Scotty and Josie go to court to fight for custody of the pony, and Scotty's lawyer proposes an unusual solution -- "let the pony decide." Scotty and Josie sit on opposite ends of a paddock and call their pony by its different names, Taff and Bo. The pony answers to both, but it goes to Scotty first, and he is awarded ownership. Later Josie apologizes to Scotty for taking his pony, and the last scene shows the pony pulling Josie's cart as she and Scotty ride in it together. This ending implies that the children will share ownership of the pony. In the book, however, Scotty is clearly its sole owner, and although he shares it with Josie, she gets a new pony.
