Our little pony! Miniature horse Mr P lives in house with loving owner
By ELEANOR HARDING:
It is not unusual for a pet to have the run of the house and be fed tidbits from the family table.
But a horse is hardly the average household animal. Yet Mr P, a 28in-high American miniature, is right at home in owner Katy Smith’s one-bedroom flat.
And there is nothing the three-year-old likes more than settling down to afternoon tea with playmates Lilly Potter, five, and her sister, Lacey, two, the daughters of Mrs Smith’s business partner Laura Potter.
Mrs Smith, 52, says her real-life My Little Pony spends so much time indoors he thinks he is a human.
‘He’s even taken on human characteristics. Sometimes he’s like a grumpy old man other times he’s giddy like a child,’ she said. ‘One day I caught him licking tea out of my mug, so I decided to brew him his own one and he wolfed it down. Ever since I have given him tea and cake as a treat.’
Mrs Smith says house-trained Mr P has never made a mess of her flat in Middleton St George, near Darlington.
The chestnut and white horse – technically he is not a pony – follows her everywhere, even to local shops and cafes.
‘Everyone is always amazed when they see him walking down the street,’ she said. ‘People do a double-take. But they all fall in love with him. Other horses ignore him because of his size – so he has always been drawn to humans.’
Mr P, who cost £2,000 from a specialist breeder six months ago, enjoys the outdoor life too, and happily plays with Mrs Smith’s other horse Johnny – a 5ft 3in former racehorse. Although Mr P spends the day with Mrs Smith, he has his own stable on a farm with other horses and sleeps indoors with her only when it is cold outside.
Mrs Smith and Mrs Potter run a business that provides ponies for community events. Mrs Smith, a mother of two grown-up children, also takes Mr P into care homes for the elderly as a form of therapy.
She said: 'He has enlightened my life and he helps bring joy to everyone he meets.'
And Ms Smith says house trained Mr P has never made a mess of her one-bedroom flat - thanks to her bright pink bucket, which she carries around with them wherever they go.
She added: 'We always carry the "just in case" bucket around with us should Mr P get caught short.
'But he is so well trained he has never had an accident'.
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