Horsy News, Views and Attitudes

Vol. 1 Number 8 -- September 10-16, 2007

Horses At Play Playing ponies bump each other around a lot. Does your pony respect your space? Read Learn to Speak Horse on page 2.	Moose Sighting at Lake Appamapog Estate Provides Ideal Habitat, Sighting Questioned by Locals Two hikers report spotting a female or 'cow' moose on Labor Day northwest of Wiggins. Tommy Rand and Mike Lacey, two local teens, were mountain biking around sunset when they spotted the animal. "We thought it was a horse at first," Rand reported. "When we rounded a corner just uphill from the lake shore there she was, eating leaves in the swamp. She must have smelled us, because she turned and ran into the woods without a sound." Mike Lacey added he was pretty sure that it was a moose. "Tommy blocked my view a little bit but I thought it was too big to be a deer." Wilhelmina Wiggns' property faces the lake but the property owner reports that she has yet to see the elusive creature. "When those boys told me about her I rode right out on my horse to take a look. Its unusual to see a moose so far south, they usually are up closer to Canada." Olive Sanders, proprietor of Sanders' Beauty Salon in Wiggins, recalled that her naturalist son had also seen a moose in that area – but almost 40 years ago. "He used to spend a lot of time up there by the lake," Sanders' remembered, "Hiking and taking wildlife surveys. He did some research and found that there would have been lots of moose here before they were hunted so heavily. He was thrilled to see that big animal and it was all he talked about for the next week!" Sanders granddaughter, Lulu Sanders, doubts whether the moose exists. "I ride up there all the time on my pony," Lulu said, "If there is a moose there I've never seen it. Snow White took last week off because her foot is sore but my friends and I will ride up to look for the moose next weekend. If its there, we'll find it!"
Virtual Riding Lessons Progress Reported Last week Jane Crandal of Crandal's Stables attended a huge 'Game Developers Conference' business convention where she met with many experts who know how to create an online version of the Crandal Stables. "The ability to create a realistic riding experience is quite important for me," she reported. "Everyone who works in the business was in Austin, Texas for this big meeting." "While I got lots of advice from the best game designers that will help us to build my online stable," Crandal continued. "The first part of the stable we want to build is a riding ring where I can give lessons, just like I do at my home." She smiled, "I want it to be just as much fun as riding lessons that I give in the ring. My daughter Pam promises that she'll help, too." When an online game is created, visitors will be able to take their ride on one of Crandal Stable's lesson ponies, Daisy or Splash. No date is set yet for the completion of an internet riding lessons site. For further updates, subscribe to the Wiggins Weekly by sending the webmaster an email at WebMaster@ClubPonyPals.com
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LEARN TO SPEAK HORSE YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Q. How do I tell my horse to back away from me? My pony bumps into me sometime and it makes me a little scared. Horses like to play and push each other around. They don't realize that since we are so much smaller than they are we can be hurt by what to them seems like just a nudge. So it is very important that you know how to say 'keep back' so your pony does not crowd you. Before starting to work with a pony on this exercise4, you need to learn about your 'bubble' or personal space. Try this experiment. Stand still in a quiet place with your eyes closed and your ears plugged. Then have a friend slowly walk towards you. If you do this a few times, you will be able to sense when they are there at about three feet from you. That space around you is your 'bubble,' and any pony who wants to enter it must have your permission. To teach a horse to respect your 'bubble' you usually start with the pony on a lead line. Experiment with keeping the horse outside your space, shaking the line, saying "Back" loudly and waving your free hand any time they enter the space without your permission. Once the pony learns you want it to stay outside your bubble, you will see it begin to experiment to find out where that space starts. Let it stretch its nose out wanting to say "Hi" and asking if it is OK to come into your space. That is the signal to invite the pony in, pet it and then ask it to back out again. Repeat this lesson over and over, always telling the pony that it is being good whemn it stays away from you. Once it does that, then ask it to come closer and pet the pony lavishly. Once you teach your pony to respect your bubble you will also have a better time catching it in pasture because it will think that coming up to you when you ask means you will pet it. To get your question answered, send an email to WebMaster @ clubponypals.com

Labor Day Weekend's Distance Ride Results Wiggins Riders Win Award Anna Harley of Wiggins was the "Turtle Award" winner for the Labor Day weekend distance ride's Junior Division. That award is given to the last rider to finish the race. Lulu Sanders, Pam Crandal and Anna Harley, three local girls who call themselves 'Pony Pals,' all competed in the Junior Division, covering 15 miles in one day. Anna Harley was the only rider in the event on a Shetland Pony. "Acorn was the best. He can be kind of stubborn and when we headed out from the third vet checkpoint he didn't want to keep up with the other riders. But we finished the race and I have the cute turtle statue for my grandmother's garden to prove it!" Pam Crandal of Crandal Stables took fourth place in the Junior Division. "We were happy with the results, though riding all that way in one day made for a long day." "We were happy to ride together on the first loop, but my pony Snow White stepped on a rock during the loop around Lake Appamapog, and we had to drop out," related Lulu Sanders. "I was glad that Anna and Pam kept going." The 30-mile Adult Division featured almost 40 riders from all over the region. First place went to Wiggins resident Reggie Olson who grinned as he related, "This was the first time I tried something like this, but I've got a lovely Arab mare for sale that I thought might be good at this event. She surprised me and I think her price just went up." Victoria Winters took the Adult division Turtle Award on her mare named Perfection; Best Condition award went to Stan Greeley on Freckles.

Wiggins Labor Day Distance Ride Competition Turtle Awards Trophies Courtesy of The Green Market

Thought for the day

The soul of a woman is reflected in the eye of her horse.