This little felted pony is simple in design, but it has a story to tell.
Many years ago a little girl who loved horses more than anything went to the thrift store with her mom to find clothes for her and her little sister.
The girl did not have many toys. Her mother was very poor and could not buy her new toys like her friends had.
That didn't bother the girl that much. She didn't care for dolls or fancy clothes, or things her friends had. All she ever asked for were toy horses, and she dreamed of having her own horse one day.
She loved horses so much that she liked to imagine she was a horse. She had been given the gift of artistic talent. At age five she started drawing horses. She thought more about having a horse than anything else in the world.
So this one day she was at the thrift store with her mother and she walked by the pile of old stuffed animals that other children either did not want or they outgrew, and she spied a little white pony with red yarn for its mane and tail. Its hooves were red felt, as well as the ears, nose, mouth and eye-lashes.
She took the pony and went to her mother begging to keep it. "Only ten cents mom"! She pleaded. Ten cents seems such a trifle, but they were so poor, they had nothing, and even ten cents was a lot to spare.
Finally, her mother said she would buy her the Red Yarn Pony and this made the girl very happy! She named the pony Winky because one eyelash pointed up and the other one pointed down. It looked like it was always winking at her. Winky became the little girl's best friend.
The pony was already very worn from so much love, but the little girl still loved it. Every night in bed she hugged the pony as she fell asleep, dreaming of riding and having a real horse someday. The mother had to move very often so the little girl had very few friends growing up. She kept drawing horses (even during school), and the other kids teased her about pretending she was a horse. During recess she was always by herself day-dreaming about horses. So much so, that she earned the nickname "horse", by which she wasn't offended. She kept her collection of toy horses growing little by little, and even learned to ride from a kind neighbor who had a horse.
When she got older, her mother was very sick and was in the hospital a very long time. It was decided that she and her sister would go to live with people they did not know. They could only take some clothes and the rest was left behind. They did not think they would be gone for long.
Months went by. Her mother was better, but not well enough to take care of two girls, so they had to stay with a new family.
They went back to get their other belongings, but to their dismay, all the toys, including the red yarn pony, were gone. A family member had sold everything in a yard sale and did not think they would be missed. They were only toys after all.
The girl was devastated that a family member would sell everything she had in the world, but she trusted that God had other plans for her life, and even though things were very hard at times, she learned to be happy. She never lived with her mother again, and her father died from a long illness soon afterwards during her first year at college.
Now the girl is much, much older. Her mother is in heaven. The girl grew up to be a very good artist. She also helped many people who were sick and needed care. She was able to work hard and saved enough to have several real horses during her life, which she loved, but she never found that red yarn pony.
She searched every antique store she could find, re-collecting every toy horse she had as a child. She found almost all but the red yarn pony. She searched online vintage toy sites to no avail. She even contacted other seamstresses to inquire if they could make her a pony from her drawing, but no one would.
Last year the girl (now a lady), took up the art of wool felting. After a while she realized she could re-create the red yarn pony herself. She made a wire armature and bought red felt and yarn. In a few days the Red Yarn Pony was recreated just the way she remembered it.
One day she will give the Red Yarn Pony to her daughter and Grand-daughter. She wants them to remember that even when things are taken from them and life is unfair, God makes a way for healing.
Winky lives, and the Red Yarn Pony is loved again.
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