Susie Burr Malanowski can remember the woman who broke Wizard Of Oz telling her father, “You need to get rid of this pony. He’s going to hurt your daughter.”

But Malanowski’s father was National Show Hunter Hall of Fame trainer and legendary horseman Raymond Burr, brother of fellow legend Emerson Burr.

“Dad told her, ‘No, I’m not giving up on this pony.’ He thought there was something about that pony that he believed in and he thought he’d be great. And it turned out he was right!” Malanowski said.

Wizard Of Oz went on to be one of the top ponies of the late ’50s and early ‘60s—taking five AHSA Horse of the Year titles and winning at all the biggest shows for 10 years with Malanowski, her sister Nancy, and Puddy Jones Clark riding. In 2014, Wizard Of Oz joined Raymond Burr in the Hall of Fame.

Susie Burr Malanowski on Wizard Of Oz at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden in 1959.

All this from a scrappy pony Raymond acquired in trade for an unpaid $300 board bill in 1956.

Wizard was 3 when the Burr family got him, and not broke at all. And in the breaking process, his stubborn and naughty side came out—traits that he would become notorious for.

“He was very tough—I can’t even remember how many times he put me on the ground,” Malanowski said. “He was just mean. He didn’t bite or kick, but even as I got older and when my sister showed him, you had to be a really strong rider. He’d drop his shoulder and put you on the ground before you even knew what happened. He even put my father on the ground once. Just once though!

“He wasn’t a very refined type. We was a Welsh/Arab cross. We didn’t really know what his breeding was, but my mom used to say he was “out of luck and by God.’ He was just amazing.”

Malanowski, who started riding Wizard when she was 7, can’t remember how many times she fell off Wizard with his antics. “It didn’t matter if it was at home or at a show. We’d be walking in a hack class and he’d decide he was done,” she recalled. “At the age of 7, I was on the ground. I learned; I learned that when you fall off, you don’t lay there and cry, you get up.”

But Malanowski earned Wizard’s respect, and the two won all over the Northeast. “He was a beautiful mover and a very good jumper. He had beautiful conformation and as my dad used to say, he had a pizzazz about him like he was saying, ‘Here I am, watch me!’ It’s the way he presented himself in the show ring, in the hunt field, everywhere,” she said.

“You just couldn’t help but watch him. He was very hard to beat in the show ring. Dad had a very good eye for horses and ponies, and he saw something I never realized. Back then, I couldn’t have told you, ‘Why was he so different?’ But my dad knew he was.”

But Wizard wasn’t a cosseted show pony like today’s mounts. The Burr family farm in Kimberton, Pa., didn’t even have a ring to ride in. Malanowski and Wizard showed in the pony hunters, but also competed in Pony Club shows and foxhunted.

“After we got through the falling off, I could do anything with him,” she recalled. “The only thing I had to be careful about with him was in the hunting field, going across a creek. He would always try and roll. He was tough in the hunting field, too. He was very strong.”

Despite Wizard’s difficulties, he was Malanowski’s best childhood friend. “I used to pretend he was circus pony. We had a stump in the back yard that was maybe 10” off the ground and I’d make him put his front feet on it,” she said. “I could do anything with him. I’d sit in his stall and read him stories; I took my toothbrush out to the barn and brushed his teeth. He was the only friend I needed or wanted then.

“It was a fabulous time in my life. The time I had him was the most joyous time of my childhood. To have him honored in the Hall of Fame was such an honor.”

Malanowski showed Wizard for seven years, then her sister showed him for a bit and then Raymond invited another talented young rider, Puddy Jone Clark, to show him.

“Puddy was a very strong rider, and that’s what Wizard needed. Dad had seen her ride and thought she’d ride him well. She knew his reputation and said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this!’ But she got on him and trotted away across the field and came back beaming ear to ear,” Malanowski said.

Jones showed him to his last AHSA Horse of the Year title in 1965. “He retired and we turned him out. He was 23 when he died and he’s buried at the farm. That was the only home he’s ever known,” Malanowski said. “When Dad got him, he said, ‘This pony will never be sold.’ And he never did. He’s the only one my parents never sold—buying and selling was their business.”

Malanowski kept showing until she was in her early 20s, but back injuries ended her riding career. She went on to raise a family—three children and three step-children. “We had six under the age of 8 at one point! They’re all grown now and have children of their own,” she said. She may not ride anymore, but she’s still traveling to all the horse shows. “I’ve never gotten too far from it,” she said.