New Girl in the Barn

I've done it again--took-in another horse. I was at the local tack shop, Crop and Carrot, and saw an ad for a free horse. It was a horse I knew, belonging to my son's girlfriend, Jen. Fancy is a 26 year old Appy.; a Hunter/Jumper and Eventing horse. She has won walls full of ribbons in the past 2 years, but it was time to retire. Plus, Jen needs to move onto a more challenging horse. Being the "nut" that I am, I came up with the excuse of needing a trail horse for Tom, or a spare for me. After some serious discussion and lots of finagling about where to house Fancy in our barn, it was decided to add her as a new member of our equine family. As you know, we have tons of experience with senior horses, and I knew in my heart that at her age, she would eventually end-up in the "slaughter pipeline". I'd save them all, if I had the money and space!! Last Sunday, I was up early anticipating her arrival. The barn had to be spotless, even though Jen has seen my barn a hundred times. Fancy arrived, with new purple halter and lead, and an entourage of Jen, Jen's mom, step dad, and best friend Camile. Off the trailer she came, and settled right in to life at our crazy farm. Tickle My Fancy is the sweetest horse on the planet. She reminds me of my horse King Summit who died several years ago at age 37. They are once in a lifetime horses, so few and far between. Thank you Jen and Robin for trusting us with Fancy. She will be loved and cared for until the end of her days.
To read more about Tickle My Fancy, go to http://lbfequestrian.blogspot.com

Quest for the Perfect Pony

My friends decided to get their children a pony for Christmas. They already own 2 horses, have a huge field, and a 3 stall barn. I'm sure, as a horseperson, you know that all stalls in a barn must be filled. It's a crime to waste a perfectly good stall! The children are 3,4 and 9, so the pony had to be bombproof. This is an interesting term "bombproof". What does it really mean? Can you always trust the term/description? The first pony looked at was one that was about 100 years old. It was definately bombproof. The ad said free to a good home. It was a wonderful pony for small children. It really was!!! Plans were made to get the pony, until the owner happened to mention that it took 2 hours for the pony to eat. This might not be a problem for some people, but in a herd-type situation it meant the pony would get no food, and probably starve to death. She probably would be best as an only pony. The next pony to be considered was a cute little white pony at a dealers farm in Western MA. Now, I don't like this place, but its not going to be my pony. My friends asked me to check out the pony before they made the purchase. As we were walking through the main barn, I noticed 2 horses standing in a stanction with a man. The horses were just standing there doing nothing. For no reason the man picked up a leadrope and whipped one horse in the face with the end of the leadrope, and proceeded to whip the other horse in the face with the snap end of the leadrope. Well, being who I am, I marched right up to the man and said "What the f*** are you doing to these horses?" Since there were fresh hoof trimmings on the ground, I assumed it was the farrier, and said "Are you the farrier"? He said "No, I own these horses. What are you doing here?" I replied " I came to buy a horse, but I certainly won't be buying one now!", and walked away. My friends had heard the entire conversation, but were oblivious to the actual incident. They informed me I had just confronted the owner of the farm. Too bad! I don't know about any of my readers, but in my opinion, if he's striking horses on the face, for no reason, and doing it in public, I hate to think what he is doing behind closed doors!!!
I was fuming, but continued-on to check-out the pony. My friend went into the stall with the pony, touched it on its side, and it proceeded to bite, and try to kick her. She said "Maybe this is why they had it on crossties when we looked at it before!" Additionally, it had greenish mucous on its eyes, which apparently wasn't there the first time they saw the pony. Needless to say, it was decided to not get the little white pony. Now--we had driven almost 2 hours to look at the pony, and my friend was on a mission to buy a pony. I put my "thinking cap" on, and remembered a farm called Strain Family Farm in Granby, CT. It was just an hour away, so we made a call and inquired if they had any "bombproof" ponies. They had one, so off we went. Strain Family Farm is also a dealer, but I had seen some of his horses at the UCONN auction, and knew they were nice. Pricely, but nice. We arrive, see the pony, do all kinds of crazy things to the pony--it definately seemed "bombproof", and my friend purchased the pony on the spot. Ginger, will be delivered to my friends house on Dec. 23rd. I am providing the big red bow, a saddle, and I'm sure the kids will take one look at the pony and say "wheres my Barbi bike, Star Wars gun, and computer game?" Oh, well, such is life with kids! My friend is now on a mission to get a dog. I advised her to wait at least until Spring. This is way too stressful for me-----I just hope the pony is really bombproof!!!!!

Am I Bored Yet?

Things have started to quiet down here. I am actually down to 3 horses and little Sage.Mark has brought Eva, Tequilla and Trick to Shallowbrook Equestrian Center in CT, where he is working. I'm sure they are not thrilled, as they will have to work this winter, playing arena polo. Zanita has gone to DaCory Farm in Saratoga Springs, NY, until April. My sister,Emma, who owns the farm was here for Thanksgiving, and was so impressed with Zanita, she offered to work with her over the winter. Divine is on the road to recovery. Her stitches came out today. It will still be about 5 more months before we know if she will be sound enough to play polo. We are hoping for the best. Its nice to have some "down" time. There are arena polo games at Shallowbrook, and UConn over the winter. What a treat it will be, to be able to actually sit and watch a game, and not have to act as a groom!

How Much is Too Much?

