Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
My momma K got a break from puppy sitting today and was able to come and see me! I was so happy to see her again. She gave me lots of lovely scratches on my itchy spots and fed me lots of yummy cookies. I'm still trying to decide if I like the apple cookies or the peppermints best.
I also got to meet K's parents. Grandma isn't a horse person, she kept her distance. Grandpa is pretty cool though. He helped feed me treats and then hung out with me, scratching more itchies and allowing me to eat grass. I think Grandpa and I will be good friends.
I hope you, dear readers, are surrounded by good friends and loving family too. A good mud bath is also a thing to be thankful for.
Sending you love and slobber kisses from The Paddock.
~Polo
Friday, November 25, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Extended Family
Hi Everyone! I'm an Uncle!
I'm sure you remember my mentioning Nelly, the Labrador retriever K has been fostering. Nelly had her puppies! I have five beautiful new members in my extended family. Nova, Ned, Normandy, Nike and Neon arrived Thursday morning. Aunt B asked me to relay the news and says that everyone is healthy and best of all, have loving human homes already waiting for them once they come of age.
Of course this also means I won't be seeing much of K until January, but I understand. I have lots of care from Aunt B and Aunt T and Sarah is a great pal. Besides, I know K loves me. I'm doing great! I love being a horse on extended vacation. It's actually a pretty good life.
So take time to smell the fresh fall air. Enjoy the blessings and new beginnings and try not to let bad things keep your spirits down.
Slobber kisses for everyone!
~Polo
I'm sure you remember my mentioning Nelly, the Labrador retriever K has been fostering. Nelly had her puppies! I have five beautiful new members in my extended family. Nova, Ned, Normandy, Nike and Neon arrived Thursday morning. Aunt B asked me to relay the news and says that everyone is healthy and best of all, have loving human homes already waiting for them once they come of age.
Of course this also means I won't be seeing much of K until January, but I understand. I have lots of care from Aunt B and Aunt T and Sarah is a great pal. Besides, I know K loves me. I'm doing great! I love being a horse on extended vacation. It's actually a pretty good life.
So take time to smell the fresh fall air. Enjoy the blessings and new beginnings and try not to let bad things keep your spirits down.
Slobber kisses for everyone!
~Polo
 |
| Left to right: Neon, Nike, Ned, Nova and Normandy sheltered with momma Nelly |
Sunday, November 13, 2011
November Surprises
Good Morning Friends and Happy Sunday!
It's been a good week here on the farm. Sarah, Oreo, Buttons and I have been content to hang out, munch our hay and bask in the warm sunshine.
I haven't been able to see K since last Sunday. She can't ride right now because our unanticipated separation last Saturday resulted in a bruised tail bone for her. I'm so sorry mom! K visited with me and gave me lots of attention instead, grooming all the mud off and combing out my mane and tail while I munched some grass. I still got my workout in, courtesy of R. I think I did well and I even remembered my canter leads! But I digress...
I bet you're wondering why this post is titled "November Surprises". Am I right? Are you ready? Here it is: K is on puppy watch!
K has been fostering a yellow Labrador Retriever named Nelly. Nelly surprised everyone Thursday night by showing signs of pregnancy, which was confirmed with a visit to the vet yesterday morning. Her x-ray showed eight puppies!
Nelly was rescued from a public shelter in early September and has been staying with K for a couple of months while searching for her forever home. No one realized she was pregnant until Thursday when her tummy "dropped", rousing K's suspicions. R let me know that K was working hard to set up a quiet and safe delivery area for the puppies and monitoring Nelly closely for signs of labor because the timing of her rescue, in accordance with the canine gestation period and the view on the x-ray indicates the puppies are due for arrival any day now! How's that for exciting?
I will keep everyone apprised of the puppy developments. I've also asked R to relay to Nelly the suggestion to start her own blog. I will let you-all know if she starts one.
And now for some some follow-up news. I promised photos of my new blankets and the new bridle. Let me know what you think.
~Polo
It's been a good week here on the farm. Sarah, Oreo, Buttons and I have been content to hang out, munch our hay and bask in the warm sunshine.
I haven't been able to see K since last Sunday. She can't ride right now because our unanticipated separation last Saturday resulted in a bruised tail bone for her. I'm so sorry mom! K visited with me and gave me lots of attention instead, grooming all the mud off and combing out my mane and tail while I munched some grass. I still got my workout in, courtesy of R. I think I did well and I even remembered my canter leads! But I digress...
