Believe It

Four-leaf clovers are my jam. I tend to spot them easily as I'm passing through a grassy area. It's one of those child-like moments that sets my heart aflutter. A squeal usually follows, while I sing the old tune, "I'm looking over a four-leaf clover". And yes, I sing loudly.

The clovers find a place on my kitchen window sill, where I admire their beauty throughout the season. The spring before we won our pony, Believe It, I found more than thirty four-leaf clovers on our land. I was racking 'em up. But then, I hit a dry spell.

Spring turned to summer, and the next thing I knew, I was bringing home a five dollar pony from Chincoteague, Virginia.

Now, me and luck aren't really a thing. And I don't think my four-leaf clovers made all this happen. I hadn't even found one in the months leading up to winning our boy. With that said, I do believe in faith, and hope, and love. Isn't that how the story goes with four-leaf clovers?

Winning Believe It, our Chincoteague pony, was a culmination of many things. I had hoped to have barn babies someday, including horses. I had faith in the fact that the good Lord would show us how to go about it. And I love our land. A lot.

Even though I had my mind focused on this lifestyle for quite some time, I felt like I was a conduit for reasons beyond my own personal goals. This story expands further than me. I think a lot of situations do, once we correct our heart posture.

I just never thought we would have barn animals join our family this way. It's funny how things come together.

The night we won B, I sat up in bed with my mind going in many directions. I was beyond excited, and a bit terrified of what was to come. We had no experience handling animals, besides dogs. But, I always come back to a few things that made this work. And I'd like to share that with you.

What we had was support.

More than I could have ever imagined. Family members that were experienced horsemen and women leapt right in, and guided our path. We immediately reached out to my husband's cousin, who had a beautiful, vacant barn on his property. We needed a temporary home for Believe It, while we built our barn. And he gave us immediate access.

That summer, we traded in our flip-flops for boots.

Believe It stayed a few more weeks in Virginia getting halter trained. So we utilized that extra time to the max, and got straight to work. Cleaning out the barn, buying supplies, and choosing an equine vet was at the top of our list. We read books, and watched videos on how to care for a pony. It was a crash course on how to raise livestock. I wouldn't recommend this route, but these cards were dealt to us for a reason...and we weren't folding.

We also had determination. And GRIT.

Some may call us stubborn (wouldn't be the first time), or even naive. And that's okay. I know my family, and I know what we're capable of accomplishing. We were gifted this beautiful creature, and we wanted to do right by him. No exceptions. We knew this was an opportunity that was meant to pivot the trajectory of our lives for the better.

Challenge accepted.

We asked questions. We kept humble, and put in the work. And we failed repeatedly. But, we didn't give up.

Summer shifted into fall, and we were nearly complete with building our own barn. My husband designed it himself, and our family pitched in for a good 'ol fashion barn raising.

Yes, we could have boarded him, and avoided this whole sticky situation. But, as I like to say, we tend to do things a bit backwards around here. We wanted to be hands-on from the beginning. Our goal was to raise this pony, learn and grow from the process, and teach our children compassion and responsibility.

We didn't want Believe It to get lonely, so we spent every minute possible with him at our cousin's barn. And we gave him our best - we gave him love.

My husband would comfort Believe It, and let him know he wasn't alone. My son would play his ukulele for him, and my daughter would read to the pony. I don't know if this is a traditional way to raise livestock, but it worked for us when he was a foal.

Doubts would flood my mind continually; but then moments like these would become a swift reminder that we're capable. And it's because of this crew right here -my little family - that we're still going strong today.

Before we took B home to our land, the Rodgers family was able to visit us at our cousin's barn. Mr. Rodgers was able to attend, and gifted me a few items, including a Chincoteague pony horseshoe. I told him it will go on our barn, and asked if we should hang it facing up. And he said, "Always up." We had the best afternoon with them, and the pony gave extra affection to Mr. Rodgers. He was the gentleman who was born and raised on Chincoteague, and was a father-figure to me in many ways. It would be the last time I saw Mr. Rodgers, as he passed on shortly after.

That day concluded with me finding a four-leaf clover, which rested between Believe It's front hooves. My dry spell had ended.

The air was thick, as the children ran around giggling in the summer's heat. A new chapter was on the horizon for my family, and all I could do was breathe.

It was time to bring our boy home, and we got him little buddies to keep him company. Nigerian dwarf goats, that are also twin sisters, joined our family. The children named them Rosemary and Memmie.

They're fun, sassy and love their big brother. He tolerates them.

Shortly after Believe It arrived home, our equine vet recommended a trainer to help us with his ground manners. After two days of working with the trainer, he told me that he felt guilty for taking my money. We were already doing a good job, and to keep it up. He then offered to buy Believe It from us.

Needless to say, I turned his offer down, repeatedly.

It's been quite the journey for our family as we navigate this lifestyle. We're nearly six years into it, and the curve balls keep coming.

We've had to cross some muddy waters over the years - land erosion, health issues, financial strains, behavior issues, training challenges and more. It's not for the faint at heart. And it certainly isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time. It's hard work. But it's good work; the right kind of work for us.

We had B professionally trained for riding over the summer. It's now my daughter's responsibility to continue his training, since she's the equestrian in the family. We want to add another horse to our land, but it's important to be responsible with that decision. A lot of factors come into play, and we aren't there yet.

My personal goal is to buy more land, and expand on what we've been doing. Only time will tell. Our children are at an age where we need to hold steady for a bit longer before we switch things up. But I do know, if we move, the horseshoe goes with us.

In the meantime, I've learned to slow it down when I'm with Believe It. I nestle my nose into his fur, and inhale memories of my childhood. He smells like Chincoteague to me. I wrap my arms around his pony belly and sigh. It's all good.

He and I still take the occasional stroll. And when we do, four-leaf clovers are always on the agenda. Along with dandelions for his snack.