A couple of years after I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret Hamilton—the Wicked Witch of the West herself—on a trip to New York City, I had “Oz” show up right on my doorstep in Kansas! Well, practically.

It was really in the parking lot of a local five-and-ten-cent chain store called T.G. & Y. I was just nine years old, and my mother had read in the newspaper about a touring stunt show coming to town—with horses! Or rather, one horse and one pony. Dick Ryan had been a successful Hollywood stuntman and animal trainer, and he was bringing his favorite horse with him who would perform a series of impressive acts of skill that included a death-defying jump through a ring of fire!

Parking lot pyrotechnics performed by Dick Ryan and his horse, British Wonder.

But I was far more interested in his very special, fairly old, black pony named Admiral. No stunts for this prized animal. There were, however, going to be pony rides for the children. So I had to be there! Nearly thirty-three years prior to our happy Saturday afternoon, this barely six-month-old “black beauty” had appeared in my all-time favorite film, The Wizard of Oz. He was one of two ponies who had pulled Judy Garland (as Dorothy) around Munchkinland in her flower petal carriage during the musical sequence “Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead.”

Admiral, back in 1939, in MGM’s “The Wizard of Oz.”

He had also been featured prominently that same year in another beloved classic—Gone With the Wind. This pony, you may recall, was the gift that Rhett Butler presented to his daughter Bonnie Blue later in the film. And Admiral did all his own stunts, too, as they say. Specifically, the shocking jump through the training bars when little Bonnie Blue meets her untimely fate. This stunt, we were told, was executed by Dick Ryan’s kid brother, who doubled for young Cammie King in the role of Bonnie when she crashed through the bars.

Admiral with Cammie King in 1939’s “Gone With the Wind.”

Admiral was a sweet old soul, and obliged us without complaint, that day. And with a pony of this age, Mr. Ryan understandably limited the number of rides he would give. I was one of the lucky riders, and although our course was simple and confined, it was also thrilling and unforgettable. Here was more tangible evidence of Oz, at least in my mind. It brought me one step closer to the writing of my novel Silver Shoes. One step further on my journey to finding “the real Oz.”

Paul Miles Schneider rides the pony Admiral, who was featured in the classic 1939 MGM movie “The Wizard of Oz.”

Paul Miles Schneider riding Admiral, while the pony’s owner, Hollywood stunt performer Dick Ryan, leads them around a simple course in the parking lot.