Horsy News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number Number 30 February 11-17. 2008

Pony Pal Photo

Here's a picture of

me and my pony.

By the way, I love ur website!

~Sarah~

Pony Pals Letters

Hay Pam

I can't wait for the riding lessons, i love the pony pal books, i read all of them!! it makes me feel like i am one of you guys, i think I'm most like Lulu because want to have a white pony just like Snow white and i want to go on adventures but my mom wont let me i also want to be fit and active but I'm kind of chubby. i live in a small town like Wiggins and i have a friend that is the same age as me but i don't see her much, oh by the way my name is Charity and my friends name is Karah. well g2g (got to go)

Pony pal,

Charity

Dear Pony Pal Charity

Thanks for your letter! My mom is hard at work making the virtual lessons good. What looks so easy when we are out in our lesson arena riding is hard to make happen when she is working on a computer!

Adventures are everywhere you are. You can have an adventure any time you try something new. Even taking a walk outside near where you live can be an adventure if you pay attention. If someone's walk isn't snow shoveled, they may need help. If an animal you see is too thin or not cared for, you can find out what is going on and try to help out. That's an adventure right there.

Any adventure starts with looking closely at what you see around you. Try taking a walk outside with a friend and make a list of anything you see that makes you wonder, "What's going on here?" That's an easy first adventure that anyone can do.

We had two new adventures this week

Pony Pals Letters continued on page 2

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Horsy News, Views and Attitudes Vol. 1 Number 30 February 11-17. 2008

LEARN TO SPEAK HORSE

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

This pony is flehemening

Photo courtesy of

http://en.wikipedia.org/

Q. I have noticed that when my pony picks up a scent or tastes something new, he does this weird thing with his mouth and sticks his teeth out. Is this good or bad?

A. The picture shows a pony doing what you describe. That curled lip is called a "flehmen." Ponies and horses do this to help them smell better. It is not good or bad.

Flehemening lets them to take in air over the roof of their mouth. They use a special "vomeronasal organ," (or Jacobson's organ) that helps them sense things humans cannot. This special ability lets them get a better sniff to find out exactly what they're smelling.

Ponies and horses can even tell which other horse has been there before and if it was a mare or gelding just by sniffing. Their sense of smell is so good, they can even tell if you have an apple or carrot hidden in a pocket. Some of them will get very pushy to try and find the treat!

Exploring the woods on a snowy trail

Photo courtesy of http://cavaliersdelafrontiere.com

Pony Pals Letters

Continued from Page 1

that started out that way.

First, on Monday Anna, Lulu and I found a coyote in a trap when we were out riding. We galloped back to the barn and to get Pam's dad right away! He came out, gave the coyote a shot that put it to sleep, then took the coyote out of its trap. While the coyote was still asleep, he took it back to the vet clinic. There he gave it shots to make sure it stays healthy and then put it into a crate. It will stay at St. Francis Animal Shelter until they take it to a park up north.

Lulu's dad found a second coyote in a trap on Friday night. We decided to ride over to Mt. Morris on Saturday and talked to Ranger Stranton. He told us they plan to move all the coyotes up north next week. Hopefully they will catch the third one soon.

When we got done talking with Ranger Stranton we still had time to ride so we went past the ranger station over to the other side of Mount Morris. That's when our second adventure started.

The snowy forest there really looked different than where we usually ride. Anna pointed through the woods towards something that was way uphill from us.

We saw some old machines in the snow, so we carefully rode up to get a better look. There were big wheels, a huge chain and a tower near the top of the mountain. Everything was rusty and looked abandoned.

We all dismounted, tied our ponies and started to look around. The trees there were all smaller, it looked like all the big ones had been cut. Lulu was afraid of holes hidden in the snow, so we walked around very carefully. By then it was getting late then so we decided to ride home. All the way we talked about why would anyone build something on the top of Mt. Morris and then leave it? More next week…. Pony Pals, Pam

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