I bet you're wondering why this post is titled "November Surprises". Am I right? Are you ready? Here it is: K is on puppy watch!
K has been fostering a yellow Labrador Retriever named Nelly. Nelly surprised everyone Thursday night by showing signs of pregnancy, which was confirmed with a visit to the vet yesterday morning. Her x-ray showed eight puppies!
Nelly was rescued from a public shelter in early September and has been staying with K for a couple of months while searching for her forever home. No one realized she was pregnant until Thursday when her tummy "dropped", rousing K's suspicions. R let me know that K was working hard to set up a quiet and safe delivery area for the puppies and monitoring Nelly closely for signs of labor because the timing of her rescue, in accordance with the canine gestation period and the view on the x-ray indicates the puppies are due for arrival any day now! How's that for exciting?
I will keep everyone apprised of the puppy developments. I've also asked R to relay to Nelly the suggestion to start her own blog. I will let you-all know if she starts one.
And now for some some follow-up news. I promised photos of my new blankets and the new bridle. Let me know what you think.
~Polo
 |
| My plaid turn-out blanket |
 |
| My blanket liner in case it's really cold |
 |
| R and me. This is the new headstall paired with a plain hunt-style cavesson. K is trying to find a style that brings out my best features. |
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Separation Anxiety
Hello Everyone!
It has been a tough morning. Momma K came out to see me this morning and I could tell something had upset her. She was so preoccupied that she failed to notice that one of the cheek straps to my bridle was twisted. I tried to tell her, but she didn't understand what I was saying. Fortunately Momma R noticed and told K, who immediately apologized and fixed it for me. Once my equipment was correct we went back to work, exercising some walk-to-halt and then some trot-to-walk transitions.
Well K was still a feeling stressed so I tried to introduce a little levity into her day by throwing in a small buck, just a hop really, to make her forget whatever troubles she had. Unfortunately my timing was really, really bad. Instead of levitating K's spirits, I caught her mid-post and sent her over my shoulder and onto the ground.
I must admit that I went a few yards farther and stopped at the hay bale. I had to be sure I didn't step on her, you see. I did go back and apologize when R caught up to me and explained what I needed to do. K pet my forelock and told me she was sorry too. Then she got back up and we walked some more before calling it a day.
I discovered K is anxious because she received some really tough news this week. K's job was eliminated in a downsizing effort by the company she was working for and she's really worried about keeping Sweepit and me safe. She's already started looking for a new job and because she's given me a new job I want to help her. Therefore dear readers, I ask that if you hear of anything in the Lexington, KY and surrounding areas that you think my mom should know about, please post a comment to this blog post. Not only is K a horsewoman, she has a lot of experience in the field of direct marketing, having gotten her start with a catalog company that supplied horses and pets. I'll be sure to post a link to K's resume as soon as I convince her that it's perfect.
K was a little stiff and a little muddy after somersaulting, but she's a tough lady and I'm really lucky she's part of my new life. I am sure anyone who gets to know her will feel as fortunate as I do to know her.
Wish us luck!
~Polo
It has been a tough morning. Momma K came out to see me this morning and I could tell something had upset her. She was so preoccupied that she failed to notice that one of the cheek straps to my bridle was twisted. I tried to tell her, but she didn't understand what I was saying. Fortunately Momma R noticed and told K, who immediately apologized and fixed it for me. Once my equipment was correct we went back to work, exercising some walk-to-halt and then some trot-to-walk transitions.
Well K was still a feeling stressed so I tried to introduce a little levity into her day by throwing in a small buck, just a hop really, to make her forget whatever troubles she had. Unfortunately my timing was really, really bad. Instead of levitating K's spirits, I caught her mid-post and sent her over my shoulder and onto the ground.
I must admit that I went a few yards farther and stopped at the hay bale. I had to be sure I didn't step on her, you see. I did go back and apologize when R caught up to me and explained what I needed to do. K pet my forelock and told me she was sorry too. Then she got back up and we walked some more before calling it a day.
I discovered K is anxious because she received some really tough news this week. K's job was eliminated in a downsizing effort by the company she was working for and she's really worried about keeping Sweepit and me safe. She's already started looking for a new job and because she's given me a new job I want to help her. Therefore dear readers, I ask that if you hear of anything in the Lexington, KY and surrounding areas that you think my mom should know about, please post a comment to this blog post. Not only is K a horsewoman, she has a lot of experience in the field of direct marketing, having gotten her start with a catalog company that supplied horses and pets. I'll be sure to post a link to K's resume as soon as I convince her that it's perfect.
