also hooked her up to a small pony cart and drove her around the neighborhood.
My father tells me that when I was three and four years old I went out to the barn, put a rope loosely around Brownie' s neck and walked around the meadow with a pack on my back. Brownie and I went on many pretend journeys to fantastic places.
One Saturday afternoon when I was six years old, I quickly finished my household chores for the day and eagerly ran out to ask my father for permission to ride Brownie. Since he was working on the barn nearby he agreed. He helped me put on the bridle and then boosted me onto her back. He swung open the barn door and Brownie and I were on our way. I soon tried to nudge her into a trot but she was not eager to cooperate.
As I nudged harder she suddenly reared up on her hind legs and I fell off. As I was sliding off her back I started to scream. My father came out to find me on the ground laying beside Brownie who was lazily chewing a mouthful of grass. After I explained what had happened, my father stared in astonishment at Brownie because this type of behavior was very uncharacteristic of her. After that I was always more wary of how I treated her while riding her.
Other memories of Brownie are from our summer family reunions. I have a second cousin who lives in New York City and who shares my interest in horses. Every year when Rachel spends te reunion weekend on or farm, she and I give Brownie a "makeover". we pull her mane, braid and put ribbons in her tail, and trim her forelocks. It is the highlight of the reunion for us! After we are through, we saddle her up and show her off to the grown ups. It is always a memorable experience because the adults are impressed and make a fuss over us and Brownie.
Brownie is starting to show her old age. Her life now consists of roaming around the meadow on our farm. The meadow is a nice setting with plenty of large shade trees with a stream meandering through the middle. Occasionally we put her in her own pen in the evening to her extra feed, hay and some medicine to try to keep her healthy. We know she will not be with us for many more years but we want to be with her as long as possible.
