Hopes and Desires and Dreams
/I have been humbled by the interest in my Fell Ponies the past few years. There is certainly increased demand throughout North America for Fell Ponies, and in recent years there has been more interest in the Rocky Mountain region where I’m located. I know some people have been especially interested in my focus on a particular type of Fell Pony. The interest is wonderful compensation for all the hard work that goes into breeding.
I’ve been keeping a waiting list of people interested in a Willowtrail Fell Pony, and someone recently asked how my waiting list works. Good question! It was helpful for me to stop and think about how I’m using it.
It is always my goal to match the right pony with the right person to try to beat the horse industry statistics of an equine having four or more owners in their lifetime. I’m about to celebrate twenty years with my first pony, so I know good matches are possible. While I have no control over how long someone keeps a pony they buy from me, I feel that if I do a good job matching the pony to the person, the match will last longer than if I do otherwise.
Everyone who contacts me has their own situation into which they hope to add a Fell Pony, so I don’t just take names. I also try to understand each person’s desires and dreams where Fell Ponies are concerned. For instance, someone expressed interest in a pony I had for sale, but it was very important to them to visit the pony in person before purchasing, and the person lived a long way from me. I was able to point them to a pony closer to them that they could evaluate. In another case, someone expressed interest not just in Fells but in another breed of equine. It turned out I knew a Fell Pony person close by them that shared their interest in both breeds, and I put them in touch with the other Fell Pony enthusiast.
Sometimes it turns out that Fell Ponies won’t be a good fit for someone’s situation, so then I try to help them adjust their hopes accordingly. Other times if I see that a good fit might be a pony from someone else, I will point them to the other Fell Pony owner so that hopes and desires can be met and Fell Pony dreams can come true. And then when I do have a pony that meets a particular person’s hopes, and desires, and dreams, that’s a match I’m especially happy to make!
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2017
