Celebrating Pedro’s 30th Birthday: A Lifetime of Love and Lessons

Last weekend, we celebrated Wet Paint’s 30th 🎂 although most of us know and love him simply as Pedro.

My heart was full as friends from the old Hunts End Farm days gathered at Moose Ridge Farm to celebrate this very special pony. Pedro’s miniature-horse friends joined the party, too, and I set up the reverse round pen so guests could play and interact with the horses. We shared Marti’s famous carrot cake, plenty of other treats, and many wonderful memories.

The Pony I Knew Was Meant for Me

Pedro and I first met 27 years ago, when I was directing the summer camp riding program at Hidden Valley Camp in Montville. We were at Hemphill’s selecting horses for the summer herd, and the moment I sat on Pedro, I felt an immediate sense of comfort and familiarity—as though my mother were there, helping to connect us.

Pedro was only three years old and barely trained under saddle. I noticed that the wranglers struggled to put his bridle on, but I still knew I wanted to bring this little horse back to camp.

It became my job to help him grow more comfortable with bridling. About a month into camp, we gradually began involving the children in the process. This was before I began using clicker training with horses. Looking back, positive reinforcement would have helped Pedro understand the lesson much more clearly and develop a comfortable, positive association with the bridle.

At the end of that summer, I could not shake the feeling that Pedro was meant to come home with me.

From Hunts End Farm to Moose Ridge Farm

At the time, I already had Lucky… my gentle Quarter Horse and college superstar. Lucky Loo was a wonderful hunter-jumper: patient, sure-footed, and kind.

Pedro and Lucky first lived together at Hunts End Farm. They were never the closest of friends, but they tolerated each other well! After a few years at Hunts End, I moved Pedro to Hunter Hill Farm, where I was teaching. We spent several years there learning dressage together.

In 2005, my boys were reunited at their forever home: Moose Ridge Farm.

Pedro and Lucky became important members of my lesson program, alongside Apple Field and, eventually, Radu. Pedro developed into a wonderful dressage pony and even took Bea Buckley to her first horse show when she was 15 years old.

A Beloved Teacher

For the past 18 years, Pedro has helped children learn during riding lessons and our summer Horses & Art Camps. His final riding student, Morgan, enjoyed him immensely.

Pedro is now retired from riding, but he still loves working at liberty and occasionally participates in birthday-party walk-arounds. He nickers as soon as he hears the clicker because he knows he has done something right… and that his reinforcement is coming!

At 30 years old, he still has a wonderful sense of humor and plenty of personality. I simply love this old boy.

To every student who rode Pedro, learned from him, cared for him, or loved him over the years: thank you. You are all part of his story.

Here’s to another wonderful year for Pedro. 💙