Jackson Academy ninth grader Victoria Morgan has owned and ridden horses since kindergarten, so when she got the opportunity to rescue two wild ponies, she didn’t hesitate. Her years of caring for horses–and prior training with the Mississippi Horse Rescue Center–helped her with that quick decision.
The miniature ponies, now named Bolt and Comet, were genuinely feral, growing up on a multi-acre farm in Mississippi where their herd had grown to at least 100. The ponies were healthy and well-fed but had never met a bridle, saddle, or discipline. Victoria said the ponies would not even let her touch them for the first week they were at her farm.
These wild ponies have now settled in with Victoria’s other four horses, and she spends about two hours a day working with them. They come running when they see her. The one-year-old Comet “has done amazing,” she said, even developing enough restraint to appear in this year’s Dixie National Rodeo Parade. His friendly demeanor is quite unlike the pony who first ran from her.
A former English jumping equestrian who was Best in State twice in her division, Victoria became connected with rescued horses through Stephanie Billingsly of the Mississippi Horse Rescue Center. Billingsly asked if Victoria would foster or adopt a horse. Her first rescue was Rowdy, a Palomino, who had damage to his legs and feet. Rescuers thought that Rowdy would not be rideable, but after hours of rehabilitation, he is the horse Victoria regularly rides.
Victoria received training in the Clinton Anderson Method, named after an Australian horse trainer and clinician. She attended camps in the summer through the Mississippi Horse Rescue Center to learn how to do this work.
Seeing the ponies enjoy their new lives provides “a sense of reward for me,” she said. She believes that God has had a hand in her connection to horses throughout the years. When one opportunity ends, she feels that another chance to work with horses arises.
And Bolt and Comet eagerly express their appreciation every day.
