Rain Coats

Ahoy!

I think it's about time to build an ark.  We've had a lot of rain here in the Bluegrass region over the past several weeks.  So much rain in fact that the humans have become very concerned with the health of Oreo, Buttons, Sarah and I.  To help us out, our humans have bought us waterproof turnout sheets to wear while the weather is at its worse.  My new sheet from K is navy blue and red with silver trim.  It's quite fetching, if I do say so myself.

K was able to come out and visit me again and present me with my "rain coat" in person.  She curried off my accumulated mud, fussed with my mane and tail and also had me try on a fancy leather halter to see if it might fit should we have any important soirees to attend.  Alas the halter was a bit snug, but my rain coat fits like a charm.

I hope, my friends, that you remain warm and dry.

~Polo

K and me

Grandparents!

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

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

Left to right: Neon, Nike, Ned, Nova and Normandy sheltered with momma Nelly

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

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.

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

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.

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

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!

And the crowd went wild!

Hi Everyone!

I am having a fabulous Tuesday!  I had a great training session with K and Aunt B!

Today I worked on moving from walk to trot with just the direction of K's leg. K has very short legs, so I have to "listen" well. I'm learning to relax at the trot and stretch my neck and my back as I go.  After we worked on lots of trotting and transitions I learned a little more about dressage.  I worked on bending through my corners, and something K calls leg yield.  Basically, she asked me to walk sideways and forwards at the same time.  I did it, but I don't "get" it just yet.  Can someone clue me in?

My favorite part of the lesson was jumping!  Aunt B had K trot me through a line of ground poles, then she put the last one into a little cross rail and K gave me a big squeeze over the top of the cross rail and I had to canter away.  My final effort for the night was to actually jump a small vertical and canter away.  Everyone cheered!  I was so excited and so happy! This jumping stuff is really pretty fun.  I hope I get to do more.

We finished up with some strange stretching.  I think I'm supposed to relax my head and jaw.  Hopefully K or Aunt B will explain it to me. In the meantime, I got some extra grooming, a good dinner and lots of pets and snuggles.

I hope your Tuesday has been just as wonderful!  Happy jumping!
-Polo

Twinkle Toes?

Hello Everyone!

It's a beautiful day in the bluegrass.  A new round bale of hay came for Sarah and me so we are all set with forage for another few weeks. 
I had another workout with K.  We worked on my trot and then she asked me to canter.  I cantered once in each direction and then came back to a trot then walk.  I haven't cantered in a long time!  K says I have a nice canter.  I hope so, because I want to do my best.
Then, I got to do the jump-thing again!  You know, this jumping takes a lot of concentration.  I have to move forward and pick up my feet.  That's really hard!  K and Aunt B set up the same exercise as yesterday, where I trotted into a line over a pole on the ground and out over a small "X" or cross-rail.  I admit, I took down the cross rail a few times.  But K said she was proud of me because I kept going forward. I suspect she and Aunt B will come up with some exercises to help me.

Maybe dancing lessons?

-Polo

Catching Up

Hello!

I haven't had much excitement to share.  The past several weeks have been light for me as K has been working with Sweepit in preparation for horse trials.  I am very pleased to report that they had an excellent showing at the Georgetown Mini Trial, finishing in fourth place.
 I went back to work today after a week off due to rain.  I trotted a lot!  I think K must be introducing distance conditioning.  Anyway, aside from the trotting, K and R set up something called a dressage arena within one of the paddocks.  I had to learn to trot inside an enclosed area and bend my body around corners.  Let me tell you, those corners seemed tight! 
Then, after my introduction to dressage, I got to trot through a line of those jump things!  Aunt B set the first pole on the ground and made the second one a very small x.  I admit, the first time through was a little strange, but I got it!   The trick is to pick up my feet!  I know I can do this!
Until tomorrow, happy jumping!
-Polo 

Panic! Oh, wait, oops....

I almost lost K this evening!  I didn't mean to, but Buttons and Sarah spooked at something on our trail ride, so I spun and ran.  I was trying to get K away from the danger.  Really, I was!  I guess I moved a little too fast because K was unseated and sort of hung of my side for a bit before righting herself while I tried to run us away.  I stopped when she said whoa.  Okay, okay, she did have to say whoa more than once, but I was scared.

I will have you know that I walked back to the offending spot calmly upon request and stood like a pro while K dismounted to check on Aunt T, who did come off of Buttons.  Once we made sure that Aunt T wasn't hurt seriously K hand walked Sarah and I back to the farm while R rode buttons home to get Aunt B and the car.

