Scrambled Eggs

“Oh my god,” I turned to my friend, Lorelei, who had fallen a few steps behind me. “Who knew claiming a Teddy Cob required this much climbing?” I asked her through huffing breaths.

“Right?” She put on a burst of energy to catch up to me. We fell back into silence, focusing our energy on our burning legs. Just as I thought my calves were going to give out, we crested a hill, and there they were- the herd of Teddy Cobs, spread out across the hillside. Some were peacefully grazing, some were playing with their friends, and some were rolling in mud or scratching against trees. They were all so perfect, how was I supposed to choose one?? Lorelei let out a soft gasp from beside me, and I knew she was sharing my thoughts exactly. 

“Jules. Look at them.” She whispered, her dark eyes sparkling. 

“I know.” I whispered back. We exchanged a look, nodded, and started to wander through the herd. Ponies surrounded us, of every color of the rainbow. A bay roan mare caught my eye, multiple bells in her mane. A popular one, which made sense, given her Teddy Ears. An adorable stout bay caught my eye, also with a few bells in his long thick mane. He was shorter than what I was looking for though; he had to have only been around 11 hands high. I kept looking, my eyes skipping over a buckskin and a bay. Off to the side, I saw a taller chestnut, with a long mane and lots of feathering. Wait, no. He wasn't a chestnut. He was just… Absolutely filthy. 

“Oh my god.” I muttered in shock. He was covered, head to toe, in thick sludgy mud. I had never seen a horse get so thoroughly layered with mud, not a single hint of his real coat peeking through. As if he sensed my gaze, he raised his head and met my eyes. With a short whinny, he trotted over without hesitation.

“Well hello there!” I chuckled as he nuzzled himself into my sweater. Oh… that mud was not dry. Guess my sweater is brown now. How fun. Since I was already filthy, I began to scratch behind his small ears, mud working itself under my fingernails. Ew. However, the look on the gelding’s face made it worth it. He leaned in, lip twitching in enjoyment. I noticed that a majority of the mud had transferred from his ears to my hand. 

“What color are you?” I asked him, peering closer. A lovely golden brown was hidden under all that mud. I cleaned off a bit of his mane, and black peeked out at me. 

“You’re a buckskin!” He gave me a look, as if to say Um, obviously. I briefly wondered if he was related to the other buckskin I had seen, but I was quickly distracted by the tangles in the gelding’s mane. I got to work gently teasing them out, getting so much mud on myself in the process. Once his mane was mostly cleared, I fished out the bell from my pocket. This pony wasn’t at all what I was looking for, but he had stolen my heart with his muddy face and cuddly personality. He stood patiently as I braided the bell into his mane, my fingers growing stiff from the layers of mud on them. As I tied it off, I gave him a scratch on the withers, which he leaned into with a sigh. 

“Maybe you wouldn't be so itchy if you didn’t get so filthy!” I joked, but I continued to scratch his withers, which just barely made it to my chest. At least he was the height I was hoping for, if nothing else. I had a soft spot for mares, but this gelding might just change my mind. 

“Jules!” A voice came from right behind me, making both me and the muddy cob jump. Turning, I saw Lorelei, sporting a few bright new grass stains on her tan breeches. 

“Dude. Did you lose a fight with the grass?” I stifled a laugh.

“No,” Lorelei grunted. “I lost a fight with her.” She pointed across the field, to the bay roan mare I had noticed earlier. The mare had her round ears perked, an angelic expression on her soft face. 

“Pft, yeah right. Are you ready to leave then?” I asked, noticing that Lorelei had successfully tied her green ribbon and bell into the mane of the other buckskin. Maybe that mare really was feisty.

“Yes, I need a shower and some advil.” Lorelei turned and began to walk back down the hill we had come from, not even glancing at the Teddy Cob by my side. 

“Well she’s grumpy. I should better go.” I tell the gelding at my side. He gave a soft nicker, and presented himself for one more ear scratch. Laughing, I obliged, now completely oblivious to the mud that absolutely covered me. I checked that the bell was still securely in his mane- which was still very muddy- and gave him one last pat. 

“Bye dude. I’ll see you in a week, and maybe I’ll even get to bring you home.”