Buzz Light Year came into the lives of Ashley Burlingame and her daughter Mary Corbin late in his show career, but this 12-hand pony made a big impression. Ashley agreed to share her memories of the special pony who taught so much to so many children.

It all started when Mary Corbin was ready for a small pony. Just out of the short stirrup ring, we didn’t set out to find the best, just a good safe pony to give her some experience. But boy did we get the best!

After many months of looking for a pony, our trainers, Jack Towell and Liza Towell Boyd, called and asked us to come to Wellington, Fla., to try a few ponies. We tried so many before Buzz appeared. Casey Green was generous enough to let Mary Corbin jump him before a big class, and that was that. He was irresistible!

What a responsibility! I already knew how famous Buzz was before he arrived, and in person (or pony), he just had this way of demanding respect. That little white pony intimidated me! Buzz was king to all who owned him.

As Mary Corbin’s mother, I had to be prepared with bags of mints. He let me know he fully expected to be rewarded for taking care of my child. He kept his eye on me ringside, and he would literally step into my golf cart insisting I give him a mint! I often thought he would knock his head off when he reached in, but he never did. He had years of practice.

When he first arrived, he quickly let us know his expectations by hauling off with Mary Corbin attached to the lead rope.

Casey Green’s mom had warned me he might do that. “All he wants is grass,” she explained. “He doesn’t want to hurt her.”

He did the same thing with Casey. He usually got what he wanted.

He required correct riding. He wouldn’t let his pigtailed riders get away with tipping their bodies or leaning—he would immediately swap leads. Boy, was he a teacher.

He rolled in the mud at any given chance, disguising himself as a pumpkin. He never rolled in the grass. He would find that small patch of mud in the paddock and roll on one side, then the other, until his beautiful white coat was bright orange.

He loved mints and Cheetos and really all food. He was allergic to hay, so he ate a chopped hay substitute like Dengie. To keep him hydrated, we would serve him a mixture of Dengie and water that we called “Dengie stew.” He traveled in the trailer with the bucket tied in front of him, and he would arrive at the show with that pink nose completely brown. We didn’t care because it kept him happy.

He lived with Jason Schlotterback (Finally Farm North) in Charlotte, N.C., which was closer to our home than Finally Farm in Camden, S.C. Mary Corbin needed to ride daily, so we were lucky to have the Finally Farm affiliate here in Charlotte. We met the Towells at the shows where they trained Mary Corbin.

A Big Setback

Shortly after we bought him, Buzz ruptured a tendon in his right front leg. Obviously, we were devastated. We had looked for a pony for months, and now my challenge was to rehab a very hurt pony and take care of a very sad little girl.

The injury happened in April of 2005, and he’d just arrived in March. No one knows how the injury occurred; he was fine in the schooling area, and the next second he was dead lame in the ring.

My guess is that he’d injured it earlier, but he was such a stoic pony that he ignored the pain until the tendon finally tore. Our vet suggested slicing the tendon to aid in restoring blood flow and healing to the area and then stall rest, a conservative and slow rehab plan and a lot of prayers.

I was determined to get him back, so we followed the plan to the letter. Hand walking, hosing, wrapping and all the thousand other things Jason and Lee had to do were followed to perfection. I owe them so much. He was treated like a king!

After several months, our vet gave us the green light to start the gradual process of riding him. First, weeks of walking, which built to weeks of walking and trotting and then on to the canter.

With every move up, our vet performed an ultrasound to insure no changes had occurred. This was pretty boring for a 9-year-old Mary Corbin, but we finally got the go ahead to jump a cross rail! With each height increase, we followed up with additional ultrasounds.

Always A Champion

In January, Mary Corbin showed him in Aiken, S.C., and won both schooling pony classes and was champion that first day! It was so good to have him back, and he was so appreciative to return to his job.

All the trainers and kids told us how glad they were to see him back. He was so well known that often other trainers or previous owners would offer advice. At one show a trainer asked if we knew to make sure he jumped a green cooler in the schooling area before he went in the ring. She said he didn’t like green, and this would ensure he didn’t look at a green jump. Along the way, we got many Buzz tips, and we always appreciated them.

Emerson Burr had a special bit made for him by a famous bit maker. It was a D-ring snaffle with a straight bar for his mouth. Buzz loved that bit, and it was passed down from owner to owner.

Once Buzz was back in action, Mary Corbin and Buzz hit the circuit and won champion or reserve consistently. She and Buzz qualified for the Washington International Horse Show (D.C.) and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in nine months! At one of their first shows together, Buzz was awarded a 91 in one class, and I was blown away. I’ve never seen a pony jump like that—of course I’m biased—but his athleticism and natural talent were incredible!

After indoors, which provided a great learning experience for Mary Corbin, Buzz got injured again. I think his age and years in the show ring were catching up to him. We rehabbed him, and then Cindy Sullivan came to me while we were showing in Wellington with a job for Buzz.

A Final Job

All we wanted to find was someone who could give Buzz a job and care for him the way he deserved. At Cindy’s suggestion, I called Sarah Doyle in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and told her I’d be willing to send him to her. She was thrilled and promised impeccable care, which she delivered a million times over. He needed someone to love and care for him, and he needed a light job teaching another little girl to ride.

Last summer I conned my best childhood friend into taking a driving two hours from her town, then taking a ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard to see Buzz. Mary Corbin and I hadn’t seen him in a year, so I made sure my trip to Massachusetts included a trip to see Buzz and meet his new family.

Six hours later I knew we’d done the right thing. Not only had we spent time with our beloved Buzz, but we also had begun a new friendship with a family that loved and admired Buzz as much as we had. Sarah and Ava instantly became our new friends.

He lived out his remaining time in a place I call “Heaven On Earth.” He was turned out all day every day by the sea with other ponies and had a little girl to love him. Ava took the best care of him and so did her mom Sarah. He remained king until the day he died.

At age 23, Buzz rode the ferry to the mainland to the hospital, and despite much effort to save him, he had to be put down. He sometimes suffered from colic when the weather changed. The season changed for him one last time, and we couldn’t ask him to suffer another day. Sarah and Ava had already saved his life once, and they tried again, but he needed peace.

We feel grateful and blessed to have had Buzz, and we were most grateful that we’d gone to Martha’s Vineyard to see him before he died. We ate cupcakes ringside, hugged his neck, watched Ava ride him beautifully and even saw Mary Corbin sit on his back one last time. What a memory and what memories given by a very proud, talented teacher named Buzz Light Year.

Want to read more about Buzz Light Year? Check out the May 21 Junior and Pony Issue. Not a subscriber? Subscribe online!