I never realized just how short K is until tonight as she led us back.  She's only 15HH, that's five feet tall in human speak.  Some of the weeds we cross through are taller than she is!  If she wasn't holding my reins, I might have lost her for real!  No wonder my belly get's tickled.

Fortunately we all made it back home safely, got our showers and dinner and we should be able to sleep well.

While that adventure put the cap on the evening, I did do some work before all that happened.  K asked me to walk and trot and I even walked a jumper pattern over cavelletti.

I also promised a photo of my new boots in this morning's post.  I'm actually going to try to go one better and post video, kindly shot by Aunt B. 

Stay tight in your tack!

Polo

These Boots are Made for Walking

Good Morning!  I hope its a lovely Sunday where you happen to be.

I have been busy learning to be a riding horse.  K and R have been riding me a few times a week, acclimating me to work under saddle.  I'm doing okay with it, but it's not nearly as cool as grazing.

My big challenge is finding my balance.  I gave my moms a couple of frights by limping a little when they asked me to trot.  I didn't mean to scare them, I'm just not that light on my feet yet.  My fleeting lameness has set K on a quest to cover my legs and protect me from myself.  She means well, but I have to say, it all feels kind of funny.

We started with open front tendon boots on my front legs.  These protect the tendons that run along the back of my front legs from a stike by my hind feet.  They were fine, but I still had a small episode of lameness.  So the next trial involved a pair of galloping boots.  These were okay too, a little heavier as they protect my whole lower front leg from hind foot strikes and from brushing by the opposite front foot, but again I had a small episode while R was riding me.

Not ready to give up yet K then made me wear the tendon boots and bell boots, which cup my front feet and protect my heals from me hitting or stepping on them. This combination must have worked, because I didn't take a single lame step that day! So okay, I admit, I'm a bit of a klutz, I am only three after all!

Happy with her apparent solution to my mystery, K arrived last night bearing a set of fancy Woof Wear Brushing Boots for both my front and hind legs!  The boots are black with hunter green closures and I'm told they look quite spiffy.  The hind boots felt rather funny when K first put them on, but I was able to work with them just fine.  Oh, I almost forgot, K put the bell boots back on too.

So, protected from my hocks and knees down, we went to work.  K praised me for walking out well and we did a tiny little bit of trot.  K forgot to put the stirrups back on her saddle before she came out and said she didn't want to cause me any problems by losing her balance.  Everyone said I was a pro for working well while K rode stirrup-less.  It was nothing...

Hopefully my mom's will get pictures tonight to post of me modeling my new boots.  Then you can tell me if they really look as good as my moms say they do.

In the meantime, happy Sunday!

Polo

Big Adventures!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend.  I have had a working start to mine.  Momma K and I got down to business last night.  She finally let me trot!  I was a little rusty at first but once I got what was being asked I was good to go.  I even trotted over one of those cavelletti poles!

The best part though was working with the whole gang!  Momma R rode Sarah and Aunts B and T rode Oreo and Buttons respectively.  This was the first time I've worked with Oreo.  He's tall, like me and very cool. 

After the work session was over we all went for a trail ride!  I got to walk in some really tall grass that tickled my belly.  I walked on pavement and over a rail road crossing and then around a neighboring field.  So that's what's on the other side of the tracks!  I've wondered...

Everyone said I was a champ!  I hope so, cause this trail riding thing is actually pretty cool.

Wishing you happy trails and tickle-y bellies for now.

Polo

Going in Circles

Hi Everyone!
Today I walked in circles.  No jokes!  My moms decided I needed to learn how to do something called lunging.  Apparently one of my moms is supposed to be attached to me via a rope, called a lunge line and I am supposed to walk in a circle around her.  I don't know what the purpose of this new exercise is yet and, quite frankly it's kind of boring.  Shhhh, don't tell my moms though!  I have a reputation as a good boy to uphold!

Sarah helped to show me what to do at first because I just couldn't understand what K was trying to ask me to do.  She allowed me to follow her around the circle while K stood at the center.  Once I got what was being asked of me I was able to go it alone.


R shot some video of us working.  Unfortunately this site keeps giving K an error message every time she attempts to post it.  This is why horses aren't fans of technology!  As soon as K and R figure out what the technical difficulty is, they've promised to post.  Stay tuned!

Polo

Back to Work

Hi everyone! True to their word, my moms put me back to work today.  I was saddled up and then K was on my back!  Apparently I did a good thing by standing still at the mounting block because I received lots of praise just for letting her get on.  R got up on Sarah and we four took a walk around the paddock.


