Horsy News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 28 January 28 - February 3. 2008

Snow White and Wiggins' own

Lulu Sanders pulling a skier at Saturday's Ski Joring Event.

Love the Snow, Like to Lope, Got a Pony, Skis and Rope,

Yeah! Ski Joring!

See Ski Joring article on page 3

Coyote Complication

Animal Hit by Truck

Wednesday morning a young coyote was struck and killed by a truck on Crosshill Road. George Conway, local horse shoer, was heading out to Olson's Horse Farm when the animal darted in front of his truck.

"I think he was chasing a rabbit," Conway said. "It was snowing hard. I wasn't going very fast but I saw something small cross the road and then I thought I saw a dog. I skidded on the snowy road and couldn't stop."

"When I got out to look it turned out to be a coyote! It was already dead, so I wrapped it up in a burlap bag and took it along with me to Olson's," Conway continued. "We called Jack Stranton who's a Ranger at the Park. He came over and picked it up."

Stranton measured the animal and said that the young coyote was about 40 pounds but probably not a year old.

"It was thin but otherwise looked healthy," Stranton said. "And the animal's pelt was in good shape, so we are getting it stuffed to put on exhibit here at the Ranger Station."

Wildlife expert Tom Sanders had an opinion. His studies have lead him to understand what wild animals face.

"That skinny pup was trying to make it through his first winter," Sanders said. "But when I talk with people who have seen our coyotes, it's amazing how many people tell me they feed them. They say, 'I love seeing the coyotes. I put food in my backyard.' I tell them that feeding coyotes lessens their natural fear of people. That fear is what protects them."

Stranton and Sanders both are members of the Town Council's Coyote Committee. That group will report its findings next week in a public hearing.

Page 2

Horsy News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 28 January 28 - February 3. 2008

LEARN TO SPEAK HORSE

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q. Every time I put my pony in his stall after we ride, he goes to the bathroom right in front of his feeder! Yuk! How do I get him to stop! What is he telling me?

A. First, he's not telling you anything. He's telling every other horse there, "I may have been gone for a little while but don't you forget it -- this is where I eat!"

The best thing to do, if you can, is wait until he goes before you put him away. That won't stop him from doing it, though.

Q. There are two ponies in the pasture. When I go in to visit them, they start to bite each other. What is wrong with them? How do I get them to stop fighting?

A. Weird as it may sound, those ponies are fighting over you because they like you. Just like two boys who are friends might punch each other in the arm if a pretty girl came into the room, your two ponies are biting at each other because they don't want to share you.

We have a saying -- they're "Jealous as a horse."

Pony Pals Letters

Dear Wiggins Weekly Readers,

Pam, Anna and I had a Pony Pal problem this week. We are not getting any letters from other Pony Pals who read this e-newsletter. So we decided to send you all another letter. Pam wrote last week and I'm writing to tell you what we've been doing.

On Monday it was a school holiday and we all went for a ride in the woods along Pony Pal trail. My Dad told me there was a surprise for us on the Wiggins Estate. So after we met at the three birches we rode over towards Ms. Wiggins house. Halfway there we stopped because we saw a big metal box that looked like an upside-down shopping cart in the snow!

Someone had put little pieces of meat into and around it and our ponies didn't like that smell at all! Acorn was the most brave though and when Anna rode past the box on him, Pam went right behind her on Lightning and then I followed on Snow White.

When we got to Ms Wiggins house she invited us in. We put our ponies in her barn and then we had hot cocoa and talked about the wire box we saw.

Ms. Wiggins said that box is called a "live trap." My dad asked her if it was OK to put four of them out on her property to try and catch the coyotes without hurting them.

Coyotes are so smart; at first when they see the trap they won't go in it to eat the meat. It takes time to get them to think it is safe.

Once coyotes will eat the meat, finally my Dad will "set" the trap so when they go inside it snaps shut like a cage around them without hurting them. Ms. Wiggins said she was glad to help because it doesn't hurt the coyotes.

We rode home and our horses were better going by the trap. It snowed a lot later in the week and we didn't get to ride again until Saturday when we all went to the Ski Joring Clinic. It was really fun!

Write back and tell us about your week!

Pony Pals, Lulu

NEW! Start Drawing!

It's the Leap Year Art Contest!

Send in your drawing called

"SNOW PONIES"

to the

via e-mail or USPS.

Deadline February 29th

Entries will be published in the e-newspaper and on ClubPonyPals.com!

Pony Pals Power thought for the day - -

When you tell a pony about your troubles, that tail ends there.

Page 3

Horsy News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 28 January 28 - February 3. 2008

Olson's Farm Ski Joring Clinic

Above, Geoff Smith of NESJA explains how to hold a rope when being pulled behind a pony.

Below, a close up showing the ski joring rope harness attached to a saddle.

Ski Joring Event

Over fifty people came to Olsons Farm on Saturday for a ski joring clinic. The instructor was Geoff Smith, President of the NESJA.

The clinic had two parts. First, twenty skiers found out about safely ski joring behind a pony. At the same time, ponies and riders learned how to pull skiers and snowboarders.

Skiers and ponies then moved along a course of jumps, rings and obstacles to practice. By the clinic's end everyone had gone through the course a few times and the ponies were having a good time pulling skiers.

"Snow White really liked it," laughed Lulu Sanders, "The hard part was to keep her from going too fast!"

Skiers in three age divisions got prizes from Folgers Feed. The winners were: Pee Wee Division -- Jill Crandal, runner-up Mimi Kline; Junior division -- Tommy Rand, runner-up Eve Greeley; Open Division -- Roger Edwards, runner-up Victoria Winters.

Special Supplement

Image by: Bryan Harry – NPS

COYOTE SAFETY TIPS

· Keep garbage and compost piles securely covered

· Secure your trash, take out garbage cans in the morning when pick-up is scheduled, not the previous night

· Feed pets indoors, keep pet food and water inside and keep pets indoors or confined in a kennel or covered exercise yard

· Do not feed wildlife on the ground, keep wild bird seed in elevated feeders designed for birds and clean up spilled seed from the ground

· Do not feed wild cats; coyotes prey on those cats and feed on cat food left out for them

· Minimize ground plants near children's play areas, to avoid attracting rodents and small mammals that in turn attract coyotes

· Use noise-making devices when coyotes are seen

· Be assertive toward coyotes that do not show fear of humans

· Don't feed any coyotes, that feeding can lead to bold behavior

· Protect your pets -- coyotes view pets as potential food and larger dogs as competition