One of the many horse related expenses is veterinary care. It's a fact of life for any responsible horse owner. If for no other reason, there are always yearly immunizations and dental work. At some point in your horse owning life, your horse will probably require a vet visit for some other reason. Maybe colic, a laceration,or lameness. We have had our share of medical delemas this past year, especially the past 5 months. Zanita coliced, Alcott hurt his eye and Divine choked. When Divine choked, she had to be kept in a stall overnight for observation. In the morning, she was so excited to get out, that she broke away from me and ran around for about 5 minutes. I put her in the field, and about 2 hours later, noticed she wasn't putting any weight on her right front leg. She had a small wound about the size of a dime, on the outside of her knee. The vet was called, xrays were taken, and her knee was drained, medication was prescribed. The xrays showed little pieces of "something" near where the hole was. Three days in a row the knee was drained, and by Friday there was not much improvement. It was decided, after a suggestion of surgery, to wait one more week and see if there was any improvement. Just as things were starting to look better, Divine paniced about something and fell onto her knees. Vet was called again (after hours visit), and all the damage seemed superficial, but her lameness stopped improving. More xrays were taken, and these were sent to Tufts Veterinary Hospital to be read by a radiologist. A bone chip was seen, in addition to the little pieces of "something". Surgery was strongly advised. Divine is the sweetest horse, an outstanding polo horse, and 18 years old. There are no guarantees the surgery will allow her to play polo again, or even be comfortable as a pasture pet. We have already spent over $*000-oh, did I mention she choked a second time? What do we do? Surgery would be another $*000. After a week of going back and forth with the decision it was decided to take her to Tufts. My question to you is--How do you know at what point to stop treatment? Do you stop treatment? Once you get started it seems to snowball. Alcott is another example. When his injured eye was first examined, it seemed like a straight forward problem that would correct itself after a week of ointment. It has now been a month, and about $*000. If I had known it was going to cost so much would I have just euthanized him? Afterall, he is 27, retired from polo, not a good trail horse, and costs alot to feed because he has few teeth and can't eat hay! What are your thoughts? What would you do? While you ponder this question, I'm off to the bank to pick-up the paperwork to refinance our house!!

Donations, Please!

Would you donate your horse to a College or University? There are a lot of Equine Programs that will accept horses as donations. The donation is a tax write-off. The University will let you determine the value of your horse, up to $5000. Above that, the horse must be professionally appraised. Sounds like a great deal! What a great way to "retire" a polo horse that is either too old, or doesn't suit your needs! But, read the fine print. When you donate your horse it becomes the property of the University or the College. If the horse is not suitable for their program, or they have no room for the horse, what happens? You have signed a contract that does not allow the horse to be returned to the donater. According to a local university, the horse is to be sold at auction. This particular university sends their unused,unwanted donated polo horses to an auction/sale Barn in Western, MA. According to the owner, "Thoroughbreds go straight to the "killpen". What breed are most polo horses? They are mainly TBs! Right now, the University is overwhelmed with donations of polo horses. The polo season has ended, for the most part, and the economy is in the dumps. Do the donaters know that their horse will most likely end up being slaughtered for meat? Do they care? Do they just "turn a blind eye"?

Oct. 16th--First Snow

Seasons End

All good things must come to pass. Except for Arena Polo, the polo season is over in New England. Mark is now managing the polo program at Shallowbrook Equestrian Center in CT. Tequilla has moved-out, and soon Trick and Eva will also leave. This will leave Divine and Alcott for polo. Alcott, at age 27, will only be used for lessons from now-on. Tab is doing a lot of trail riding with Zanita, who is turning out to be a fabulous trail horse. Jen, when she is home on weekends from college, rides Zanita. They definitely have a bond between them! Alcott, C'est Bon and Sage, are just hanging-out getting fat and lazy. In addtion to daily chores, there are many things to get done before winter. Rainsheets and winter blankets have been taken out of storage, tack and equipment inventoried, water heaters found, fencing checked, and storm windows put up in the barn. Its still busy around the farm, but quieter. Maybe we will eventually have some "down time" and can curl-up and read a good book--probably a book about horses!!!

"C'est Bon" means "That's Good"

In April of 2005 we bought an 18 yr. old TB polo mare at the UConn auction. C'est Bon was beautiful, black, 16.1, and in her younger days,had played polo at some of the top polo clubs in the US. It didn't take long for her to win Marks heart. Not only was she an outstanding playing pony, but she had a sweet personality. We owned her for about 10 months, and she developed a problem with one of her front legs, so that she couldn't be played. Mark did some soul searching, and decided we should try to sell her. It didn't take long to get a buyer, and she went to a wonderful farm in southern NH. Her new jobs were to be a guide horse for an old blind TB mare, and occasional trail riding. In her sale papers I had stated that if the new owner was unable to care for her, and needed to get rid of her, that we would have the option to take her back. I kept in touch with her new owners throughout the years. Jan.'09 I sent my usual "hows it going" email, and got a nice update, that included comments about not having time to ride C'est Bon and the cost of feeding a horse that isn't being used. I replyed that C'est Bon would always be welcome back to our farm, and to please keep me updated. Needless to say, we got the promised email, and we brought C'est Bon back to Oakham. She settled right in. She and Alcott seemed to remember each other, and Alcott has been very protective of his "new girl". She's aged, and has a bit of grey on her face, but is still the sweet mare that she always was during the short time we had owned her before. I don't know how sound she is when ridden, but I know she won't be playing polo anymore. It really doesn't matter though. C'est Bon is home, and this is where she'll spend her remaining years.

Zanita was ridden for the first time since we brought her home. Jen got to be the "guinea pig". Jen, being the wonderful and talented rider that she is, had Zanita performing beautifully. Never mind polo---dressage anyone???

Cancelled

This Thursdays-August 27ths Free Polo Demonstration has been cancelled. We hope you will plan to attend our next Demonstration on Thursday Sept. 24th at 6:30

Damage Control

My horses have been very busy providing income for Buck Hill Veterinary Services. The first horse to need their services was DB. Mark and Jen were getting her ready to be ridden, and when they went to put on her bridle, they noticed she had a hole in her upper lip. Not just a cut, but a round hole, the size of a dime. It looked like someone had taken a large size leather punch, and used it on the very middle of her upper lip. It was filled with "gunk", so Mark called the vet. Paula came, examined and flushed the wound, and left us with 2 bottles of antibiotics. While sedated,and her lip was being examined, we found out that our QH cross is actually a tattooed TB named Red Dress Baby. She had just finished her 7 days of medicine, when the next incident occurred. Eva had been in a stall for most of the day. waiting for the farrier. After he came, and her hooves were done, she was turned-out into the paddock. She had only been out for about 2 hours, when Mark noticed she had a large gash on the side of her mouth. It was probably 4 inches long. The vet was called-of course Mark had to leave for polo practice, so I got to be Eva's nurse! Her cut required 6 stitches, and antibiotics were prescribed. Because of the cut/stitches, Eva couldn't wear a bridle, so we joked that she cut herself on purpose, knowing she was about to leave for a 4 day tournament in NY! The next victim of misfortune was Zanita. Upon arrival home from NY, I went over to the paddock to check on Eva, Sage and Zanita. Zanita seemed sore in her right hind leg, and upon closer inspection I found 2 lacerations on her gaskin. They didn't appear too bad, so I washed them off, applied furacin ointment, and gave her a gram of bute. The next day her leg was very swollen, so I started her on oral antibiotics, bute, and warm soaks. After following this treatment for 3 days, there was no change, so the vet was called. It turned-out that the laceration was actually a 5 inch puncture wound. She received a different regimen of antibiotics, and now, 10 days later, she is finally getting better. Because of all these wounds, we carefully checked the paddock-several times- and found nothing obvious that would harm the horses. Since I always thought misfortune came in threes, I assumed our medical dilemmas were finished. At least until I went out to feed this morning and found Tequilla with her hoof/shoe, caught in the cable that anchors the horses run-in shelter. Thankfully, she was not hurt, and had the sense to not panic, and harm herself. It always amazes me that even under the best of circumstances, what trouble our equine friends can get into!

