“During
his travels, he often saw exhibits that claimed to feature the world’s
smallest horses. But the people were disappointed because the animals
were usually larger than they expected...
That’s when his search began.”
From the title, you may
suspect that this is a book about a horse. And so it is: a 21-inch high,
80-pound mare named Smidget, to be exact. She travels the USA performing
tricks. Or at least she used to. She’s probably dead now.
But this book strives to be about so much more than just a horse.
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| You see,
almond farmer Ron Boeger had a dream: to find the world’s smallest
horse, buy it, and appear with it on The Merv Griffin Show. Through
much hard work and dedication, his dream came true.
The whole book’s littered with supposedly inspirational quotes
from Ron. About the Merv Griffin experience, for instance, he says,
“When something like this happens, you realize you can open doors
and achieve your goals when you believe in what you’re doing.”
Sure, Ron, that’s all fine and good. But we really came here for
the freakshow. We want to see the little freak horse with a fake saddle
and a Cabbage Patch doll on her back!
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| Now that’s
more like it!!
Actually, the book’s chock full of photos that emphasize Smidget’s
unusual stature. She’s shown posing with, among other things; a
normal-sized horse, a duck, a silver dollar, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Here are some choice quotes for you:
“Hay,
a food that horses eat regularly, was not suitable for Smidget because
her digestive system is so small. 'It would be like feeding tree limbs
to a regular-size horse,' explains Ron... Smidget eats two handfuls of
food pellets a day. The mixture looks something like granola...”
“Smidget often travels in a 32-foot-long limousine with her own
whirlpool bathtub for relaxing after performances. An even fancier limousine
is being planned that will be pinto-colored, as she is, and will have
a horn that whinnies!”
“Among (Smidget’s fans) are Michael Jackson, John 'Bo Duke'
Schneider, Henry 'The Fonz' Winkler, Cathy Lee Crosby, and Kris Kristofferson.”
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|
UPDATE:
Alexis G. of Lancaster, CA, wrote in with these personal reminiscences
of Smidget:
I found your site when, out of idle curiosity,
I Googled "Smidget"... I used to travel with this horse as her "trainer"
in the summer of 1984. I was nineteen and had been working at county
fairs in California and Arizona with a food vendor, and met the owners
of this horse and started dating one of their employees. When my current
job ended, they offered me a position taking care of Smidget and I
traveled with them for several months, learning her tricks and making
appearances with her, keeping her company and exercising her twice
a day.
She was a truly special creature, extraordinarily
intelligent, with a sweet nature. I felt badly that they used her
for financial gain, but she was treated well and never seemed unhappy
except when the crowds that used to pay $1.00 to see her in her special
trailer at the fairs would want to pet her too much, in which case
I would step in and protect her.
The dating relationship ended badly and I ended
the working relationship shortly after that, but it's always been
fun to be able to say that I was once the trainer of the "World's
Smallest Horse"... When I've been to fairs since then, the "Smallest
Horse" exhibits never have compared to my sweet little Smidget.
Last summer I was at our local fair and ran
into the family that owned Smidget; they also had a pony ride that
they took to fairs in addition to Smidget, and the boys who were kids
when I worked for the family were running the pony ride and vaguely
remembered me. Sadly, they told me that Smidget died in 1990.
Thanks helping us know
Smidget a little better, Alexis.
And Smidget, rest in
peace. May you be hot-tubbing in that great pinto-painted limo in the
sky right now.
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