April the Dream Pony
April the Dream Pony : April 6, 1980 - January 4, 2024
The sweetest, most patient, loving, and ageless pony rests in peace now, but she leaves a big hole in our hearts… and yes, she really was 43 years old.
We were given April in 2016 to retire her to ranch life after many years of teaching young girls to ride at the Menlo Circus Club, where she was a competitive jumper. Our friend, Lisa, and her daughter, Reagan, gifted April to JJ for her 5th birthday and brought her up to the ranch. JJ fell in love with her, as we all did.
April taught all of the girls how to love and care for a horse. They spent countless hours brushing and walking her, picking hooves, taking naps on her fluffy back. She was the most patient and truly loved these girls as much as they loved her.
The girls learned to ride on April through Drill Team practices and in a little round pen on the ranch. She let them use a fence post to swing on her back and she stopped abruptly if she felt them falling off. She lowered her head to help them put her bridle on and had the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen on a horse.
We felt so lucky to be April’s caretakers and we were blessed to have her for so many more years than anyone expected. We found out ironically that she actually started her life here in our valley not far from us! We retired her years ago, but she lived her best life out on the pastures at camp - running through the oak trees and grazing on green grass in the summers with our other retired horses.
We had our vet, Dr. Essex, out to check her every few months lately and last week, we all decided it was time to put her down. It was a hard decision for us and a very hard and sad day, especially for JJ. But, when you love your animals, you know that sometimes the right decision for them is going to be a hard one for you.
She went peacefully to horse heaven where I hope she gets some kind of award for living 43 years on earth and patiently teaching dozens and dozens of children to love horses.
We will miss you forever, April the Dream Pony!