Trail Ride Photo

Mushrooms and Slugs

No, I am not going to write about a new Rap group, or a new way to get "high"!! All we have had this summer is rain! If it doesn't rain during the day, it rains at night. There haven't even been enough dry days to cut hay. Normally it takes 3 good, dry days to hay. Unfortunately, everything is so wet, and the grass has grown so long, if the hay is cut, its taking longer to dry, so we really need at least 4 consecutive dry days to hay. I've started checking the horses regularly for "rain rot" . I noticed mushrooms growing around the bottom of the barn walls the other day. Of course I looked-up the type to be sure they weren't poisonous. Zanita has a rubber feed tub that she likes to tip over. When I went to put grain in it one day, it was full of slugs. Slugs make me crazy. You can't touch them because you get that slimy stuff on your fingers, and it takes a blow-torch to get it off. I tried banging the bucket on a rock, but they have those suction cup like bellies. I finally used a stick and pried them off. Now I am careful to pick up the feed bucket after she eats.
Well I suppose if worse comes to worse, and we never get haying done, I can feed everyone mushrooms and slugs!

"Zanita" means "God's Gift"

Our rescued TB mare's Jockey Club name is Passion Caper. She raced in PA at age 2 and 4 winning $14,000. She's lucky she didn't get sent for a one way ride to Canada, with winnings like that!! Fortunately for her, she was bought or given to someone who retrained her as a polo horse. We may never know what happened between age 4 and now. I have emailed all of the polo clubs in the states surrounding PA. Haven't heard from anyone, not that I am surprised. She has been in quarantine for 2 weeks, and is doing very well. She is nervous with any sudden movement near her head. We have taught her about horse treats, and are using them to encourage her to trust us. She now will come to us at feeding time. Once she is haltered she is a perfect lady, standing to be brushed and have her hooves picked. Mark rode her for the first time, yesterday. No saddle or bridle. Just a halter. She definately has had some training, as he only needed his leg to turn her, and at a canter she did "flying" lead changes.
She seemed happy to be working, and Mark looks forward to riding her again. Our hope is to get her into shape and bring her to some games. It will feel good to say "See this wonderful polo mare? She was going to be slaughtered for human consumption!

Fencing

I don't know about anyone else, but we are always repairing or putting up fencing. We have 7 acres of land, plus the use of a field across the street from our farm. Now that the horse population is exploding on our property, we are building more paddock and turnout areas. We have the land across the street divided into 3 areas. Each is surrounded by electric fence. We use aluminum wire, T-posts, and step-in posts. When we were getting the quarantine area ready for Zanita, Mark went to the Hardwick Farmers Exchange and bought the best solar power fence charger they sell. Its the one that will stop an elephant, even if a tree has fallen on the wire! Tom and I spent an entire day clearing brush, pounding-in fence posts, attaching insulators, stringing wire, attaching flags, and t-post toppers. We hook-up the fancy new fence charger, and try the fence tester. As always happens with us, the fence wasn't getting any current. We recheck everything, and still the tester showed no current. Now, my favorite part. I ask Tom to touch the wire. He balks a few times, and finally gives in and touches the wire. ZING!!!! It works!! Guess the fence tester wasn't working!! And guess what? Not only will the new charger produce enough power to stop an elephant, it will also knock it to the ground!!!

What an Experience!

A horse auction is held in New Holland,PA every Monday. It is known as the biggest horse auction east of the Mississippi,especially if your are a "kill-buyer" and deal in horse meat. They buy the horses cheap, and when they have double-decker trailer load, ship them to Canada for slaughter. The meat is shipped to Europe and Asia where it is considered a delicay. The horses are mostly young-who wants old tough meat, and most are healthy-who wants meat from a sick animal! How sad to see weanlings in the pens that sold for $50, or the gelding whose mane had been braided. Guess his previous owner thought he would be bought by someone that would provide a loving home. Instead, he was bought for meat! Minis, donkeys, ponies, drafts, Standardbreds, paints, QHs, TBs, Warmbloods, Arabs, and the list goes on. Because of the economy, no ones buying horses but the "kill buyer". Why do people keep breeding so many horses? Well enough of this for now. I had found out about a TB polo mare that was in a kill-buyers pen. The KB was waiting to acquire enough horses to ship a load to Canada. Another Chance 4 Horses had pictures of her, and a very short video of her trotting, on their website. Tom and I decided to drive to PA and rescue her from her nightmare. Turns out she is registered, only 9 years old and as sweet as sugar. Her mane was roached, top of her tail shaved in what I call "polo" fashion, and had recently had her feet done, as there was no new growth on her hooves. It looks like they took her from the polo field to the auction! She was stocked up a bit in her hind legs, but that has gone down now that she is home and can move around freely. Shes about 100 lbs underweight. Why, why, why? What did she do to deserve this? Was she too slow? Didn't turn fast enough? Why was she thrown away like yesterdays newspaper? Was it too much trouble to find her a home? If nothing else, have a vet humanely euthanize her. Whats that cost, about $200? Was her previous owner so desperite for the $150 he got from the KB? Well she is safe now. Our plan is to rehab her, and find her a loving home. We hope this works-out, and we can rescue more polo horses. I heard today that a bunch of them had just been dumped at New Holland for next weeks auction. Wish I had more land and money!!!

On a Mission

Sorry I haven't posted in over 2 weeks. I am currently in PA on a rescue mission. Picking-up a bay TB polo horse. She was spotted in a Kill-Pen at the New Holland Horse Auction. Has a "lovely" USDA inspection sticker on her rump. Shame on whoever sent her to this HELL. Will tell you the entire story when I return to my regular computer, instead of my laptop!!!

