Is She Safe Yet?

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I check the Camelot Feedlot horses each Thursday for polo horses. Horses are run thru the auction on Wednesday night, and ship to slaughter on Sunday, so there is a narrow time frame to pull the horses. The above mare was listed this week. Due to my current "mobility" situation, we could not take this polo mare. Squirrelwood Equine Sanctuary, located in Montgomey, NY specializes in polo horse and draft horse rescue. Upon seeing the polo mare at Camelot, I immediately emailed Squirrelwood, to see if they could take her. This morning I got the good news that they would take the mare. The next step is calling Camelot to secure the mare, transportation, and quarantine. Fortunately Squirrelwood will be able to provide these services. I will assist providing the funds for the mare's "bail". I'll keep my readers updated. Hopefully we will have saved another polo horse from ending-up on some European's dinner plate!

Sex on the Beach

Not really--but I caught your attention!
Tom and I got to see something new last week. Mark had been invited to play polo as a team member of Myopia Polo. The game was held in Newport, on Second Beach. Of course, Tom and I got lost getting there, but didn't miss Mark playing his 2 chukkers. Fortunately we did miss having to tack-up Trick and Eva. Condidering the footing, and the slant of the beach, it was an interesting game to watch. Hoofprints made holes in the sand, so the ball would get caught, and it was hard to line up the ball for shots. Halftime had to be abbreviated because "Hurry-up with those horses, The tide is coming in fast!" There was a huge audience. I think lots of people had come to the beach to get some exercise, and ended-up wandering over to watch the game. All in all, it was a fun, and fast game. Jenn was also playing arena polo nearby at Glen Farm, so we quickly loaded the horses in the trailer. Unfortunately, we missed her game against Vassar. I was glad we got to experience polo on the beach, but I doubt Mark will do it again. He was too worried about the horses hurting their legs in the sand. Oh, by the way; the other team was Newport, and they won, with a final score of 2-1.

Guess What you are Doing---

You're wearing long underwear, flannel lined jeans, tee-shirt, turtleneck, sweatshirt, down vest, wool socks, your warmest boots, gloves and a hat. If you guessed watching a polo game in January, in New England, you are correct. Tom and I went to watch the final game of an arena polo tournament being held at Shallowbrook Equestrian Center. Fortunately, we always cheer for both sides. If we had to pick sides it would have been a slight dilemma, as Mark and Jenn were on opposing teams. The game was very exciting. The scores went back and forth by 1 point, with the final score being 11 to 10. Marks team made the final goal. All the horses played very well. It was the first time I had seen Eva, Tequila, and Trick since their move to Shallowbrook. They looked great, and Eva especially, was outstanding. We look forward to more polo matches this winter. Will have to be sure that the long underwear and wool socks are handy!

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!

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.