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, February 22, 2013

Hot Stuff

It had come to my attention that someone with 4 legs has been chewing on the fencing in one of the paddocks. After watching carefully for a couple of days I saw that it was C'est Bonne. She is not chewing her stall down, but is limiting the behavior to the fencing. I had just picked up grain and supplies from the feed store, and did not want to drive there again just to buy something to paint on the fence boards to deter the chewing. What tastes awful??? Hot sauce--there was an unopened bottle in my kitchen cabinet. This was splashed on the tops of the chewed boards. It looks like something has been bleeding, especially on the snow below the boards, but it has worked. So for 99 cents I have saved the fencing--at least what I can easily see.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Huggable Equines

One of the things I love about New England is the change of the seasons. Following a very busy Spring, Summer and Fall, its nice to have some time-off. It also gives me a chance to catch-up on chores that have been put aside during what I would like to refer to as "Playing With the Horses" months. I have a chance to catch-up on reading, writing, cleaning, decluttering, ect. It is also a somewhat dangerous time, as all this free time lets me be on the computer looking at dangerous websites like Equine.com, Camelot Feedlot Horses, AC4H Broker Owned Horses, and the most dangerous site of all---Craigslist. I am without a loveable horse of my own, following the euthanasia of Fancy. There was the short length of time when I owned Rosa the Rearing Mare. Since my ERA (Equine Related Accident) I have become very fearful of horses and riding. Char-Lee has definately been a joy but for obvious reasons (he's 34" tall) I won't be riding him anytime soon !! In addition to my fear, my injured ankle does not bend, and is often very painfull. This makes it hard to mount and dismount a horse even with my 3 step mounting block. After careful soul searching, and talking to several people that have experience with driving horses/ponies, I have decided to give-up riding and learn to drive. I feel that a miniature horse that drives and is huggable would be perfect for my 57 year old body, mind and soul. What kind of description of a horse/pony is "huggable", and why? I need an equine companion that I can just spend time with brushing, grooming, and loving. Is this crazy? I think any of my readers that truely love horses; not just the riding, will understand what I am trying to say. So the search is on for the perfect mini or pony. Age is not important, and I can deal with some health issues, but he/she MUST BE HUGGABLE.