Old Habits are Hard to Break

Horses, like people, have different personalities and habits. Some habits are considered strange, and even annoying. Each of our horses has some odd behavior, or habit, that make me wonder "where did they learn that from, and why do they do that"?
Tequila, sticks her nose out and makes a funny sound from her mouth. It almost sounds like she is sucking on a bottle. She also paws the ground, and tries to toss her grain bucket while she is eating. I've had to screw her bucket to the wall in her stall. Eva bangs the wall with her hoof while she eats grain, and almost always has her ears back. She never bites or kicks, but is very mean looking. Trick will always urinate near his hay pile. He looks like a dog marking its territory. Devine makes the same sucking sound as Tequila, but is very quiet. She also threatens all the other horses, by putting her ears back, and sometimes lounging at them, though I've never actually seen her bite. Alcott, when he is upset,takes ahold of his stall walls with his teeth and pulls in a downward direction. I suppose its a form of cribbing. He also won't stay tied. We tried lots of different tying techniques, but have had no luck. Its a good thing he ground-ties! Sage always urinates as soon as she is put in her stall at night. She also gets hysterical when she is left alone, and has broken through many gates and barriers, so that she can be near another horse. I find this odd, because none of the other horses like her, and are always chasing her away. I wonder if I have any habits or behaviors that annoy the horses? They probably watch me, and think "why is she always bothering us with pats, brushing-and we wish she would stop talking!"

A Special Bond

This past week I was out in our paddock, removing manure. I had just fed everyone their morning hay, and things were quiet. I happen to look-up from my chore and noticed that Eva was laying down. She was flat down on her side, including her head. All the other horses were busy eating, and there she lay. Immediately I got a knot in my stomach, and my mind started racing. I couldn't tell from the distance, if she was breathing.Was she dead? Why isn't she eating? Did she eat something that made her sick? I stood frozen for what seemed like several minutes. Finally I saw her tail move, and I relaxed a bit. I moved closer, and saw that she was OK. I breathed a sigh of relief. This got me thinking about what our horses mean to us, and how much we care about them. It also brought to mind the terrible tragedy in Florida, when all the polo horses were "dropping dead" at the polo match. I can't imagine the horror, fear, and helplessness everyone was feeling, especially the owners and riders. Quoting from an article written by Peter Rizzo in POLO magazine "For people who do understand the relationship between a human and a horse, this loss can't be measured in cost of purchase or the expense of replacement or can it be calculated as an inconvenience that all these great horses are no longer available to play. THESE HORSES BELONGED TO PEOPLE WHO LOVED AND RESPECTED THEM, INTIMATELY. Those players relied on and trusted those horses to keep them safe from harm as they played. The horses relied on their owners to provide them care, welfare and to keep them from harm. The unfortunate owners were there with their horses as they became sick and were dying, and their grief and desolation was stark and real as they realized nothing would save their horses." In sharing your life with horses there is a special bond. We recognize each individual whinny, eating habits, where they like to be brushed or scratched, what frightens them, and all the other little idiosyncrasies. The special bond between horse and human has always been a fascinating topic. Why horses? Why not cows, or goats, or sheep? Yes, there are people that seem to bond with these other animals, but it doesn't seem to be the same type of bond as with a horse. What is it about horses? We will probably never have an answer to this question, but one thing is certain, there will always be horses, and people who will devote themselves to these wonderful animals. I know that without horses in my life, I would feel that I had lost contact with the earth, like a Buddist monk having lost contact with Nirvana.

Top Ten Player Quotes

Taken from Polo World Magazine
10.Horses are uncomfortable in the middle and dangerous at both ends.
9. If they don't have polo in heaven, I'm not going.
8.Polo scars are better than tattoos because they come with stories.
7.Just give me a horse, a mallet, a ball and someone to embarass.
6.If at first you don't succeed it's because of me.
5.A bad day at polo is still better than a good day at the office.
4.Losing is for losers.
3.I've spent most of my life playing polo, the rest I've just wasted.
2.I'm a much better player now-I haven't hit a spectator in months.
1.Leave it, leave it, leave it!!!!

Its a Wrap!

In polo, as with most equine sports, the horses legs need to be protected, and/or have support. They are all types of bandages, wraps, and boots. There are bell boots, brushing boots, tendon boots, fetlock boots, open front boots, splint boots, hind boots, and the list goes on. There are so many sizes, types and colors, its a wonder anyone can decide what to buy. Lets take open front tendon boots as an example. To me, they look just like open front boots. When Mark said he needed open front tendon boots for the horses, I went to Dover Catalog and ordered a pair. When they arrived in the mail, we tried them on one of the horses. Now, I probably should have explained before, that in polo, the tendon boots are worn over polo wraps. Needless to say the straps on the boots weren't long enough to securely close the boot. The boots were returned, and I ordered different looking tendon boots from State Line Tack. Of course, these didn't fit either, so they were returned. I went online and found Las Pampas Polo. I figured that since they sold only polo equipment, their tendon boots would fit over polo wraps. To my surprise, the boots were 1/3rd the cost of the others I'd tried! I went through the steps to place my order until I got to the shipping page. The boots would be shipped from Argentina, so the cost was an additional $110. Great, if they didn't fit, it would probably cost that much to return them! Now what! I took a deep breath and entered my credit card number, and placed the order. The boots finally arrived after about 6 weeks-I guess it was a slow boat-and to my delight, they fit. We now had a pair of appropriate tendon boots that ONLY cost $180. This was 3 years ago, and we still have only one pair of boots, which we switch between horses. I can't bring myself to spend the amount needed to purchase 3 more pairs.

Looking Good!

Polo Time

Polo season has arrived. I always know the first outside game is soon, because Mark brings out the electric clippers. As with every other year I express my concerns about the upcoming black fly season. I can't stand that the horses have no mane to shake off the bugs. Fortunately for me(and the horses), and unfortunately for Mark, the clippers broke, or at least need to be sharpened. Only Tequila and Alcott have had their manes roached, and I must admit they look very snazzy! The calender is filling-up with games and practices. Mark is setting up teams, and being asked to play on teams for different tournaments this summer. Tack has been cleaned (thanks to Jenn). The trailer has been organized, and the water tank brought out of storage. The trailer's brakes, tires and lights have been checked. We always do a tack inventory early in the Spring to see what we need. This year we lucked out and found a yard sale that had horse equipment, which really helped the checkbook. What are some of the things that you do at the beginning of your riding season, or do you live somewhere where you can ride year round? It certainly is a busy time, but worth every minute of work!

