Who put that tree there?, or Pony Pals #15: The Blind Pony

Looking at the title, I REALLY wonder what this book could be about. I mean, a blind pony is definitely out of the question. And on the cover we have a very adorable pony tripping over its feet while Pam watches on with a shocked expression on her face. Lightning looks exactly the same as she did on the last cover. Dandy's back is way smaller than it should be. I don't think it can support him. Paul Bachem = worst illustrator ever.



Plot: Mrs. Baxter sells more property, because she can, and another old couple move into Wiggins! Their granddaughter Kim is visiting them for the summer and she's the Pony Pals age and she owns a pony, so she must be Mother Theresa. The Pony Pals try to become friends with her, but Kim is not very friendly and doesn't want the Pony Pals to mess with her pony.
After much investigation (like 2 hours worth), Pam finds out a shocking secret: Dandy, Kim's pony, is BLIND!!!
For some reason, Kim hasn't told anyone about this interesting development, and so far no one has noticed??? I think they would notice if the pony bumps into walls. But I digress. Now Kim is forcing Pam to keep her secret.
But the other Pony Pals find out. They always do. But they also decide to keep Kim's secret.
There is a bunch of secret keeping and frienship and doctoring (Mr. Crandal discovers Dandy's eyesight can't be restored; big whoop), and then they all decide to train Dandy to let Kim be his eyes.
Surprise! Kim's parents come earlier than expected with a new riding instructor and are shocked to find about Dandy's not so stellar (or lack of) vision. But the Pony Pals save the day and show that people/ponies with disabilities are worth everyone's time. Yeah, no heavy message there. Not like I think disabled people are worthless, but I don't use ponies as an allegory to support them. Moving on.

More notes:
Mrs. Baxter: *bla bla bla about the Wright family* Her name is Kim Wright.
Pam: I bet you want us to be friends with Kim.
Mrs. Baxter: You guessed it. I told her all about the Pony Pals. Kim is your age. But there's something else she has in common with you.
Pam: She has a pony?!
I can't wait for the day Pam is wrong, and Mrs. Baxter says, "No, actually, she's black."

An AWFUL picture of Lightning: Her head is bigger than her entire body and her legs are too thin. And Pam looks like Rudy from "The Cosby Show".

So what, she doesn't ride her pony over? Not that strange. Actually, yeah, you could ride a blind pony just as easily as a nonblind pony.

DANDY! Best pony name ever, right up there with Acorn, Tongo, Mushroom, and Bubble.

Ballin. Kim is studying French over the summer. Lucky.

There goes Anna with her snob business again. She really needs a new perspective.

They act like Kim is such a jerk. Maybe she's just shy. Or she doesn't like you.

Oh no, Kim won't let Dandy interact with Lightning!! Wait, is this the same Lightning that frequently bites people? I wonder why she's so afraid of her....

SHE JUST WANTS TO GO LAST! WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT???

Dandy bumps into a tree. Lol.

Lulu and Anna are being all mean to Kim, and then blame her for a bad time.

Um, Kim, Dandy doesn't speak English, so telling him, "There's a turn coming up," might not be that helpful.

Ha. Grandma manipulation.

Why is it weird to lead your horse into a stall?

DANDY IS HUGE IN ONE PICTURE! At least 16 hands. Um, pony?

Ugh, fluff on feelings and loving ponies and personality.

Why do we need to know how many jokes Pam told?

Dandy runs into a doorway.

Pam is all spazzing out because she can't tell her Pony Pals! Like she tells them everything. Sorry, but there are some things I wouldn't want to know unless you needed to borrow a tampon or something.

I've had friends leave a sleepover while everyone else is sleeping. It's not that weird.

Ooh, they're going to spy on Kim! How mature.

Lulu and Anna are nodding sadly. I nodded sadly for about ten minutes after reading this. It's way fun.

Yeah, another instance where they're suddenly all nice after being such hos before and no apology is necessary.

