As far as feel-good equine stories go, it’s pretty hard to beat the news that has recently come out of Australia. After having worked as hard as he could for two years and having earned $2,000 in order to purchase a pony, seven-year-old Sabastian Kent got the surprise of his lifetime.
As an article by the Journal News explains, Kent had set his mind on getting a pony after having rode a horse at age four. After the experience, the youngster asked if he could get a pony every day.
Kent realized that he was going to have to make a concerted effort to reach his goal if he wanted it to become reality. The youngster started a homemade lemonade business. The endeavour featured custom labelling and a determined entrepreneur. Each bottle was sold for $2. When the lemonade proved popular enough, Kent expanded his enterprise to include iced tea and iced coffee.
But it wasn’t just the beverage proceeds that Kent put towards his dream. "He saved his tooth-fairy, Christmas and birthday money, too," said Sabastian’s mother, Juliana Kent.
Sabastian had accrued a staggering amount of money (roughly $2,200) for a boy his age, but the biggest surprise of all came earlier this month. Unbeknownst to Sabastian, his mother had arranged for a $3,000 white pony named Tom Boy to be transported overnight and then delivered to the family’s barn while Sabastian was in school.
After having eventually made his way over to the barn, Sabastian’s reaction was priceless.
"It was never about the amount of money he saved, but actually about his commitment and determination at his age to (achieve) his dream," said Juliana, who also added, "I was so proud I almost burst."
(With files from the Journal News)