To watch Maria with her pony and donkeys is to learn about the human-animal bond, the treasured and historic connection between people and animals like horses, threatened every day in our country by a system that forgets and is so painfully disconnected from the natural world.

Ponies and  horses are set upon by nasty flies and other insects that bite them, we use several different methods to control the flies, but some bites are inevitable. Chloe seems to often get bitten on her chest and lower neck, perhaps because her head is lowered so often and so close to the ground when she eats.

She is Maria’s pony, the two have a beautiful connection, the same one I have with dogs and donkeys. In the morning, Chloe puts her head on Maria’s shoulder and lets her rub and put ointment on her bites. It is a sweet thing to see.