Oh, Little Bo. How do you say goodbye to one of the best ponies in the world?
Little Bo has been a staple of our pony barn and Bug Club children's program since his arrival here 3 years ago. He had already earned the title of amazing pony as he was a safe and loving kids' pony. He came to us after a vet determined he was suffering from starvation and unmanaged Cushings even though his owners had tried many things. They asked us to help and we were happy to do so!
Little Bo was the perfect size Shetland pony and pretty much everything you think of when you think of "pony". He could be sweet and loving and then sassy and full of character. He would gladly spend hours with kids and follow them around and then turn around and pull them across the yard to the absolute best blade of grass. He tolerated absolutely everything - from being wrapped up like a Mummy for Halloween, to dressing up like Santa, to meeting and working with countless kids through the Bug Club.
Bo spent this summer with a special friend who will be missing him more than we can all imagine. Grace came out several times and worked with him, and would always at least lead him around and groom him. She even got to take him to the Bug Club Open Show where they rocked! Lots of extra thoughts for Bo's young best friend, and all the kids that he impacted who will be hurting at his (and Mona's) loss.
Bo leaves a HUGE hole in our pony pen, and his big empty stall is a daily reminder of what we have lost. We're already reeling from losing Mona and Raven last week, and are absolutely crushed at losing Bo too. However, when looking for the perfect photos to share to capture his personality and everything we loved about him, we were reminded that this summer he spent quite a bit of time with Raven, who he truly adored. We know she was the first one to greet him, and I guess she needed him in our sky herd waiting in greener pastures more than we did.
We can only hope that in time, Little Bo will send us the perfect pony to step into his shoes, one who needs us as much as we need him. But for now, we need time to heal our hearts.