Pokey lives on in the hearts and minds of all the children and adults hes touched over the years.
Many ask, "How did I meet Pokey and what makes him so special?"
Heres the story called:
The Magic of a Horse Named "POKEY" by Denise A Dabinett
Back in the summer of '97, I was at my friend,Laura's barn, just hanging out, drinking a coffee. All of a sudden this horse behind me poked me with his nose causing the coffee to spill all down the front of my shirt. I turned around, called him a few names and for a brief moment made eye contact.
Something happened. I disreguarded the whole event and went home, not giving it, or the horse another thought. That is, until the phone rang a couple days later. ...
It was Laura, calling from work. She said, "you know that little bay Quarter Horse, "Little Leo" at my barn, he's for sale and..." Before she could finish, I said, "the one that knocked the coffee on me?' She said ," ya that one, and I was wondering if you were interested. He's a fine cow horse..." I again interupted her with,"I don't need another horse, I'm not looking for ..."Wait a minute...I thought about the look in his eye that night... I told Laura "I'll be right down with a deposit.. I'll take him!" She asked me if I wanted to go over to the barn and look at him, test ride him, something. I told her I didn't have to. I was embarrassed to say I saw a look in his eye that night.
What was I thinking? First of all I couldn't afford him and second of all I didn't need him... He, that little bay horse, picked me. Only I had to pay for it, not him!
I took my son, Justin, to the barn to introduce him to Mommy's new horse.I had told Justin how I met this horse and what he did to me. Justin liked him anyway, said he was cute and because of the obvious, named him "POKEY".
I loved "POKEY". He turned out to be a special little Quarter Horse.We rode almost every day, trail riding, team penning (getting the fastest time of the night almost every time).
In August I was asked by Ruthie Flynn, if I could bring my horse "POKEY to the Flemington Fair to be on display for a week.I told her I would love to. At the fair, they had the Flemington Fair Stampede and I introduced "POKEY" to barrel racing and gymkhana speed games. He seemed to enjoy it, and what a team we were! We won a 2 foot trophy for reserve champion out of 30 other riders. There was nothing we couldn't do together. For the short time we've been together, we became "one".
The children at the fair loved "POKEY" and some wrote him letters and drew him pictures. They said he was their favorite horse, that they love him and they would see him next year.
In the winter , we slowed down. Only team penning a few times. I spent alot of time just being with "POKEY". Talking to him and just hanging out. In the spring of '98, we got all dressed up and marched down Main street at the Hackettstown Memorial Day Parade. "POKEY" loves attention and everyone was cheering and clapping their hands as we went by. I was a long time member of a horse club in Sussex, called the Horseman's Riding Club of North Jersey or H.R.C.N.J. as we call it. I signed up with "POKEY" as my trusted mount for the year and did a few horse shows. We won Grand Champion of the day and it looked like we might win the Grand Champion of the year. Ever since I was a little girl going to the horse shows with my Mom, I dreamed of winning a Grand Champion belt buckle with my name on it. This might be my year!
But my dream turned into my worst nightmare.
In July at the Sussex County Farm & Horse Show, there was a big barrel racing event and I had entered "POKEY" in it. There was 83 riders running for a $5,000. jackpot, and you had to be in it to win it. We didn't win but boy did we have fun! At 1 o'clock in the morning, after being knocked out of a money position, by a hundreth of a second, I wanted to go home. Everyone was wide awake as we stopped for a cup of coffee on the way home.
I wasn't even in my truck when the trailer carrying "POKEY" pulled out of the parking lot. As I put my key in the ignition, I heard a loud "BANG". I looked up to see the trailer had just drove over the 8 inch curb, sending my horse slamming to the side and down in the trailer.!
I peeled out of the parking lot and down the road after them. The trailer seems to be going pretty fast, and as I get closer I can see sparks under the back of the trailer but I don't see "POKEY" standing in the back! Oh my God! "POKEY"'s foot is dragging on the highway! The sparks are from his horseshoe.
I start screaming at the top of my lungs, "No!... Oh my God!... Stop!... "POKEY" ...I couldn't believe this was happening! My horse is being dragged to his death right before my eyes!
At this moment, all the ribbons and trophies didn't matter, I just wanted POKEY to be alright.
I was driving like a maniac, flashing my lights, blowing my horn and driving all over the road trying to get the drivers attention. But nothing was working, he wasn't even slowing down, he was speeding up.
