Saturday 17 February 2024

The Red Ride 'Em Pony

Following up the last post about my early cowgirl persona, this is how I got my ride 'em pony for Christmas in 1961 --


My carpenter father was very clever at making things. He had all the components for my ride 'em pony out in his workshop -- plywood for the head, thick dowels for the legs, surplus red and black exterior paint, a piece of yellow vinyl for the saddle left over from re-upholstering our kitchen chairs, scrap leatherette for the mane and reins, and a thick bunch of binder twine which he brushed out for the tail.

But I'm afraid he had to commit vandalism and petty theft to get the piece of round wood for the pony's body.

We lived right between the CPR railway tracks and the local Manitoba Telephone System pole yard, where MTS stored its telephone poles prior to use. One night under cover of darkness, my father snuck over to the unfenced, unlit pole yard and simply sawed off an appropriately-sized piece of telephone pole.

Perfect!

And here's my red ride 'em pony on that long-ago Christmas morning --


43 comments:

  1. What a wonderful story. I hope he didn’t feel guilty. My father worked for the phone company in NYC for 34 years. After he died, I found a closetful of parts AND telephones. He would have given your father an entire pole. Your father always sounds like he was a great guy. I hope that was truly the case.

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  2. awe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    that makes my eyes wet dear Debra :)

    what a heartwarming story of love of father who manages to give gift of pony to his cowboy girl :)))

    love does miracle and can turn impossible into possible specially love of parents :)

    thanks for sharing my friend !
    hugs and blessings
    you were as cute as now :)
    and posy is awesome !

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  3. lol. Great story! There was one short pole along the prairies…

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  4. What a great story! Love the pony!

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  5. Someplace out on the windswept prairie, there is slight dip in the overhead telephone lines, kind of like the smile of a child.

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  6. Wonderful! The things fathers do for daughters.

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  7. I wonder what they thought when they discovered that one telephone pole was shorter than all of the others?

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  8. Hello Debra, I need a gold paperweight. Maybe I'll just mosey on down to Fort Knox and saw off the end of a gold bar! Seriously, this toy is too adorable, and your father was talented and creative. You were spoiled with such a childhood!
    --Jim

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  9. Thank Heavens he didn't accidentally cut any telephone lines. Those pictures are precious as well as the story. I see from the picture of your family likes to wear check shirts.

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  10. And the Edmonton cowboy is still on the line
    .. ._ _._. _.

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  11. That is so special. I rode my grandmother's broom around. Even remember what I named it. Sowdy. Can't remember much else, but I remember that name.

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  12. sounds exactly like something my father would have done. he, however, would have taken the whole pole.

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  13. This sweet memory makes me ache just a little. What a great dad.

    You are definitely a cowgirl.

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  14. What a marvelous dad! And inventive, too! I was wondering how he'd done the body of the pony.

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  15. I love this. Your father was committed to him project FOR you, even if he had to commit trespassing and theft; that is devotion.

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  16. Wonderful story and pix! Your Dad rocked!
    bobbie

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  17. Oh the irony of his little cowgirl growing up to be a lawyer. I'm surprised you didn't end up as a cop.

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  18. Well, necessity is the mother of invention, LOL! Was this pony's name Pedro too?

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  19. @ Tundra Bunny -- You know, I don't remember this horsey having a name apart from "Red Pony."

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  20. It is so good to see your childhood photos

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  21. Hopefully, the telephone guys noticed the discrepancy before they set that short pole.

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  22. Now that was a father who loved his daughter.

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  23. sweet. I love these wooden horses. My son only had a plastic one.

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  24. The red paint really did a good job of camouflage in front of the couch. I once made a round dog house from a "left over" cable spool (I think they reuse them). It wasn't too hard to roll away.

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  25. Your dad reminds me of my late grandfather, a former railroad man. Took all of the scrap wood from the railyards and built his first house with them. Hope that horse was one of the highlights of your youth.

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  26. Fathers do wonderful things for daughters they love.

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  27. I was a stubborn child. I got the same outfit, "cowboy and indian " clothes. Now that I am woke, now that I have slept in the gutter, I don't wear the cowboy clothes anymore.

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  28. haha.. that was very sweet of your dad. Adorable picture.

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  29. Your father couldn't do that now--not unless he wanted to cut down a metal cell tower.

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  30. Somewhere there is a place called Canada. In that place, there is a province called Alberta. In Alberta there is a city, I think it is called Edmonton, but I could be wrong about that. Anyway, wherever it is, my friend shewhoseeks lives there. She keeps 🐝 bees and writes almost every day. Also I can respond to her. It is a good thing.

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  31. That's really awesome Debra! ♥

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  32. What a good dad! I hope he was filled with joy and satisfaction every time he saw you riding Red Pony.
    Cheers!
    E

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  33. Oh just LOVE this photo of you and even better the back story. Wow so much has changed in the world. Thanks for this little tidbit of slightly less complicated times.

    Allie of
    www.allienyc.com

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  34. Kudos to dad! I doubt I'd have been able to put that together properly with an actual kit and instructions.

    Sassybear
    https://idleeyesandadormy.com/

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  35. Ohhh what a great memory and stroy to share with us. Too cool that dad did that for you.

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  36. yes I lovely story indeed; thank you for sharing it; it made me feel good to know.

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  37. Your dad was a genius woodworker. What a lovely pony. A good man.

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  38. That was a cute pony your father built

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  39. There is no such thing as simply Sawing off a piece of telephone pole. They are tough Wood. My brother-in-law made one of those a couple years ago for his niece. Very cute

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