The Benefits and Joys of Patience

A Fell Pony colleague told me they’d received a very handsome offer for a well-trained gelding that they own. They came very close to selling the pony to a person who needed something reliable; my colleague knew the pony would be perfect for the situation. In the end, though, my colleague was surprised to realize that they wanted that same kind of pony for themselves. After putting in years of work, they realized that they didn’t want to start from scratch to create that sort of pony again for themselves, a pony they can not touch for months and then get on and ride and have him be the same as the last time they went out together.

I have a rising-three-year-old Fell Pony with beautiful size, bone, and substance. The pony has a great temperament, and I hope it will be the last riding pony I ever train for myself. It is easy to understand the temptation many have to start their Fells under saddle at three because they appear so mature. Of course I’ve been around Fells long enough to know that they aren’t mature at three, either mentally or physically. Nonetheless, I understand the temptation because it’s a long wait from birth or purchase as youngstock before they should be ridden. I appreciate hearing early in my Fell career that if we’re patient at the beginning, we can have a long life with a pony at the end. Regarding my rising three-year-old, I realize that if I want them to be the last pony I ever train for myself, I need to wait until they’re a little older to ride so they outlast me for riding. I also know there’s lots I can do on the ground with them in the meantime.

My former pony Torrin, age 26, in the Tetons of Wyoming in 2024. Courtesy Paula Guenther

A friend told me a story that reinforces the benefits and joys of patience. In August of last year, she took a pony-riding trip in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. They did 72 miles in 9 days, with six days of riding. There were two intentional rest days and one change of base camp. Eighteen miles was the longest day, with three others over twelve miles. Several of the days included significant elevation change. They rode through rugged terrain, over streams, up mountains, and across rock fields. They also encountered significant wildlife, including grouse, moose, and bears, as well as other trail users, from trail runners to literal boat loads of people at Jenny Lake. The photographs were stunning, including the one she shared here.

What was even more remarkable was the pony she rode. Torrin and I spent nineteen years together until a change in my life required me to find him a new home. He has been with Paula for five years now. He did this trip for Paula at age twenty-six. Yes, he was a little tired and sore after the longest day of 18 miles and 2,500 feet in elevation change each direction, but so were the humans! Paula expressed appreciation for his been-there-done-that attitude, which of course age helps create. Even more she appreciated his “willingness to move ahead on the trail even when faced with substantial obstacles! T was awesome scrambling up rock ledges and bedrock slabs.”

I started Torrin, as I do all my ponies, slowly and not too young so they can have a long and useful life. It was thrilling for me to hear how well Mr. T did and how much Paula appreciated him on this trip, recognizing all that he had experienced with me and the benefits of her many shared experiences with him that helped get them through challenging places. My colleague’s story about their gelding also comes to mind, with all the shared training experiences they had together that take time to replicate. I am riding two mares now who are in their teens, and every time I ride them, I think about my colleague’s opportunity to sell something ‘ready to go’ but realizing that they’re pretty nice to keep and enjoy! Meanwhile, I’ll just keep having fun with my rising three-year-old while it continues to mature, knowing everything will go well and quickly when the time comes. What a blessing a life with ponies is!

© Jenifer Morrissey, 2025