The sparks are still coming from the trailer and I'm still flashing the lights, blowing the horn and screaming! Finally, what seemed like a lifetime, several Police cars, with lights and sirens, came out of nowhere and caused the trailer to stop. The officers had no idea what was happening, they thought I was a drunk driver or something. I jumped out of my truck and ran to the trailer.
As I looked inside, all I saw was my beloved "POKEY" just hanging there with his body twisted, head one way,leg out the door bleeding on the road, twisted the other way. His eyes were rolled back and glazed over, "Oh "POKEY".
Some passers-by stopped and offered to help, and let me say.. Thank you! ( Without their help and the officers, this would be a different story.) I managed to get the door open, walked inside and started screaming, "Don't die on me, POKEY! NO!" I guess he heard me. He snapped to and got up on his feet.
I walked inside the trailer next to him, I untied him and he buried his head under my arm. I could see his one eye, it was starting to get clear.As he looked at me, he seemed to say "Mommy help me!" I told "POKEY to hang in there.
Meanwhile the officers were trying to reach the Veteranarian that was at the fairgrounds. Success... she's on her way.
"POKEY" wanted out of the trailer, he pushed me aside. I put the lead rope on him and opened the back door. He limped out on three legs and we stood on the sidewalk waiting for the Vet.
The Vet had arrived and x-rays were taken on the scene. "POKEY" was a trooper. Amazingly, without hesitation, he loaded onto another trailer and we took him to develop the x-rays.
The Vet said the x-rays show NO BROKEN BONES! I couldn't believe it! But she also said... he'd never be the same, he won't be able to cut cows, run barrels, nothing. I have a three legged horse... But he is alive. I didn't care about all the other stuff, he's alive and thats whats counts!
Over the next couple of weeks, I had a few more Vets examine POKEY's injuries. I sent the x-rays to Dr. Todd Behre in Texas for him to look at. He called me back after talking to Dr. Woods in Blairstown, who looked at POKEY's injuries in person. Dr. Behre said he didn't see anything broken, but it was a very nasty injury. He couldn't believe that an injury this bad, a leg so mangled up, dragged down the highway for a mile, wasn't broken. I was lucky. "POKEY" was lucky to be alive. It was more than likely, POKEY would never compete again. No more team penning, no more barrel racing, no running hard and fast. His days of showing are over, as are mine.We are a team and I'm not going without my partner, POKEY. It just wouldn't be the same.
A couple of weeks had gone by and the phone rang. It was Ruthie Flynn from Ruthie's tack shop asking me if I could bring POKEY to the Flemington Fair again. I told her what had happened and told her I didn't know if POKEY wanted to go... if the Vet would let him. I spoke to Dr.Behre and he said if POKEY took it easy, he didn't see any reason why he couldn't go. I called Ruthie back and said, "we'll be there.!"
POKEY was booked in the same stall were the kids would know where to find him. The kids came running into the horse tent yelling, "He's here! He's here! I told you he would be here! POKEY's back!" The get well cards and letters started coming in by the hundreds! POKEY had a fan club. They got his address so they could keep in touch with POKEY throughout the year. POKEY seemed to like all the attention, and was doing good.
At the Fair Open Horse Show we were asked to carry the American flag for the opening ceramony during the National Anthem, like we've done in the past. We did, and POKEY and I took a bow and recieved a standing ovation. I couldn't help but to shed a tear, I was touched.
H.R.C.N.J. held its year-end awards dinner in November. Nobody could understand how I felt when I recieved the title 1998 Grand Champion overall for the year. We did it! We won! With that, comes a beautiful silver trophy belt buckle with both our names on it! POKEY had made my lifelong dream come true! Thanks POKEY!
The winter was long and rough. POKEY recouped in the backyard with his companions, Hye and Peaches. I got to wondering... Where did POKEY come from? He must have been loved and well cared for.He is a special little Quarter Horse, he has such a big heart, bigger than any I've ever known, and is so nice to be around. Why would anyone get rid of him?
Over the next couple of months, I did some research. I tracked down the previous owners, in Louisiana. It seems POKEY was an orphan baby, loosing his Mom when he was only a few days old. His Mom was struck down in a bad lightning storm. The colt hung in there, waiting for someone to help him, to feed him. It took a day or so, but the breeder saw a dark hump in the field and went to check it out. He saw the colt, weak and cold, standing over his mothers lifeless body and led him to the barn. Since the breeder had no use for a baby without his mother, he put him in a holding stall till "THE MAN" could come for him.
Just then, a woman named Diane Ballard, came to the barn to pick up a horse she had purchased from the breeder. She couldn't help but to notice the cute little bay colt in the stall. When she asked the breeder about him, he said, "Why don't you take him home. You can have him, he doesn't have a mother." Diane didn't need another mouth to feed, she was going to have her hands full with the one she just bought. She walked by the colt one last time, he gazed up at her and something happened. Diane thought ...why, you poor thing, why do you look so sad...oh what the hey... I'll take him. Load'em up. She took him home, named him" Diane's Little Leo" and raised him the best she could.
"POKEY" or Little Leo as he was called then, was not your typical horse. He thought he was a dog. He broke out of his stall and could be seen playing in the backyard with the kids. He chased rabbits and the family dog. He was always getting into trouble. Every morning, he stood on the back porch waiting for his "Mom" to come out and feed him. Diane told me he was special, but when her husband was termanally ill, she was forced to part with some of her animals. She could no longer take care of everyone. The problem was she wanted to keep "Leo" and sell the rest. Everyone wanted "Leo".
It broke her heart but it had to be. Little Leo was a great cutting horse and this guy wanted him to work the cow ranch. Later the man broke his back, fell off the barn roof,and had to sell the horse to pay bills.
Diane's husband passed away. Now she was alone and facing a terminal illness herself, she needed to know where her Little Leo was...
She called the guy who bought him, it seems he already sold him and that guy took him to a Texas Auction. Her baby was gone.
That is until she recieved a phone call from me. I made her day! Diane could not believe her ears. Her baby was alive and well and living in New Jersey. We talked for hours, about this great little bay horse and how he's touched so many lives.
She told me she was dying, a cure was not to be, but just knowing that her baby was doing good was enough for here. She could go in peace.
I sent Diane pictures of me and POKEY and she called me to say... "He picked you that day cause you look just like me! We could be twins!" She was so happy, but weak. Diane passed away at the end of winter. I miss her and POKEY misses his Mom. May she rest in peace knowing where he is and how he's doing. Diane gave POKEY a new lease on life and I believe he remembers. She will always be with him, wherever he goes,because so much of her is a part of him.
I spent the next couple of months planning a birthday party for POKEY. The letters he was recieving from the children had one thing in common, they couldn't wait to see him again. So I thought a whole year was an awful long time to wait when you're a kid. POKEY'S birthday is just about half way. I sent out invitations and to my surprise, everyone who got an invite, came! On May 8th, it was pouring rain, but 60 people came bearing gifts anyway. There was a moonbounce, stilt walker, pony rides, petting zoo and of course, a huge birthday cake. The kids love POKEY and everyone had fun.
By now, POKEY was showing signs of getting better. He was running around and kicking up his heels! Spring was in the air.
I had the Vet come by to check on POKEY and find out if we could be in the Hackettstown Memorial Day parade. The Vet said POKEY was as good as he was going to be, but cautioned me not to do anything "rough". He gave the O.K. for the parade, so off we went. Its been so long since I rode, since the night of the accident.
It felt good to be back on POKEY, doing the Memorial Day parade. As we marched down Main Street, POKEY held his head high. It was like he was saying, "look at me, I'm back!" The children were yelling his name, saying, "I love you POKEY!"
The Allamuchy Day parade is a small one, but just as important as any other. We marched and the kids cheered for POKEY.
In June, there was a horse show we always did, The Warren County 4-H Horse Leaders Benefit Show, so I asked the Vet if we could go. I promised to take it easy. I got the O.K. with the 'caution' again...we went. I tried to let POKEY pick his own pace. I guess he had something to prove, to me or to himself, I'll never know.
We took first place in barrels and first in the money. In pole bending, we took second in the ribbon and first in the money. In the keyhole race, we took first in the ribbon and the money! That gives us the Grand Champion of the day in the speed division!
As I followed POKEY home, I looked at the ribbons on my dashboard, crying because they said he'd never run again! He seems to be his ol'self again. It's been a long year, we've come a long way.
