Search Weight Loss Topics:

Home » Diet » Newall: The pony of Port Richmond goes on a diet – Philly.com

The construction workers arrived at Kazs Tire Center in Port Richmond in need of some Goodyears and an answer to a burning question: Wheres the pony?

Advertisment

of

Coco. The pony of Port Richmond. The delight of East Somerset Street. The chestnut gelding rescued from an abusive fairground who lived behind the tire shop and grew fat and happy from 15 years of love and attention lavished by Kaz Nabavi and his wife, Sedighah.

Too fat, unfortunately.

Kaz and the construction workers sat in the wood-paneled waiting room he keeps decorated with a shrine to his hero, John Wayne.

He would tell them the whole story. He always does.

The horse, said Kaz, solemnly, had to go on a diet.

I first met Kaz a few years ago on a whim. I heard a pony was living behind a tire shop. I met Coco. More importantly, I met Kaz, who is 72 and about as close to a living embodiment of joy as a human being can be.

An Iranian immigrant, he left his homeland in the early 1960s, fleeing the brutality of the shah. He loves his life in America. He loves Sedighah and their two children a doctor and a lawyer. He loves The Duke, and Teddy Roosevelt cowboys, he said. He loves working the polls on Election Day, with his carefully selected slate of candidates, both Republicans and Democrats. He loves the tire shop and the animals he keeps on his land behind it. His Chilean chickens that lay green eggs. His gorgeous peacock and dearly departed rescue goat. The parrot that liked to ride on Cocos back.

Sometimes, Kaz and I discuss politics. And sometimes when all the ugliness makes even Kazs smile fade, well talk about his pony. Kaz always returns to his pony.

Sitting under a portrait of the Duke, Kaz regaled his guests.

One afternoon in late summer, the story goes, Sedighah hurried into the shop. Coco had fallen. Or at least, lay down very fast. She wasnt sure. Kaz went to Coco. There was no just denying it anymore. The horse was too fat.

For months, he had been telling his wife as much.

One lap of hay in the morning, hed remind her. One lap of hay in the evening.

The horse doesnt like that, his wife would say, leaving Coco a feast of a whole bale.

At the market, for every piece of fruit his wife bought Kaz, shed buy two for Coco.

Watermelons and cantaloupes. Apples and carrots. Bananas even.

This is not a monkey, Kaz would say. This is a horse.

And exotic fruits that Kaz had never tasted, let alone name.

Who is the boss of this house? Kaz said. Is it the horse or me?

He tried spreading the hay out so Coco would walk for it.

The horse doesnt like that, Sedighah would say

Then there were the endless snacks from the neighborhoods kids who ignored Kazs sign: Please, do not feed the animal (Horse). Thank you.

Once, Kaz would ride Coco from Port Richmond to Penn's Landing, stopping along the way to give kids rides. Sedigah would ride him, too, with the parrot on the back.

But now, Coco was growing old and round enough that Kaz could no longer fit his legs around him.

He called a doctor.

Give him less food, otherwise hes going to die, the doctor said, prescribing a year of exercise.

Sedighah wasnt impressed.

The doctor doesnt know what hes talking about, she said. The horse likes to eat, give him food.

Kaz thought of a friend who owns a farm, near a lake, with a cozy barn and roomy paddock. Coco could get the exercise he needed.

We put it to pasture, Kaz said. Its the best thing. Of course, I miss him."

Kaz has visited Coco twice. He doesnt look like hes lost any weight. But they take good care of him. And that makes Kaz happy.

But without a pony things werent the same on East Somerset. Sedighah was sad. So was Kaz. And all the kids missed him, said Danny Beck, a roofer across the street, who liked to feed him apples despite the sign.

You got rid of my Coco, one little girl told Kaz, who tried to make her smile. I said, I didnt get rid of him. You did. You fed him too much food.'

Kaz knew what had to be done.

On Thursday, once the snow ended, Kaz put on his jacket and began to clean Cocos old stall. He wants it to be nice when he brings home the brown and white painted pony he bought for himself and Sedighah and East Somerset Street.

Beautiful, he called him. Hell bring him home when the weather breaks. He showed me a picture. It looked a little fat.

Published: February 10, 2017 6:57 PM EST | Updated: February 10, 2017 8:31 PM EST

Read more here:
Newall: The pony of Port Richmond goes on a diet - Philly.com

Your Full Name
Your Email
Your Phone Number
Select your age (30+ only)	30313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
Select Your US State	Select Your StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington,DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Program Choice	Select Your ProgramInjectable HGHInjectable TestoteroneInjectable SermorelinInjectable Weight LossInjectable HCG DietInjectable Vitamins
Confirm over 30 years old	Yes
Confirm that you resident in USA	Yes
This is a Serious Inquiry	Yes
Message:

Home » Diet » Newall: The pony of Port Richmond goes on a diet – Philly.com