Today I`d like to welcome Pie, the main character of Kandy Kay Scaramuzzo`s phenomenal novel Pie, An Old Brown Horse (Who Knows What He`s Doing) to Pure Jonel!
Let`s get to know him a bit better.
I am a 15.2 hand chestnut appendix quarter horse. I am a bit long in the tooth at 38, but who is counting. I have had many jobs, herding cattle, team penning, raising little one, lesson horse, and a therapy horse. Right now my job is to keep all the horses under control at the barn, that and making sure the supply of alfalfa and carrots have a place to go to be appreciated.
Q ~ What’s your all-time favourite pastime?
I used to love herding cattle, but after the injury it was not to be anymore. Then I went on to raising little one. That was a full time job. Now that she is grown, I have several favorite activities. One is to make sure Durango (my pasture mate) appreciates his hay. I do this by running him off of it a couple of times a night. I don’t want him to take it for granted. The second one is a process; I roll in the sand, splash water on myself, roll again and go take a snooze in the hay. I only do this after I have run Durango off his hay a couple of times. I don’t want you to think I’m getting lazy in my old age!
Q ~ Do you have a favourite food? Are you a sucker for treats?
Treats are awesome! Feel free to come by and bring me some anytime. I love alfalfa hay with a sprinkling of carrots. I’m not so fond of apples. I really don’t know why, but they just don’t do it for me anymore. My absolute favorite treat is sugar cubes. I understand that these are hard to come by now, but I will follow you everywhere for some of those. So if you come by, be sure to bring some!
Q ~ Everyone likes to be brushed and loved on, but what are your thoughts on baths?
Baths I tolerate only because I know they are going to make the rolling in the sand that much more rewarding. The keeper doesn’t much like it when I do that, but you can’t argue with success. It feels sooo good.
Q ~ Do you like to exercise or are you a laid back kind of guy?
I am a firm believer in conserving energy. I will expend it if it is necessary, like to pick on Durango, but not to a wasteful level. I can generally get my harassing of him over with in less than five minutes then it is off to the sand and nap time.
Q ~ If you could have picked your career, what would it have been?
In my dreams, I would have belonged to one of the super cowboys, like John Wayne or the Lone Ranger. I think I would have looked pretty good all dressed up in their fancy tack. Also, I know I’m much smarter that the horses they had, Silver had nothing on me, except maybe that white coat and super long mane and tail. But it’s all good; I wake up and realize I have had a great life. I am now reaping the rewards of working hard all my life.
Q ~ Throughout your time with the keeper, did you have one friend or companion who stood out above the others?
That’s easy. Dusty was my best friend of all the horses. He was an absolute horse. Even though he had many health problems when I met him, he still carried himself with dignity and grace. He looked and acted like the battle stallions of old. I still miss that guy. He ruled with an iron hoof and never had to touch anyone to do it. It was an amazing thing to watch. I still miss him. He was a great horse. He and I spent a lot of time together and when he passed, I was a little lost.
Q ~ Did you have one that you just couldn’t stand?
I have never run into a horse I couldn’t stand. There have been quite a few that I like to pick on, just because I can. You know an old horse has to have some fun in his life!
Q ~ What’s your absolute favourite thing that you’ve ever done?
I would say I had two things that were my favorite, herding cattle and barrel racing. The cattle herding is in my blood and I love doing it. To this day, if I smell cattle, I get all excited. The barrel racing is something I did with little one. I loved that she trusted me enough to go full blast in the arena. We have a special relationship. Now that I’m older, I like it when I can help out those young ones that don’t quite get a fair shake in life. That makes me feel good. Even though many are physically or mentally challenged, they feel powerful when they ride me. I can feel their joy and that makes me feel good, so good, that I often prance.
Q ~ If you could tell the keeper or little one just one thing, what would it be? Would you tell it to every horse’s keeper?
I would tell them they have it down. They know how to take care of horses. They know how we think and what to do when we don’t feel so good. Sometimes old horses get depressed when they no longer have a job to do, not at our barn. The keeper invents games and activities to keep us busy and our minds working.
I would tell the other horse’s keepers to think of the horse and how they feel. If they can do that, then they will have no problems. We are really not that complicated, even though we do each have our own personalities.
Thank you Jonel, for letting me ramble on your blog, I have really enjoyed it.
And thank you for stopping by today Pie. It was great to her from you.
And don't forget to head over buy your copy of Pie's story here today!