Honda vs. John Deere

Mark dragging our riding arena. Who needs fancy equipment when you have a Honda Civic and a roll of chain link fence!

Hiring the Polo Groom

A few postings ago, I talked about hiring a groom. I posted an ad at a local college equestrian center and almost immediately got 3 responses. We had each person lunge, ride and handle the horses. I wasn't thrilled with any of the applicants, so posted another ad at Crop and Carrot Tack Shop . Just as I was about to call one of the original applicants, I got a response from the tack store posting. This young woman was a student in theJohnson and Wales Equine Business Management Program , participated in Eventing, owned 2 horses that she kept at home, and lived 2 miles from our farm. This all seemed too good to be true. The interview was arranged, Jenn was here a few minutes early, and I hoped all would go well. I tried to stay in the background, as it would be Mark that would be working with Jenn. He liked her, and was especially pleased that she knew equine massage. We discussed all the applicants, and decided to offer Jenn the job. Fortunately for us, she accepted the position. The horses have never looked better. I am less stressed knowing they are getting worked regularly, and have time freed-up to take care of other farm projects. She is wonderful with the horses, a lovely rider, dependable, knowledgeable, and a very nice/sweet person. Jenn is a dream come true!

Cutest Ass

I Knew Better---

Never a dull moment. Even though I knew better, on Saturday, I attended the yearly Un. of CT. horse auction. My son was planning on going down to the university on Friday to visit friends, and then attend the auction. I was suppose to do some work for the Barre Riding and Driving Club, but that was cancelled. I took this as a "sign" to attend the auction. When my husband found out that Mark and I would be going, he decided to go to "keep us in line". There were 27 horses and 1 mule in the auction. Most of the horses were those that were no longer being used by the university. Seven of the horses were from the CT Dept of Ag (these were rescued and rehabbed-2 were for adoption), and 3 Haflingers were there on consignment. Seven of the university horses did not sell, even with a minimum bid of $500. Notable no sales were 2 registered Morgan mares, age 4, drive, and started under saddle. Both were ridden into the ring, and were very well behaved; also a registered 2 yr old Pasofino, started in harness, very sweet and quiet. Notable Dept of Ag. no sales, even with a minimum $300 bid, were a gorgeous 11 yr. old registered QH stallion,16.1 hands tall. I have never seen such a well behaved stallion; also a 3 yr. old Appendix QH gelding, took the bit, stands, ties, loads, clips, bathes and great with vet and farrier. If I had the time and energy to finish training a horse, I would have bought one of the QHs. Yes, I would definately geld the stallion. There are enough unwanted horses in the U.S.!!! In my opinion, the best buy was an 8 yr old registered Haflinger, plows, drives in single and double harness, shown in halter,lots of show experience, calm in the woods and on the road, tie, clip,load and shoe, no vices. This beautiful gelding was "stolen" for $900!
My son had his heart set on one of the 7 polo horses being sold. He had ridden and played her numerous times while attending UConn. He was so nervous when it was time to bid, that after the final bid, he didn't realize that the winning bid had been his for $800. We hadn't brought the trailer, figuring it would deter our horse buying. So much for that idea! I think the safest thing to do next year is to avoid the UConn auction like a plague!!!

The Polo Demo

Lots of excitement this week. On Thursday, my son Mark and his friend Jeff, put on a polo demonstration. Initially, it was to be a presentation for the Barre Riding and Driving Club, but Worcestershire Pony Club heard about it, and wanted to attend. Mark worked all week getting the riding ring in top shape. He cleaned his tack, made up a schedule, and even had someone preparing food. Jeff was suppose to arrive, from CT, by 6PM. The demo started at 6:30, and we were trying to stick to a strict schedule due to the outdoor lighting situation--the sun! Needless to say, Jeff didn't arrive until 6:30, so there were a few tense minutes. We had about 25 people in attendance. Mark started-off talking about the type of horse and tack used. He told a little history of polo, and explained some of the rules of the game, and how the game is played. Then he and Jeff mounted-up and showed the different mallet shots, and played a "mock" chukker, as best as can be done with 2 riders. Tequila and Alcott get lots of credit for putting up with such "nonsense". There was lots of interest, questions, and even a couple of inquiries about polo lessons. All in all, a very successful evening. Of course, Mark has now decided he wants to give beginner polo lesons! Guess its time to up our insurance----again!

Happy Easter

Man vs. Mud

Its only April 9th and I have had it with all the mud! I called a friend that does "dirt moving" and had him come over to take a look at the mucky situation. Bob took one look at the paddock and said "We didn't clean this up last Fall, did we? Then he added "I'm putting you on my calender now, for next Nov." Bob started moving and removing muck, and worked on it for a day. He had another job to go to, so will be back on Saturday. He has a bit more to remove, then will add gravel, and top that with some kind of sand and clay mix. The horses noticed the difference immediately. I don't have to "make them" go into the paddock in the morning. They also are moving around the entire paddock instead of just the area on the hill that was dry. Unfortunately, it was too late for one of Eva's front shoes. It became a victim of "The Sucking Mud"--and she just had her shoes put on last week!

Tis the Season

April in Central Massachusetts. The days are longer, sun is brighter, birds are starting to make nests, crocus are blooming, and theres MUD and HORSE HAIR EVERYWHERE! We've pulled out the tall rubber boots and sweatshirts. The mud always seems deepest by the gate, so the horses hesitate each morning before entering the paddock! Even horses don't seem to like mud, at least not walking in it. They seem to have no problem with rolling in the gooey stuff! The worst offender is Alcott, and he's white. I try to keep a sheet on him, but remove it on the warmer days. Of course, the first thing he does after the sheet is removed is to roll! I wonder if shedding hair is itchy? The mud they roll in, has horse hair stuck in it, and would probably make good horsehair plaster. Speaking of hair--I own every type of shedding tool. This year I even bought one of those Slick n'Easy grooming blocks. It a nifty gadget, but after using it on one horse, I had to "sharpen" the edges, which is really a pain in the b###. My favorite shedding tool is a shedding blade. I've been using this tool for as long as I can remember. The original ones had leather handles, thats how old I am! Well, not to worry, Mud and Hair Season will soon end. Just in time for Black Fly Season!!

Polo Alphabet

Argentina: a country were babies are born with polo mallets in their hands. Barn Sour: Something that happens to grooms near the end of the season. Colic: stomach pains in players resulting from pre-game nerves. Divot: a turf-like object the ball finds the moment you start to swing. El Dorado: a club in California or the car you sell when you start buying horses. Fence: boards nailed to posts for horses to eat. Gallop: a gait your horse willingly performs only on the way back to the barn. Head-Shy: paranoia of porta-potties. Injury: if you haven't had at least 4 broken bones you are not playing hard enough. Jerseys: shirts with numbers that are hard to see from the sidelines. Knee Guards: something to wear for polo or if you owe the mob money. Lame: an accusation directed towards the umpires. Manure Spreader: a low goal player who talks a bigger game than he plays. Near Side: the opposite of "O"(to right). Off Side: the opposite of "N"(to left). Pony: most seem to be named "Whoa Damm It". Quarter Cracks: snide remarks about players who ride Quarter Horses. Reins: liquid which pours from the sky right around game time. Stall: something players seem to do before trophy presentation. Tack Room: a place to store things tht you may never find again. Umpire: a mounted official with perfect vision from 100 yards away.
Vet-Out: the message you get when you call him in an emergency. Withers: the reason men don't like to ride bareback. X: the mark your horse can never stop on. Yell: something you can't do toward the umpire. Zoo: a place for animals. In this case, 8 with four legs and 8 with 2 legs.

Help Wanted

Person to groom and exercise 4 polo horses, 2-4 times a week,for 4-5 months. Will involve Sat. and/or Sun. during the polo season. Must be 18 years old or older, non-smoking and dependable. References required.
This is a first for me. My son is now working full-time (finally) and won't be able to keep the horses in condition, so we are looking to hire help. I've increased our insurance level, and gotten workmans comp. So far we've had one applicant. A student from a nearby equestrian program. Does anyone reading this have any suggestions, or advice? If not, stay tune. I'm sure this will be an interesting journey.

On-Call Farrier Service

My farrier Deb Ballou (978-257-4165)has been shoeing my horses for at least 10 years. For the first 3 years I was working full time so was never here when she came to shoe. Since then, I've worked at home, so get to hold the horses while she shoes. In that time we've seen each others kids grow, shared lots of horse stories and been through many family and personal ups and downs. I like my farrier, not only for the job she does shoeing, but as a person, and always enjoy it when she is here. Lately, shes been here a lot. Usually, the horses are shod and/or trimmed every 7-8 weeks. For some reason, this year the shoes on Trick and Tequila keep getting pulled off. Of course they take turns, so its Trick one week and Tequila the next. Deb was here this past Tuesday, putting a shoe back on Trick, and shoeing Eva. When she was done, we set-up an appointment for the next visit. This morning when I went out to feed, I heard a strange sound coming from Tequila's stall. When I looked inside, I saw that her front shoe was being held on by one nail. I couldn't get the shoe off, so my son came out to the barn and removed it. When he was done, we looked at each other, and obviously thinking the same thing said "Tequila can wait, lets give Deb at least one week off!" Afterall, mud season is just around the corner, and we know how mud loves to pull off shoes!

Chestnut is the color least likely to Sunburn

Deadly Lease

This past summer I had an eye-opening experi ence. During a conversation at a polo game, it was mentioned that another polo family was looking for a horse for the summer. They wanted a horse that their 2 children could use to practice "stick and ball". For anyone that is unfamiliar with the term, its practicing your mallet strokes, from atop a horse. My son usually does this at a walk, trot or easy canter. Nothing too strenuis. I was asked about Alcott and as he wasn't playing polo anymore, and is very gentle, I thought it might be a good idea. The girls tried him out and it was decided to let this family lease Alcott. Now, I want to mention at this point that the parents of the children are both Equine Veterinarians and own other horses. I thought it would be an ideal situation for Alcott and sent him off with this famiy. During the summer I heard that they were having some trouble with his eating, but had figured it out. In September I went to bring Alcott home, and what I saw was so horrible I was speechless. His body condition was about a 1.5, and he could barely walk. I was told that they had tried different feeds,but he had still gotten so thin that they stopped ridng him at the beginning of August. All I could think of was that I had to get him home and prayed that he would survive the hour drive. Once home our vet was notified, he got a complete physical, teeth were checked and lab tests were conducted.
There was nothing wrong with him. I should also mention that they had trimmed his hooves so short that he couldn't walk without pain. Our vet recommended stall rest in deep shavings and 4 meals a day. Shoes were also suggested, but he was so weak that he could not stand on 3 legs to be shod. Gradually he improved, and 4 months later he is at a perfect weight. Needless to say, this was an awful experience, but it taught me a good lesson. You can never be too careful when it involves your horse's well-being. Yes, maybe I should have physically checked-up on Alcott during the summer; but he was in the care of veterinarians, and they had come highly recommended! Why didn't they call me? My horses will never be leased again unless on my property and under my supervision. At this point I don't even think I would sell any of my horses, for fear of what their outcome would be! I would rather have them humanely euthanized! You can never be too careful when it comes to your horses!

Last Weeks Question

The correct answer is Strangles, which is a disease that affects the lymph nodes in the respiratory tract.
Exertional Rhabdomyolysis is the medical term for the syndrome of exercise-related muscle damage. It adequately defines the condition as one of skeletal muscle and cell break down. Other terms used are Monday Morning Disease; Black Water-because many affected horses will have dark urine; Azoturia-describes the excess of nitrogen-containing compunds, such as urea, in the urine of effected horses. Myositis-a general term that implies that the primary disease process is inflammation, which is not the case. Tying-up-probably the most appropriate term as it describes the short, stiff stride and tight muscles seen in affected horses.

Love Affair

My herd consists of 4 horses and a pony. Trick is the boss, followed by Alcott, Eva, Tequila and Sage. Trick and Alcott are geldings, Eva, Tequila and Sage are mares. I would consider their pecking order arrangement textbook. Youngest gelding is boss; old pony mare is at the bottom of the list. None of the group members were ever buddies, until this past Fall.
Alcott was leased-out for the summer. When he arrived home in September, he was at "deaths door". (I'll write about this nightmare at another time) For a month Alcott was kept separate from the other horses. Towards the end of the month, I noticed he was taking some interest in Tequila, by going over to the fence that was separating him from the other horses, and watching her. Now Tequila is 4, very impish and always busy pestering the other horses, trotting around the field, and getting into whatever trouble she can find! Trick and Eva ignore her, or chase her away. Sage usually just trots away. Its always amusing to watch Tequila and her antics, I guess even for a horse.
One day I noticed that Tequila was watching Alcott over the fence. She probably wondered why he got to have a field of grass all to himself!! Both horses gradually starting hanging out closer to each other along the fence line. Eventually, they could be seen nuzzling one another over the top of the fence. I've owned Alcott for almost 5 years. He has always been a loner, and never shown any affection or interest in any of my other horses. The two of them started spending more and more time next to each other.
Finally Alcott was strong enough to join the herd. Tequila and Alcott walked up to each other, and then as they say "the rest is history"!! Now when they are together, they nuzzle, groom each other, eat together, bite, squeal, and run around the field chasing one another. It always make me smile to see the two of them together, especially since Alcott is 26 and Tequila is 4. What a great way for Alcott to retire, having a young chestnut mare chasing him for his affection. Its every mans dream come true!

How Old is Too Old?

Whats the oldest horse you've ever owned, played, ridden or loved?


This is ours--

I bought Alcott at one of the Univ. of Conn. horse auctions. He had been a polo horse that had been donated to Yale. Yale couldn't use him; so they donated him to UConn. He was in their polo program for several years before being retired at age 21. The description in the auction list described him as a "fantastic polo pony. A perfect gentleman. Needs a home to retire and be loved in." When I bought him my idea was to have a trail horse for myself, and something that my son could use for "stick and ball" in the yard. Alcott is a great trail horse. In our first judged trail ride together, we recieved a 5th place ribbon, he was perfect for "stick and ball", and he'd give pony rides to the nieces and nephews. His life went on like this for about 2 years. One day I was talking to the director of the UConn polo program about Alcott. We would see them frequently at polo games, and the subject of Alcott always seemed to come-up. I mentioned his being too old to play polo, and he commented that Alcott probably could play at the level my son was playing at, at that time. We got Alcott back into playing condition, though it took a bit longer.
He looked great! He actually seemed to enjoy going to the games! My son played him for 1 1/2 more years before finally retiring him for good at age 25. He was always our "best playing pony". Sometimes I think Alcott could have played the game by himself!
Ally, as I call him, will have a stall in our barn until his final day. He is handsome,sweet, gentle, and as his auction description said "a perfect gentleman".

Sunday's Winner

The winner on Sunday was Country Farm from Medford,NY. Final score was Country Farm 14/Culver 13. It was a very exciting game. Ponies got high reviews from the players. Best playing pony was NUAZ, a large bay mare from Newport.Monies were raised through raffles to fund an electronic scoreboard for Glen Farm. Country Farm will advance to the USPA National girls interscholastic tournament held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY on Feb. 26-March 1, 2009. They will play against the winners of two other regional playoffs as well as the Brandywine, Garrison Forest, Maryland, Shallowbrook, and UConn teams. This will determine the 2009 National interscholastic girls champion team. It is amazing to watch these girls play, and every year there seems to be more and more interest in polo at the high school level.

Correct Answer To Last Weeks Question

A shadow roll is not allowed in a USPA tournament.
Everyone answered correctly. Congradulations!
The adorable Palomino QHx pictured was Sugarfoot, now retired from the Stanford Polo Club.

The Umpire

Since Thursday my son has been umpiring in RI. The Northeast regional playoffs for interscholastic (high school age) girls was held from Feb. 5-8, 2009 at Glen Farm in Portsmouth. Competing were Newport, Westchester, Culver Academy, Country Farms and Cedar Valley from Toronto. Needless to say, its winter here in the Northeast, so this is Arena polo. Back to umpiring. My son got involved in umpiring last year. He still has more training to take so that he can advance. Right now he can only umpire at the lower goal games. He really enjoys umpiring. It is a great way to keep-up with polo during the long winter months and it keeps his mind sharp. Its also a few extra $ in his pocket. Since we don't use our horses, I like the fact that I don't have to worry about tending to horses, and can just enjoy watching polo, and visiting with everyone.

Donating My Money

For Christmas 2008, I asked family and friends to not buy me any gifts. Instead, I wanted them to either donate to a charity, or to give me money to donate to a charity of my choice. My charity of choice was a horse rescue. Surprise. Surprise. I had many requirements for the rescue that would recieve my money. One was that they must rescue horses from kill pens/horse-slaughter auctions or directly donate money to places that do so, such as Alex Brown Racing/Friends of Barbaro. I am opposed to the inhumane treatment of animals, and until someone proves to me otherwise, I consider horse slaughter to be inhumane. We can debate about this later, but let me assure you that I have spent hundreds of hours researching both sides of the issue!! Now I thought it would be easy finding the "perfect-in-my-mind" horse rescue. After all, there are thousands. I put my list of requirements in front of me and started Googling. Hours, days, weeks later, I had my list down to two places. It was now time to start making phone calls, and emailing with specific questions. I know this sounds extreme, but I don't very often have extra money to give away, so I was being fussy! Here's my gripe. Neither place ever returned my multiple calls or emails. I know they are very busy and use volunteers, but don't say on your website things like "email for a list of feed stores, hay suppliers, veterinarians, etc, to send your money directly" if your not going to email back. I am not going to "blindly" send you my money without some kind of human contact! This,to me,is bad business. What if I was someone that was going to be regularly sending money, or on my deathbed and looking for someone to inherit my millions! At about this time I got an email from someone forwarding the story of a TB that was rescued from a kill pen. I know that lots of TBs are rescued from slaughter, but this one caught my eye because of his name which was/is "Clever Allemont". One of our polo horses is "Twilight Trick" by "Clever Trick". Its turns out that the horses are half brothers. I figure this must be a message from above. So, I sent some of my Christmas money to Winding Road Equine Rescue & Retirement in KS who found Clever Allemont, and some to Old Friends TB Retirement, which is where he is now retired. I still have a little in the bank which is collecting interest (though not very much) until the "Perfect Rescue" comes along.

