Like many of us, Patrick enjoys a few sips of beer at the pub with his pals. However, more than a few heads are turned when he clip-clops up to his local.
This beautiful Shetland Pony has finally answered the age old question of why exactly the horse walked into the bar. It was, of course, in pursuit of a well-deserved Guinness, with a side order of a crunchy carrot, Patrick’s pub snack of choice.
Everyday, Patrick – born on St. Patrick’s Day – heads to the Drum Inn in the village of Cockington, Devon, accompanied by his owner Kirk Petrakis, 42. He’s said to be as ‘good as gold’ while out, lapping up the attention lavished on him by fellow patrons.
Patrick is so well-known at the Drum Inn the pub will soon be hosting his second birthday bash. There is, however, no information as to whether or not Patrick is a member of the pub quiz team.
Kirk, who operates K&H Cockington Carriages alongside his wife Hannah, has taken care of Patrick for roughly three months, taking him around Cockington as soon as they got him. They initially went into the local tea room, but nowadays the Drum Inn is his favourite place to socialise.
According to Kirk:
The daily pub visit is all part of his routine and is his highlight. He likes a sip of Guinness and he has a carrot – that’s it.
It’s a special treat for him. We decided on Guinness as he was born on St Patrick’s Day. It also has some nutritional value for him. He just has a few sips – nothing too heavy.
Kirk continued:
Now we take him daily into the Drum Inn. It is all part of his training to get him to desensitise to all the sounds in a busy pub atmosphere – but he absolutely loves it there.
He is doing extremely well. People can not believe their eyes when they see a horse in the pub. He gets a big reaction there and on social media.
The first trip went down really well. I did say to the manager of the Drum Inn beforehand what we were planning so he was fully aware. He was fine with it. It is a dog pub so he was happy for us to bring Patrick in.
The response was brilliant. People were coming over taking photos and lots of children enjoyed meeting him. He loves being in the pub and he really loves all the attention.
Of course, Patrick’s life isn’t all just fun and banter down the boozer. Like many students before him, these pub outings will probably continue for around a year before he trots into the world of work.
Patrick will then go on to pull a miniature carriage for children, and may also visit schools and hospitals as a special therapy pony.
Kirk has described chilled-out Patrick as having a ‘calming presence’, which will no doubt put him in good stead for this worthy line of work:
He normally goes to the pub in the day but was there during an evening for my wife’s birthday when things sometimes get rowdy.
But he remained as good as gold and stood very chilled and relaxed. The younger lads were saying things like ‘oh my god, I can not believe there is a pony in the pub.’
It is not your usual sight down the local. It is a bit of fun for everyone and Patrick enjoys it too. People want to come and cuddle him. Some drinkers do wonder though if the beer they are drinking is a bit too strong.
Patrick is always on best behaviour though and is very docile. He has never had to be be kicked out and is a lot better behaved than some of the dogs. He is quiet and just brings a calming presence.
But before his lazy, carefree days canter away from him, Patrick is set to enjoy one last hurrah on March 17, a day when Kirk has promised there will be ‘plenty of Guinness flying around’.
Many happy returns to Patrick!
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.