I realize now, how long a year is. It is the 1 year anniversary of POKEY'S accident....The Sussex County Farm and Horse Show is back in town. I want to go, for personal reasons, I need to get past the haunting memory of that night. It was a tough one. We competed against 130 riders and we didn't have a good enough time to be in the money, so it was an eary night.
Why do I do this? Because I can, because POKEY can! Its not about the winning anymore, Its about " the little bay Quarter Horse who could", and does! Again, he rose above yet another tragedy, and life goes on.
Well, the end of summer is here and The Flemington Fair is back ,so is POKEY. We spend the week doing tricks for the kids. POKEY likes to bow and do silly things for treats. The kids love it. This is our last year at Flemington because they're doing away with the horses at the fair. The kids continue to tell me how much they love POKEY, how special he is and they can't wait to see him again.... his birthday is in May.
All through the winter, the letters keep coming in. I start planning a bigger birthday party, POKEY is going to be 13 this year. I book the stilt walker and moonbounce again, secure a bigger location, the local Ranch and Stable and invite the kids and the public! The phone is ringing off the hook, what have I done? This POKEY party is getting to big to handle. The party was June 4th, the weather was perfect, turnout was over 300 people! Some families drove 2 hours to come to POKEY's party and said they wouldn't miss it for the world. POKEY'S favorite gifts were the bunches of carrots, the sugar cubes and the fly spray. A good time was had by all.
When someone asked why I spent $5000. on a horses birthday party the answer seemed easy... " POKEY'S not just any horse, he makes kids happy, and I enjoy seeing them smile." As long as the kids still write to POKEY, he'll continue to write back and invite them to his parties!
We continue to do a couple horse shows in Warren County and take home the ribbons, Grand Champion in the speed division almost everytime.
We were asked to be on display at the Warren County Farmer's fair and agreed to do it. POKEY sent out several hundred postcards to "his kids" to let them know where he'd be. Despite the nasty, rainy weather, we had a good time.
Now POKEY can take time off and rest for the winter.We have the Hackettstown Memorial Day parade in May, Allamuchy Day parade in June and then the couple of shows in the summer and back to the Warren County Fair for a week.
POKEY, I'm sorry to say, didn't have a birthday party this year for reasons beyond my control. I am truly sorry for any tears I may have caused, but you can see "POKEY" at THE WARREN COUNTY FARMER'S FAIR Stop by and say hello, POKEY would love to see you.
The magic of a horse named "POKEY"... to many its a mystery, To others... it's a feeling in the heart. Denise Dabinett aka "Pokey's Mom" POKEY still recieves hundreds of letters and cards throughout the year and all are answered personally with the help of POKEY'S MOM. Denise & POKEY still participate in the Hackettstown Memorial Day Parade and the Allamuchy Day Parade every year as well. Denise has a booth at the Warren County fair, called "POKEY'S PLACE" and POKEY is on display at the fairgrounds. They still compete in the open horse shows held at The Warren County Fairgrounds. Denise goes to the Allamuchy Ele. School and reads the childrens book she wrote to the children. She is always willing to read to any group of children and sign autographs, ,all someone has to do is ask.
(Since this story was written, Pokey has passed away.)
If you would like to send in a poem you wrote or if you have something you'd like to say please e-mail Pokey's Mom, Denise at welovepokey@msn.com
The Horses Wish.......
If the day should come when I'm in pain, And you know I won't be well again Promise You'll do what must be done If this is the battle that can't be won.
It'll break your heart, but please be knid, Don't let your grieving sway your mind For this is when you'll let me see Just how much you do love me.
Together we've had happy years The future now can hold no fears Please don't let me suffer-so When that day comes, please let me go.
For my usual vet please will you send? But stay with me until the end.....
Hold me steady, speak to me Till my bright eyes no longer see.
In time I hope you'll come to see, Its the last kindness you'll do for me. One more time please stroke my mane And know that I'll have no more pain.
And don't be sad that it was you Who decided this was what to do, We've been such buddies through the years Don't let me be the cause of tears.....
You'll always see me graze now, with the sun upon my back Painful limbs won't tire me now, however long the hack.
I live now in your heart and mind, a lovely place to stay. And what you have in memories, no one can take away.
shirley cruickshank
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The magic of a horse named Pokey... to many its a mystery,
to others its a feeling in the heart.Denise A Dabinett
"Walkin' with my best friend" ... Denise and Pokey after the Star Ledger photo shoot. 2004
