Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/rescue-pony-boy-bffs/

Although there are many beautiful things about the world around us, perhaps none of them compare to the relationship between a little boy and his pet. We see it often with dogs and cats in our family, but it may also be with other pets, as you will soon see.

Shepard is a little boy that loves the animal in his life. Anytime they have the opportunity to be together, it is all smiles and kisses.

This isn’t a dog or cat in the family; it’s Odie, a rescue pony. When you see the two of these individuals interacting, there is nothing sweeter that you will see all day.

It all started when Sweet Mercies Rescue Ranch rescued Odie. According to The Dodo, he was purchased at an auction, and the nonprofit brought him home.

Mariah is the owner and operator of the ranch, and she also happens to be the mother of Shepard. You will find many horses and dogs on the ranch that need to be cared for in special ways.

At first, Odie was injured and needed special care. Because his back legs were locked up, they wouldn’t bend properly, and he would swing them from side to side to walk. Children would still ride him at his former home, which made him even worse.

However, when Shepard met Odie, it was love at first sight. According to The Dodo, he told the pony that they would take nice care of him and fill his tummy up with grass.

When Mariah spoke with The Dodo, she said: “It was a hard past for him to be ridden in the conditions he was in.” They weren’t even sure if you would be kind to children because of the treatment he had in the past.

However, it didn’t take long for Odie to start getting better. He started gaining weight and strength, and his legs recovered fully. Before long, he was running with other ponies around the ranch.

Three months later, permission was given for Odie to be ridden again. Shepard was the first one to take a ride.

The love also went both directions. Odie started to trust people, and it wasn’t long before he interacted beautifully. You can watch more in the following video about the special relationship between Odie and the little man:

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog