The Attributes of a Good Polo Pony



Speed, intelligence and agility by themselves, do not make a good polo pony. He must be clever. He must be able to dodge and swerve while going full speed, and to wheel and turn on the proverbial dime. Besides this, he must be able to follow the ball, and instinctively put his rider in a good position to hit it. He must be completely steady and unaffected by the waving mallets and yelling crowds. In addition, and no less important, he must have much courage, and not flinch from contact, sometimes violent, with another mount.







Friday, December 30, 2011

Mourning the Loss of Fancy


As I write this blog I am crying over the loss of my beautiful Fancy. For my readers who have never seen a horse humanely euthanized I would like to share my experience with Fancy. I also hope that if any of her former owners read this blog they will understand how much I loved Fancy and only wanted the best for her. Tom, myself and my friend Laura surrounded Fancy feeding her treats and stoking her soft fuzzy body. Our vet, Caitlin explained to us what would happen. "First "happy juice" would be injected into the vein in her neck. She would then be lead to the area near where she would be buried and she would receive the "blue" lethal injection. We would hand Fancy's leadrope to Caitlin, and step away". Caitlin didn't want anyone to accidently get hurt when Fancy went down to the ground. "The drug goes right to the brain. She would not feel any pain". Because of her vascullitis, Fancy was unable to walk until she had recieved the "happy juice". We were then able to walk her over close to the area where she would be buried.Tom and I stood right in front of Fancy who was noticably drowsy from the tranquilizer.I hope she felt loved. I nuzzled her forehead breathing in her horsey smell, telling her there would be no more pain; and thanking her for sharing her last 2 years with me. I stroked her face while the lethal dose of barbituate was injected into her neck. She dropped gently down to the ground onto her side, as though she was taking a sun bath. Cailtin took hold of the leadrope and we stepped back. Caitlin listened to Fancy's heart and told us what we already knew. Fancy was gone. Her legs did move a bit which is a normal reflex. I'd like to think she was trotting over the Rainbow Bridge. Everyone was quiet. Fancy was gone. There would be no more pain. No more blackflies and ticks. Just peace. This is how the life of a dear friend should end. Gently, quietly, surrounded by those who love her.

No comments:

Post a Comment