K was a little stiff and a little muddy after somersaulting, but she's a tough lady and I'm really lucky she's part of my new life. I am sure anyone who gets to know her will feel as fortunate as I do to know her.
Wish us luck!
~Polo
Monday, October 31, 2011
Mud Treatments and Modeling Sessions
Happy Halloween Everyone!
I hope you-all are having a fantastic fall. I know I am. The weather has cooled considerably to a much more comfortable level. There have even been several frosts. Fortunately we have not had any of the snow that's been reported. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure I know what snow is. I hear it's white and wet and cold though. I wonder if it's fun to roll in?
I sure like rolling in mud. Of course when I do roll in mud, it takes K longer to groom me and the dried mud from my head and poll end up falling into her eyes while she curries. She's really nice to me about it though as she clearly understands how important a weekly mud treatment is to a horse.
Aside from my mud treatments and K's extra grooming, I've had a fairly light couple of weeks. Due to the loss of light in the evenings, I am only able to see K on weekends. We've been trying to make the most of them, working on lots and lots of trotting to build my stamina. K and I have also been working on my canter. K tells me there are left and right leads. Apparently I'm very good with my right lead but not so good with my left lead. I don't know...More to come on leads later. K has also been asking me to flex my neck side to side and jiggles my reins asking me to relax my head. When I flex properly K rewards me with a sugar cube (yum!) and lots of praise. I think I am supposed to flex regularly, but that's one more thing to think about in addition to moving off K's leg and not tripping. This riding stuff is much harder than racing!
This past Saturday was an interesting day. K and I had a light workout because the ground was very slippery. To make up for that K had me try on some new items. I now have a turnout blanket to protect me from the afore mentioned snow and a blanket liner to wear underneath when it's really cold. I also tried on two bridles. One was a jumper bridle that sort of fit and the other, an old hunt bridle, didn't fit at all. K believes that I will outgrow all of the bridles she has and is trying to find a fit and style that will show off my best features.
The photos from my modeling session are on R's camera. I'll be sure to ask her to post them. Once up, would you my dear readers be so kind and to tell me which bridle style you think shows me to advantage?
K also told me that she's taking me to something called a "horse show" in a couple of weeks. I don't know what a horse show is. Is it like racing? Do I go to show off? I'll have to have K explain this in detail this the next time I see her.
Until next time, I hope you get to enjoy a mud treatment or two and perhaps a few sugar cubes and oat cookies for Halloween!
~Polo
K would like everyone to know that my turnout blanket and blanket liner were purchased from the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH) benefit tack sale. CKRH is a non-profit program that provides equine therapy for children and adults with special needs. K has provided a link to their website should anyone wish more information.
I hope you-all are having a fantastic fall. I know I am. The weather has cooled considerably to a much more comfortable level. There have even been several frosts. Fortunately we have not had any of the snow that's been reported. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure I know what snow is. I hear it's white and wet and cold though. I wonder if it's fun to roll in?
I sure like rolling in mud. Of course when I do roll in mud, it takes K longer to groom me and the dried mud from my head and poll end up falling into her eyes while she curries. She's really nice to me about it though as she clearly understands how important a weekly mud treatment is to a horse.
Aside from my mud treatments and K's extra grooming, I've had a fairly light couple of weeks. Due to the loss of light in the evenings, I am only able to see K on weekends. We've been trying to make the most of them, working on lots and lots of trotting to build my stamina. K and I have also been working on my canter. K tells me there are left and right leads. Apparently I'm very good with my right lead but not so good with my left lead. I don't know...More to come on leads later. K has also been asking me to flex my neck side to side and jiggles my reins asking me to relax my head. When I flex properly K rewards me with a sugar cube (yum!) and lots of praise. I think I am supposed to flex regularly, but that's one more thing to think about in addition to moving off K's leg and not tripping. This riding stuff is much harder than racing!
This past Saturday was an interesting day. K and I had a light workout because the ground was very slippery. To make up for that K had me try on some new items. I now have a turnout blanket to protect me from the afore mentioned snow and a blanket liner to wear underneath when it's really cold. I also tried on two bridles. One was a jumper bridle that sort of fit and the other, an old hunt bridle, didn't fit at all. K believes that I will outgrow all of the bridles she has and is trying to find a fit and style that will show off my best features.