The walking we did was rather pleasant, although there were a few times where I wasn't sure what I needed to do.  K was very patient with me and kept telling me I was doing a good job.  I hope I was good! Sarah didn't provide any tips this time, saying instead, "sorry kid, you're on your own."   I guess I'm going to need a lot of on the job training.

After several minutes, we switched.  K got on Sarah and R rode me.  I like R, she had ridden me twice when I first came out of race training.  She went very easy on me too, just like K.  We all walked a few more times around and then the day was done.  Sarah and I each got a nice shower and then I got to eat my dinner.  I suppose this work thing might not be too bad after all.

That's all from The Paddock for now.  Happy Grazing!

Polo

Riders up!  Here's K telling me how well I'm doing.

R and I, reunited.

It's HOT

Hi Folks!
It is very, very hot here in the Bluegrass.  Temperatures have been above 90 degrees and the added humidity has made it feel like its over 100!  This is mighty uncomfortable for us horses.  We're plains animals who believe the ideal temperature is a cool 50 degrees.

Because of the heat, I've all spent the day trying to keep cool and so there's not much to report. So, as promised yesterday, I have posted some pictures of my progress (with some help from my moms).

Until next time, keep cool and stay hydrated!

Polo

My withers have almost healed!

My new sneaker

My newly trimmed, healing hoof

I solved the puzzle! this is my sneaker after I removed it.

Catching Up

Hi everyone!  Please pardon my being “off the air”. Things have been so busy for my moms that they haven’t had time to post my messages.

Good News!  My withers are almost completely healed!  All that remains now is a narrow scab that my humans insist will heal completely in another couple of weeks. 

The hole in my left hind foot continues to heal as my moms have kept up their experimentation with bandages and boots.  First they tried a different human baby diaper, this time with Mickey and Minnie Mouse!  Could it get any worse?  Then they added a white rubber thing over the top called a bell boot.  I could still get the bandages and diaper off but the bell boot itself stayed on.  My moms weren’t about to give up though.  The next thing they tried was a trail boot, which looks kind of like their sneakers.  I must say, the trail boot was a puzzle but I managed to solve it and get it off after several days of trying.  I keep telling my moms that my self-treatment of a good mud pack over top of the gauze pack is the way to go.

My farrier, Jamie agrees with me!  I had my feet trimmed today.  Jamie said my foot looks good!  He told my moms to help me keep it clean with the Betadine Solution but not to wrap me up any more.  Yay!

Sarah and I are getting along great.  R has continued riding Sarah and they’ve been working on those poles, including an elevated one called a jump.  Apparently this jumping thing is going to continue.  R and Aunt T spent Sunday building more of them. 

Generally I just eat grass while Sarah’s working, but I’ve been giving this some thought in between bites.  It looks like fun, and it’s certainly much different from what I was doing at the race track.  I suspect I’ll find out soon enough. 

In fact, I overheard Jamie telling moms and Aunt B that it was okay for me to walk under saddle. This is timely because K and R have been plotting the timeline of getting me some exercise once we had the OK from my foot support team.  K even put a saddle on me the other day.  She said she wanted to find out what size girth I will need.   I am proud to say that my size is smaller than K thought.

My moms have promised photos soon, so check back.  In the meantime, may your grass be green and your water fresh.

Cheers!

Polo

Progress!

Guess what, guys?  My chest is pretty much all better!  There's a very small scar that may even disappear with time.  I'm so proud of myself!  I worked really hard to get better.  My moms did, too, and my aunts and all my pals here sending me good thoughts.  Thank you all!

There's a video past the cut that shows how I healed, but since it's kind of gruesome, my moms wanted you to be able to choose whether or not you want to watch it.

Bell Boots and Jolly Balls

Huh?

I have to tell you guys... my moms are hilarious!  They bought me something called a Jolly Ball, and they think it's going to stop me from pulling off my bandage every day!  As I understand it, I'm supposed to play with the Jolly Ball instead of playing with the  bandage.  They think I need a distraction or something.  But when I play with the bandage, eventually the bandage comes off and some of the irritation of having a bandage on goes away.  On the other hoof, interacting with the Jolly Ball seems to get me nothing.  I'm three, not stupid.

Thank You!

I just received another donation from one of my readers.  You know what that means!  Polo kisses!

I Told You So!

My gorgeous self!

Hello, all!

I told my moms that diaper was humiliating!  It had animals on it!  Can you believe it?  I couldn’t leave it on, even if it was covered in purple Vetrap and duct tape.

