With earnest hope she leads her pony to greet me, her examiner.

A smudge of dirt across freckle-specked cheeks

And her half-tucked shirt tell of elbow grease used

To present to me herself,

And her perfectly groomed pony, Snowy

The saddle is clean and the bridle too

Beauty has been washed, maybe more than once

Her feet are clean and so is her tail-

Even the green from the grass she snuck

Has been wiped away from bit and lips

Time to mount left foot in then up she goes

“Walk then circle-Show me twenty meters

On to trot: up-down, up-down,

you must show the correct diagonal.”

Little Sarah shows she knows-she has come prepared.

Canter then, on the correct lead-heels must be down, eyes up

A bit of power-steering lost but she makes it round the turns

Jumping now, “just trot them all”

Snowy is NOT in the mood she heads for the gate every time

But sweet Sarah loves her so, “Come on girl, you can do it”

So persistent little girl wins over obstinate pony

Corrections are made and the two make it round the course

As frustrated tears streak dirty cheeks

Snowy is patted and told, “Good girl”

“You are done now, Sarah. Put Snowy away then come back “

Back she comes, tears wiped and cool drink in hand.

Now the questions: horse colors, and markings

How do you tell if she’s sick?

Name twenty parts of a pony and how do you feed her treats?”

“All done now Sarah-You passed”-nothing else is heard but I hear

Snowy! We did it! We passed!