The photos from my modeling session are on R's camera. I'll be sure to ask her to post them. Once up, would you my dear readers be so kind and to tell me which bridle style you think shows me to advantage?
K also told me that she's taking me to something called a "horse show" in a couple of weeks. I don't know what a horse show is. Is it like racing? Do I go to show off? I'll have to have K explain this in detail this the next time I see her.
Until next time, I hope you get to enjoy a mud treatment or two and perhaps a few sugar cubes and oat cookies for Halloween!
~Polo
K would like everyone to know that my turnout blanket and blanket liner were purchased from the Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (CKRH) benefit tack sale. CKRH is a non-profit program that provides equine therapy for children and adults with special needs. K has provided a link to their website should anyone wish more information.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Beautiful Fall
Hello Everyone!
It's Fall here in the Bluegrass and we've had a stunningly beautiful weekend. Today is Columbus Day. According to K, it is a human holiday that celebrates the "discovery" of America by someone named Christopher Columbus. Apparently this discovery was over 500 years ago but many humans in the U.S. still think it's worth observing. My question is: If this Columbus guy hadn't discovered America, would I be an English Thoroughbred instead? Sometimes I think too hard...
I've had some great rides with K this weekend. She even took today off to spend an extra afternoon with me. We've gone on trail rides and worked on my endurance with lots of trotting and even a couple of gallops. I liked the gallops, they were fun.
You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned my momma R in quite a while. She's doing well. R and Sarah, my paddock mate, have become a team. They've had a busy late summer, competing in a couple of combined test events. They won one division and came in second in another division a few weekends ago. I'm so proud!
There's not much more to report. I spend my days munching hay and napping. Napping is highly recommended! I see K three to four times each week for exercise. Life is good.
I hope you have had a spectacular weekend too.
~Polo
It's Fall here in the Bluegrass and we've had a stunningly beautiful weekend. Today is Columbus Day. According to K, it is a human holiday that celebrates the "discovery" of America by someone named Christopher Columbus. Apparently this discovery was over 500 years ago but many humans in the U.S. still think it's worth observing. My question is: If this Columbus guy hadn't discovered America, would I be an English Thoroughbred instead? Sometimes I think too hard...
I've had some great rides with K this weekend. She even took today off to spend an extra afternoon with me. We've gone on trail rides and worked on my endurance with lots of trotting and even a couple of gallops. I liked the gallops, they were fun.
You may be wondering why I haven't mentioned my momma R in quite a while. She's doing well. R and Sarah, my paddock mate, have become a team. They've had a busy late summer, competing in a couple of combined test events. They won one division and came in second in another division a few weekends ago. I'm so proud!
There's not much more to report. I spend my days munching hay and napping. Napping is highly recommended! I see K three to four times each week for exercise. Life is good.
I hope you have had a spectacular weekend too.
~Polo
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Something new
Hello Everyone!
I've had a fairly light couple of weeks. K and I had our first communication challenge last week so we've had a few days off to relax and regroup. It has also been raining again here in Kentucky which has further hampered our training.
K came out to see me tonight and I'm sure she had plans for us to actually work. Lucky for me we ended up having an easy night because K had forgotten my bridle, which she had taken home to clean. I confess, I was thinking that I was going to get another day off. K however thought of something for us to do. The next thing I knew, I was wearing my halter with the lead attached to both sides and K was sliding onto my back without any saddle!
This felt a little funny because I have never had weight in direct contact with my spine. It didn't hurt at all however and we had a nice, leisurely walk around my pasture. After our walk K pampered me with a lovely curry and brushing. I even got to snack on a couple of sugar cubes and cookies!
All in all, not bad for the one sunny day of the week.
Cheers!
I've had a fairly light couple of weeks. K and I had our first communication challenge last week so we've had a few days off to relax and regroup. It has also been raining again here in Kentucky which has further hampered our training.
K came out to see me tonight and I'm sure she had plans for us to actually work. Lucky for me we ended up having an easy night because K had forgotten my bridle, which she had taken home to clean. I confess, I was thinking that I was going to get another day off. K however thought of something for us to do. The next thing I knew, I was wearing my halter with the lead attached to both sides and K was sliding onto my back without any saddle!
This felt a little funny because I have never had weight in direct contact with my spine. It didn't hurt at all however and we had a nice, leisurely walk around my pasture. After our walk K pampered me with a lovely curry and brushing. I even got to snack on a couple of sugar cubes and cookies!
All in all, not bad for the one sunny day of the week.
Cheers!
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