Worse Than Pink

Uh oh, guys.  I'm in so much trouble.  OK, my moms aren't mad, not even a little bit.  But I have been thoroughly humiliated!  I'm still closely monitoring the color of the Vetrap being applied on a daily basis, but I learned today that it can get so much worse than pink Vetrap!

Momma R bought me diapers!  Can you believe it?

A Good Day

I couldn't stand the pink bandage, so
I took it off myself...

It was hot but otherwise quiet today.  I remember running a lot last night... I ran a lot longer than I ever did in race training.  I ran right out of my hoof bandage, so my foot is a bit sore now.  I should feel bad about running out of my bandage... but it was pink, which is so embarassing!

Fireworks

I didn't get to see either of my moms today because they were both competing in a horse trial.  Oreo was there at the trial, too, competing with R.  They finished in fourth place in their very first horse trial!  Oreo gave a good report.  He said there were a few scary things but that overall, it was great fun.  He also told me that K and Sweepit finished third in their division and that K was very happy with how the day turned out.  I wonder if my moms will take me to a horse trial someday...

Sarah

Momma K came to see me. 
I missed her so much this week!

OK, so some of you may not know what it's like to be bred for and grow up as a potential racehorse.  We don't get much time to really be horses after we officially turn one year old on January 1st of the year following the year in which we were born.  (Since I was born in April 2008, I turned one year old on January 1st of 2009... when I was just 8 months old!)

Stocked Up

Hi, guys.  I’m a little down today.  My hind legs are both stocking up, which means fluid is building up that my system isn’t flushing back up the leg like it’s supposed to.  It’s not uncomfortable at all, but Momma R keeps worrying over it.  She says Momma K is worried, too… I miss my Momma K!

Thank You!

 I feel so special!  I received some more presents over the last two days.  You guys are so good to me!

A Tractor, Oh My!

Hi, everyone!   I ran around in the pasture today, and I was sound!  My moms were so pleased!  I haven’t been doing a lot of anything but ambling around the pasture and eating, so they were pretty happy to see me trot and even canter a little.

Rain and Flies

Hi, everyone!  All is quiet in the Polo paddock today.  Momma K and Aunt B changed my hoof dressing today and treated my withers.  Everything else is pretty much healed up!  Hurrah!  Now my job is to eat well and take in the sunshine and grow some hair back over the places where the hair was bitten off our fell out.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Momma R!

Hi, everyone!  Today is Momma R's birthday, so first let me send her my love via a nice big clover-slobber kiss!  (She's my mom, so I don't have to be polite!)

I had another adventure today.  I met my new veterinarian for the first time!  Her name is Dr. Long and she took excellent care of me this morning.  The vet had to see me today because my moms found a little blood in the bandages coming off my sore foot.  They knew this wasn't normal, so they called my fabulous farrier friend Jamie, who recommended that Dr. Long take a look.

Thank You!

Just a quick note from the Polo paddock today...

No Hoof, No Horse

I have a hole in my foot!

Hi, everybody!  Today was another milestone in my new life.  I met my new farrier, Jamie!  I know it seems like I like everybody, but I definitely liked Jamie on first sight.  Besides, I just knew he was there to make me feel better.

Jamie talked to my moms about my history - I wish I could help them out!  Then he took a look at me and my feet.  He was very quiet with his hands and told me exactly what he wanted, so it was very easy to be good because there was no confusion at all.

My Moms

Hey, everybody!  It's a lazy Sunday here in the pasture... but I promised I'd introduced you to my moms, so before I take another bite of grass, here they are!

A Whole Lot of Fuss

Hi, everybody!  I've been at my new home for about a day now, and I have to say, I love it!  There's green grass everywhere and people are always fussing over me.  I've been a very good boy about letting them fuss, too.  Some of it's nice, like getting groomed and fed.  Other parts aren't as nice, like when they poke at my boo boos, but my moms insist they're helping me, so I try to stand still and not make it too hard for them to help.  Actually, they say that for a three-year-old, I'm being pretty stoic about the whole thing.

For the sake of documenting my injuries, my moms said I should share some photos.  Beware, however: some of them are kind of graphic.  I'm doing much better already, but it's going to be a long (and kind of yucky) road to recovery. 

Meet Polo

Hi!  I'm Polo!

Hi!  I'm Polo!  I'm a three-year-old off the track Thoroughbred gelding by Good and Tough, and while I'm pretty Good, I'm not Tough at all.  This is part of why I have a story to tell.

A few weeks ago, I lived at a racetrack.  I spent most of my days in a stall looking over the road between the backside and the gate to the training track.  But I wasn't a very good racehorse.  In fact, I wasn't even good enough to make it to the starting gate!