Answer to Poll Question

In Arena Polo, how many players are on each team?
The correct answer was 3.

Photo Credit goes to Brian Tyler
Haggis Farm, England

Cute Picture for Today

Our resident pony "SAGE" age 38+,
giving James a pony ride.

She Does Exist!!

Its time to introduce the $500 polo pony. Laura's Summer, fondly known as EVA. A Virginia bred TB foaled on June 2, 1992. Sire: Majesty's Prince whose career earnings were over 2 million dollars! We have owned Eva for 3 years, and she is a wonderful polo pony (esp. in the arena) and trail horse.

Hide and Seek

The "$500 polo pony" arrived home on a Wednesday. Christmas was on Saturday. On Thursday, we get a call from my son saying his plans had changed and he would be home earlier than planned. Instead of Christmas Eve, he would be home the night before. This threw myself and my husband into a panic. Our surprise would be ruined. What could we do. My friend suggested bringing the mare to her barn. Good idea, but the whole trailering thing seemed like such a hassle, especially since we'd be moving the mare in the wee hours of Christmas morning. Finally we came up with the great plan of hiding the mare behind the barn with the chickens. That way she would be out of sight, yet she could see the other horses and they could see her. Poor mare! I'm sure she was thinking "Newport to the Slums"! Early Christmas morning I put the mare in a stall with a big red bow around her neck. When my son woke up, I sent him out to the barn to give the horses their traditional Christmas Day treats. My husband and I stood in the window watching and waiting for his return to the house. How did he react you ask? Well, those of you that have children will know, there is nothing more touching than seeing tears of joy in your child's eyes! Or maybe those tears were because the only other gifts he got that Christmas were a hoof pick and pair of socks!!

Quick Read for the Polo Lover

The Maltese Cat by Rudyard Kipling
Short Story 48 pages
From the point of view of the Maltese Cat, a polo pony.
In the Maltese Cat, the reader is transported back in time to India, where thirty teams of the finest horses and their masters have gathered for the distinguished Upper India Free-For-All Cup.
A ragged band of twelve ponies, known as the Skidars' team, has worked up from the bottom of the ranks in the contest and now must face the Archangels, "the pink and pick of the polo ponies of Upper India."
The Maltese Cat (a polo pony), the captain of the Skidars' ponies, knows that what his team lacks in style they make up for in teamwork and heart. They are outnumbered two to one, and odds are against them. Even so, the brave Skidars and their masters ride on through injury and fatigue to victory.

How Not to Buy a Polo Pony

She was really a nice mare. And only $500. I told my son to call the owner back and offer the full price. Several calls were made by both myself and my son, and none of the calls were returned. A month had gone by. My son had given up on the mare. It was a couple weeks before Christmas. I wrote a letter , and followed it up by one last phone call. To my delight, the owner actually called back. He told me he had to leave the country, suddenly, to play polo in Argentina, and was surprised that after all this time I was still interested in the mare. Arrangements were made to pick-up the mare 3 days before Christmas. This was great timing, as my son will be away until Christmas Eve, so the mare will be a surprise. My husband and I drive the 2 hours to the farm, and wait another hour for the owner to arrive. He got "caught-up" at work. When he arrives, he brings us to the paddock where the mare is, and points to her. Now, I had only seen her for about an hour previously. She's pretty much a non-descript bay mare with a white star. I had written down the tattoo from her lip. The tattoo looked the same, though the letter seemed different. I didn't however, remember that she had a white spot on her eyeball. Maybe the sun had blinded me the first time I saw her? I asked the owner "are you sure this is her?" He, of course, after looking at me as if I had two heads, said "yes". Now at this point, the wise horse buyer says "thank you for your time" and goes home. We did not. We think : 1) Cheap polo horse. 2) Great Christmas gift. 3) We've taken the time off from work and driven all this way. SO,we load her onto our trailer after paying for her with cash. As we are driving out of the driveway I remember a bill of sale might be a good idea, so we stop and get something written on a scrap of paper. The mare trailers nicely, and is well behaved, though not very friendly. I'll have the vet check out that white spot on her eyeball as soon as possible! This is going to be the best Christmas present my son has ever received!

The $500 Polo Pony

Things progressed rapidly. My son took to polo like a bee to honey. He was asked to join an interscholastic team (high school age players). This was a great honor, commitment, and involved lots of travel. When it came time to apply to colleges, he applied to colleges that had polo teams (big surprise!) He was accepted to the one he had been playing at, and decided to go there. During his first semester at college, I was browsing the horse section of a local ad magazine, and there was an ad for a polo horse for $500. Now my first thought was that this had to be a typo. It must be $5000. After all, the horse was in Newport, RI and was currently being played. But what the heck, I'll call and embarrass myself and ask. Well, the horse really was $500 !!The owner assured me there was nothing wrong with the horse, he just had too many horses. OK, whats the harm in looking. I'm up for a field trip to a swanky polo farm in Newport! Now I know I haven't mentioned this yet, but we are just average folks. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall of our car during the ride to Newport--WE WERE SO EXCITED! I couldn't wait to see the white picket fences, beautiful barns,and beautifully groomed polo ponies. Two hours later we arrive, pull in the driveway, and "what to my wondering eyes does appear?" Run-in sheds, electric tape fences, mud, grain silos and the back of a tractor trailer truck for a tack room! There was an arena polo lesson in progress. We watched for a while and finally found the right person to ask about the horse for sale. She(the horse) was in the arena, which was great, as we got to see her in action. Everything seemed fine, no obvious lameness, and she definitely knew how to play the game;a lot better than the student riding her! After the lesson was over, we talked to her owner, a "big name" polo person whose name I would love to mention! He invited my son to play a few chukkers on the mare, with a few other "big name" polo players. Of course my son was thrilled! The mare was played, everything was fine, and we decided to buy the mare. Now remember, this is a $500 polo horse! My son walks up to the owner, and offers him $300. I almost died! The owner tells my son he needs to think about it. Yeah, I bet he needs to think about it. Like he can get more money at Crowley's Auction by the pound! Oh well, such is life. We get back in the car,and drive the 2 hours home. It was an interesting experience, and just the beginning.