Living History

Popeye the pony

I grew up in the bush – not the gentle countryside most city people think about.

Bush kids were very resilient and determined to learn to ride horses at an early age. As most of the stock horses were large and sometimes capable of interesting and dangerous behaviours, parents sought smaller and hopefully quieter horses for their learner children.

Our most famous horse was a cross Shetland called Popeye. He was a stallion, about 4 years old with plenty of attitude and some bad habits when he arrived. Although he was not a particularly good looking horse he was certainly good fun and great entertainment for isolated bush kids.

Learning to ride on Popeye was a one way road – his way! Although he was docile and reasonably good tempered his behaviour was sometimes a bit strange. He mostly failed to respond to ordinary commands and did exactly as he liked. Fortunately kicking and biting were not in his nature so he was not dangerous.

Although he usually hung around the homestead waiting for kitchen handouts, if he did not want to be caught and saddled it was a hopeless cause. In fact he sometimes acted more like a dog than a horse. When he was in the mood for being ridden he could be a model pony. Sometimes he even tolerated the boredom of the round yard and a long reign for hours at a time. But his real talent was in the wide open spaces. His short legs thick legs and barrel body could really build up speed to a rough canter. He frequently stopped suddenly – especially at a bore drain! Fortunately the climate was mostly hot and the riders rarely minded the unscheduled dumping in the warm muddy water.

Our hopes of training Popeye for gymkhanas were soon forgotten. He positively hated anything like training, and flag races and bending races were not his thing although he sometimes liked to seek out fallen tree branches for jumping. His idea of a good gymkhana was networking with other horses and people and scavenging for tasty morsels - even toffee apples. Small kids adored him and begged for rides. If there was a waterhole nearby he would head straight for it and cool down.

Standard fences did not restrict Popeye. If he wanted to go beyond the fence he simply charged through it. This behaviour was not popular with the adults. Brood mares were particularly attractive to him with some interesting results. At least the neighbour’s kids were happy about the pint size ponies!

It was sad day when we all became too big to ride Popeye and he was given away to a neighbour for their small boy. They knew his history and his habits but still loved him.

Popeye was certainly great fun and I often wonder if he continued his entertainment in horsey heaven.

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