Horsy News, Views and Attitudes

Vol. 1 Number 12 -- October 8-14, 2007

Art Contest Entries Sought "Me on Acorn" a drawing by Rosalie Lacey of Wiggins ________________________________ Youth Art Competition ENTER TODAY! October 20th is the deadline to enter the Fall Festival youth art contest. Winners will receive a print of "Crandal's Barn." This watercolor is by local Artist Wilhelmina Wiggins. Entries become property of the Wiggins Weekly. Winners' artwork will be published in this e-newspaper and go on display at the Fall Festival. There are two ways for young artists to enter: by emailing to: WebMaster@clubponypals.com, or by US mail to: Club Pony Pals Art Contest 16645 Soledad Canyon Road, #382 Canyon Country, CA 91387

New Leaf Fire Set Search for Firebug Continues There was one new blaze Saturday morning in Wiggins, in the front yard of Olive Sanders' Beauty Salon. Mrs. Sanders reported that there was little damage. "My granddaughter Lulu had just finished raking up the leaves into a big pile on the street when she got a phone call from her friend Pam Crandal. When Lulu came back out the pile was ablaze." Young Lulu Sanders put out the fire with a garden hose. "I was going to bag up our leaves to take to Nelson's Farm. It was really good that the hose was so close. Grandma called the fire department but it was almost out when they got here. All that got burned were my grandmother's potted geranium plants," Lulu said. In the past three weeks an unknown firebug has ignited raked up leaf piles in four Wiggins front yards. The community has rallied to reduce the risk. "Wiggins' response to this threat has been great," Wiggins Volunteer Fire Department Chief Roger Edwards said. "For the past week almost everyone who rakes their leaves has been bagging them up right away." "We are still seeking whoever lit those fires. It is probably someone local, we think it may be a young person based on the clues left at the scene" Edwards continued. Lulu Sanders saw one of the clues. "When the fire was out I saw a matchbook that was partly burned. I gave it to Chief Edwards," Lulu said. Continued on page 3

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Vol. 1 Number 11 -- October 8-14, 2007

LEARN TO SPEAK HORSE YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q. Sometimes my pony wrinkles up his upper lip in a funny way and snorts. What is he saying? Is he sick? The picture to the right shows a pony doing what you describe. That curled lip is called a "flehmen." This pony is flehemening photo courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/

Ponies, horses and other animals do this because it helps them to smell better. It lets them to take in air over the roof of their mouth. They use a special "vomeronasal organ," (also called Jacobson's organ) to help them smell things humans cannot. In the wild, this special ability lets them smell if other horses have been in a pasture or stall. It even lets them know if it was a mare or another gelding. So usually t his 'flehmen' just means that your pony smells something special and wants to get a better sniff to find out exactly what it is. _________________________________________ Q. What does it mean when my pony puts its tail on top of me or hits me with it? At first I thought it was just a mistake, now I think she does it on purpose. Ponies know right where their tail is all the time. They are very good at chasing away flies and can hit any part of their body the tail is long enough to reach. When you are cleaning a horse's back feet, they will sometimes drape their tail on top of your head or on your shoulder. That is one way horses and ponies have to say "I love you" because they are protecting you from flies with their tail. If a pony hits you with their tail, it generally means they are unhappy or annoyed with you. Just like a horse or pony may kick out at you if they are angry, hitting you with their tail gets that same message across. It may not mean anything other than they are annoyed with you cleaning their feet or putting fly spray on their legs. It can sure hurt though!

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Vol. 1 Number 11 -- October 8-14, 2007

Fall Festival Saturday, October 27 10am to 4pm Wiggins Town Green	Leaf Fires Continued from page 1 "That matchbook is one more clue," Chief Roger Edwards said. "Law enforcement takes this matter very seriously and are looking into all tips." Lulu Sanders had another idea about finding the arsonist. "Anna Harley, Pam Crandal and I plan to start a Pony Patrol in Wiggins. On our ponies, we can ride everywhere and watch out for whoever is starting these fires."
Subscribe today to the free Wiggins Weekly News from the world of the Pony Pals by Jeanne Betancourt email WebMaster@clubponypals.com	"Crandal's Barn" by Wilhelmina Wiggins is the prize for the Youth Art Contest Winner

Thought for the day -

Admire a big horse. Saddle a small one.