Three-year-old Kolten barely reaches his mare’s shoulder, but he is far from being scared. Instead, he adorably hugs her leg and covers her in kisses. And the gorgeous Maple, sensing her little owner’s tender age, is extra gentle with him.
Mom Melina, 28, from West Virginia, describes Kolten and Maple’s bond as “a mother-son relationship.”
“As soon as Maple sees Kolten she has to come ‘inspect’ and sniff him all over, making Kolten giggle,” Melina told The Epoch Times. “They have their own language and Maple understands it; I can’t wait to see their relationship keep growing.”
The family consider themselves very fortunate to have a horse with such a loving, eager-to-please personality, saying Maple is “truly one of a kind.”
“She is a perfect horse for kids! She is very tolerant of all the goofy things that kids do,” Melina said.
The family live on a small farm and got Maple in 2021. Melina says she had wanted a horse for about 20 years. Finally, after choosing to stay home to raise her son instead of continuing her work as a nurse, circumstances seemed right and Melina wasted no time looking for the right animal.
She didn’t have to search for long. Maple was only the second horse they went to see, and the now eight-year-old paint quarter was perfect.
“I instantly knew she was mine,” Melina said. “A rainbow even appeared when I rode her for the very first time; she was a dream come true.”
Kolten was only one-and-a-half and barely speaking when he and Maple were first introduced. Taking one look—and a thorough sniff—of the little boy, it was as if Maple had decided she was to be his loyal friend and protector.
The first word Kolten said was “ride.” His mom was hesitant but had a friend securely hold her son while she led the new horse. “Maple knew to be calm, and Kolten was smiling from ear to ear,” she said. “The rest is history!”
Melina says her young son is full of energy and loves doing all the fun things on their little farm.
She said: “I am so proud of how well Kolten does at learning everything that is thrown at him. He can tell you all about farm equipment, building things, and how to take care of his animals. He is very sweet and loves helping with all the chores. His favorite thing to do is ride the big tractor with his daddy and ride on his horse Maple.”
These days, Kolten loves to brush Maple and feed her. Still learning to ride, he’ll call her from the pasture, knows how to saddle up and how to put her back in her stall. He’ll even ask her for tricks, such as exchanging high-fives.
In turn, Melina says, Maple knows how to make Kolten laugh “even when he’s being a cranky toddler.”
“She also always has to have him in view or she will get antsy,” Melina said. “She really watches over him to make sure he is safe and loved.”
Melina’s heart melts when she witnesses her boy reveling in something she herself has loved her whole life: a horse of her own. “I didn’t grow up with horses but have wanted one since I was about seven,“ she said. ”I can’t wait to make more memories with Maple and Kolten.”
She said that one of their sweetest moments so far has been when Kolten will walk Maple into the stall after a ride and say, “thanks for the ride MayMay!”
“He pulls her head down to give her a kiss on the nose,” the mom said.
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