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Back in 1978, when I was 12 and living in Middleton,
N.S., I received Hi Jack for Christmas. It was a complete
surprise, but I knew him; he was a school horse at the
Newcomb Farm in Wilmot, N.S. When I opened up one of
my Christmas presents it was a pie plate of cut-up apples
and carrots with a note saying, “You can feed this to your
hay burner named Hi Jack.” When we arrived at the barn he
was covered with ribbons and bows, and I cried and cried.
Sandra Symonds of Wolfville, N.S., shows her Quarter
Horse, Dixon, in both dressage and hunter classes, and is
a horse-show mother to her teenage daughter, Samantha.
Who would have guessed a pony, known as the Monster,
would be the best Christmas present ever Scooter, a 12.1
Welsh Mountain Pony, was rescued from a meat truck, and
despite his lack of stable manners – kicking and biting were
his usual reactions to anyone entering his stall – I fell in
In 2008, my dad was stationed in Kandahar,
Afghanistan, with the Canadian military and it was
the first time he wasn’t home for Christmas. I was 14,
and in April that year we had leased Amigo, a Quarter
Horse my sister, Kim, and I both loved. We leased him
for the summer, but in the fall my mom said we could
keep him for a few more months, but he’d have to go
back in the New Year. Amigo helped us get over dad
being away and we were really feeling
bad about giving him up. On Christmas
Eve, we stayed up past midnight so that
we could talk to our dad on Skype. It
was Christmas morning for him, and
Christmas Eve for us. We always open
one present on Christmas Eve, and dad
wanted to be there for this one. Mom gave
us a big box, and inside was a photo of
mom and dad holding Amigo, wearing a
big red ribbon. They had taken the photo
before dad left because they had already
decided to buy Amigo for us. The box also
contained photos and letters from mom
and dad. Kim and I cried when we read the
letters, and mom and dad cried, too. I rode
Amigo through to my B-level in Pony Club.
We still have him and we now lease him to
other Pony Club members.
Katelynn Marshall, a riding instructor at
Rohan Wood Stables in Aylesford, N.S., is
enrolled in the distance program in Equine
Studies at the University of Guelph.
love with him when I was seven. Surprisingly, he was good
to ride, and jumped around small courses with no problem.
I had been leasing him for a year, and on Christmas all my
presents were pony related: a winter blanket, brushes, and
saddle pads. The last present I opened was a show bridle
and the nameplate said, “Owner: Emma Lefler.” I was so
happy; I couldn’t believe it! I loved him, and in the following
years he took me from a nervous, local competitor to winning
ribbons in pony hunter classes at Equine Canada – rated
shows. I rode and competed Scooter until I was 16. He’s
retired now, and still cranky. He has mellowed a bit with
age, but he still likes me better than anyone else.
Emma Lefler of Amherst, N.S.,
shows hunters and jumpers.
We gave our three kids, Alex, Jackie, and Kelsey, their
first pony for Christmas. Her name was Ladyslipper. We
hid her in the neighbor’s barn, put a big red bow on her,
and put brushes dropped in a path to the barn door so
they could find her!
Anne Merritt owns and coaches at Windcrest Stables
in Grand Desert, N.S. She’s a horse-show mother to
Kelsey, who is still riding and competing ever since she
got that first pony for Christmas.
ATLANTIC HORSE & PONY | November 2014-January 2015 | Page 25