Yeah, why IS Dandy's blindness a secret? You can still ride a blind horse. And possibly show. There was that whole book on the blind dog that did agility contests. Sure, he did them really SLOW, but.... Agh, that was a sad book. I'm going to cry.

It was called "The Soul of the Silver Dog", if you want to know.

Another book about parent expectation. But Kim doesn't want to ride in a horse show! She just wants to speak French! What is this, "High School Musical"?

OMG, Kim apologized. And they didn't. Jerks.

Two sleepovers in a row? What?

WHY WOULD YOU PUT A BLIND ANIMAL TO SLEEP? YOU DON'T PUT BLIND PEOPLE TO SLEEP!

Lulu actually wrote a complete sentence for once.

THOSE DANG KITTENS AGAIN! They reference "Too Many Ponies" every chance they get. SO ANNOYING.

It takes Dr. Crandal forever to figure out Dandy is blind. "Well girls, he is definitely blind." Yeah. Like we didn't know that.

This is suddenly all medical drama-y. "Can you cure him, Doctor?"

Kim is such a nerd. She studies all the time.

Dandy looks like he's going to fall on his face in one picture. He's all about to trip.

Yes, screaming, "UP!" at him really does work.

All this diner talk makes me want a chocolate milkshake. And not the crappy kind I make with a spoon.

Why is it funny that Pam sounds just like her mother? Her mother's really mean.

OMG, MRS. CRANDAL REMINDS ME OF CLAIR HUXTABLE!!!

I'd want my daughter to have a blind pony. Actually, it would be preferable not to have one in the first place, but I wouldn't make her get rid of it.

Ugh, chapter nine is titled, "The Wrights are Wrong."

I can speak French, too! I know what tres bien means!

Mr. Wright looks like Richard Gere. And Mrs. Wright is blonde. And they look apalled. Kim is all, "Why me?"

Mr. Wright: Blind!
Mrs. Wright: What do you mean?
I mean he CAN'T SEE.

So lame.
Mr. Wright: What's anyone supposed to do with a blind pony?
Pam: Take care of him.
Lulu: Be his friend.
Anna: And love him.

Heh. Dr. Crandal's name is Robert.

Why do all the married women in this series insist on keeping their maiden name? "I'm Laura Thompson Wright." "I'm Cynthia Prindle Stewart."

Pam rubs Lightning's upside-down heart for luck. That's so Saddle Club-y.

Lol I totally pictured Kim's parents being all "Anchorman".
"You rode a blind pony? That's amazing! I'm not even mad."

It's not that hard to keep your grades up and ride at the same time.

Kim is sad that she has to leave Wiggins. DON'T BE!

Omg, there's this contest entry form in the back of the book that I filled out when I was like, I don't know, 8. It's in crappy cursive and I used a fake name.

1) What is Anna's pony's name?
Acorn.

2) What do the Pony Pals call their riding trail?
Pony Pal Trail

3) On whose estate do the Pony Pals often ride their ponies?
Mrs. Wiggins estate (yes, I realize she is single and her name is Ms.)

4) What kind of pony is Lulu's pony, Snow White?
A Welsh Pony

Circle one: girl
Name: Karen halls (lies)
Birth date: 2/17/94 (lies)
City: Venice
State: California (wtf?)

I was a WEIRD kid when I was little. I remember really hating the name Lauren and I'd always want to change it to Kristen, Karen, Candace, or some crappy K name. I like Anastasia for a long time, too. Soooooo cool. Not.
Yeah, if I had won that contest, I would've received 6 months of free riding lessons. Darn.
Well, the deadline was 1997 and I filled this out 2001ish. My grandma gave me this book. Lol. Cool beans.

I really wish I had "Circus Pony", but that will most likely never happen. Ugh, so not excited about "The Missing Pony Pal" now, because it's about a stupid gymkhana accident and Snow White gets hurt and is all wimpy and the illustrations show Anna as being taller than Pam. What??? I'll go do homework or something now.