First Anniversary Edition

Pony News, Views and Attitudes -- Vol. 2 Number 1 -- July 14-20, 2008

First Anniversary Issue

At the Wiggins Weekly Offices this week publishers held a small party to celebrate this e-newsletter's first year of publication. Carrot cake and apple cider were served. Then the staff adjourned to go and ride their ponies, who got some of the leftovers!

"From the first issue until today our e-newsletter has sure changed," said Allison, the publisher. "We now have many readers writing in with their own stories and ideas for the paper."

"The new online riding game is on the way," She continued. "Our game testers will get to try out everything first. They're the ones who will help us make sure our game is really fun!"

Wish you could
Ride to School or Work?
This Dentist & Staff Did It

Dr. Leonard and his staff riding in to work.
Photo courtesy of Shelli.

ARLINGTON, Wash. (AP) -- When gas prices hit $4 a gallon, the staff at Dr. Keith Leonard’s dental office figured it was time to pony up.

Since more than half of the dental assistants and office staff own horses, on Wednesday the crew saddled up and rode in to work.

“We decided that when gas got to $4 a gallon, we would all ride in,” Leonard said.

Ten riders and two bicyclists met up at Leonard’s home about four miles north of his office for the commute. City officials in Arlington, located about 50 miles north of Seattle, granted them a special permit to ride as a group.

“We can’t dictate how much oil companies charge, but today we’re not buying,” Leonard said. “We’re using one-horse power.”

Leonard said the ride was a way to encourage his patients to use alternative forms of transportation.

_____________________________

Did you ever imagine riding in to school or work? Where would you put your pony if you did? What would everyone else think? How would it work out for you and for your pony? Tell us what your imaginary (or real) riding adventure is like! Write in and let everyone know about your ride to school or work on your pony!

WebMaster

We want your drawings or letters!

Send them in to the Wiggins Weekly.

email WebMaster@clubponypals.com

or mail them to

Club Pony Pals
16654 Soledad Canyon Rd. #382
Canyon Country, CA 91387
USA

 

This Week's Survey

Where in the world do you live?

United States

Canada

England/Scotland/Britain

Europe

Australia

New Zealand

Other _______ (please type into survey)

            Note to parents and adults - this survey is for information purposes only.
            There is no way an answer can be linked to any specific Club Pony Pals member.

              _________________________________________________________________

Last Week's Survey Results

Which bookmark do you like best?

A

B

C

D

 
 
Letter from Jeanne Betancourt to a Pony Pals Local Chapter
Dear Jeanne Betancourt
I’ve got one question for you…
WHY DID YOU STOP WRITING BOOKS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?  I cried when I read Super Special #6.   Can you please keep on writing books about the pony pals? PLEASE!!!??? You inspired all of my friends and I  to make this club.  And what’s weird is that I’m most like Pam and I live farthest from my other two friends.  One of my friends is like Lulu and the other is like Anna and, they live diagonal from each other. Thank You for listening!
 
From: A horse maniac  Carolyn
Horses E A C (our club name)

Dear Horses EAC and Carolyn

Thank you for telling me about you and your club, Horses E.A.C.   Since your name is Carolyn, I'm guessing your friends names begin with the letters E and A. Is that right?

To answer your question, I stopped writing Pony Pal books because my publisher decided that 44 books was a good place to stop. There aren't too many series with that many books, so I feel lucky to have written that many.  But if Scholastic should ever want me to continue the series I certainly have some more ideas for Pony Pal adventures.  By the way, I cried a little myself when I wrote the last one.   In my imagination I had lived in Wiggins with Pam, Anna, and Lulu and their wonderful ponies for ten years.  It felt like I was saying goodbye to good friends.  

To my surprise, the Pony Pals and their world has stayed alive for me thanks to e-mails and letters like yours and the world of ClubPonyPals and the Wiggins Weekly.  

I am very excited about the game, too.  It will be fun when every Pony Pal can have a pony and ride with Pam, Anna, and Lulu.  
Happy reading and gaming,
Jeanne Betancourt

____________________________________

Club Pony Pals
Letters & Drawings

i would like to be a game tester plz jodie thz

Hello,
I would like to sign up for the Wiggins Weekly,please.
Also, I would like to join the Pony Pals virtual game.
Thank you, Grace

Hi, please add us to your weekly newsletter....thanks a lot, Ariel

Please join me up for your weekly newsletter and whatever else I can access at your site. I love horses and ponies. One day I hope we move to a farm because my dad said if we have enough room I can get a horse. He wants to name it Mighty To Save - after the Christian song by Hillsong United.
Thank you very much.
Your friend,
Abby
 

Bookmark D is the BEST!!!!!
I voted on the site :) Bethany

signing up for newsletter. thanks
Autumn

Dear Pony Pals Jodie, Grace, Ariel, Abby, Bethany & Autumn - -

Welcome to the Club! It's great that you've joined us. Here is the place to find out more about Pony Pals' new game and adventure that's coming this fall to our Club website. In that game you will be able to ride. We all look forward to reading more letters from you and hearing about your adventures, with or without a pony.

WebMaster

 

Club Pony Pals
Letters from Australia!

Hey Webmaster,
I have some questions to ask you on the pony pal game.
What do you do after you post the letter before you ride
to the bit where there are 2 signs that say "wiggins, pony pal trail" and the other one says "wiggins estate trail"?
And by the way what time do you think the wiggins weekly is going to be out?
i was wondering if you are going to sell
the bookmarks and for how much?
And will you please sell them in Australia?
I have created a Pony Pal design for you.
I hope you like it:)

I love your site and I am so glad you made it:)
Keep up the good work and I love the Pony Pal game :)
Samantha Watkins
from NSW Australia
P.S i have a idea! you could make pony pal mags
and sell them 4 $5.00 each. you could put reviews of some of the pony pal books in the mags and pictures of pony pal trail. And could you please sell them in Australia, because that's where i live. And you could write on the front of the mag that the idea came from Samantha, that's me!
Can you think about it, and if you say yes you can email me, and ask 4 more ideas!!!!
how do you play the pony pal game? and can i be a game tester too?
I love the pony Pals and they're my favourite books in the whole world. Jeanne Betancourt is my Favourite Author and she is so creative
thanks, please say yes to my idea.
Samantha :)
From Australia

Dear Pony Pal Samantha

When you are playing the Pony Pals game right now you stop the Green Market for a surprise.

The Wiggins Weekly is usually published at 9 pm Sunday evening Pacific Standard Time. That is early in the morning on Monday in Australia.

Anyone who wants a bookmark will be able to get one by buying books from Scholastic's book club. The bookmark will be free with a package of books in the November catalog. When you get the bookmark you will also be able to use the code on its back to get a package of pony treats for your online pony!

This e-newsletter is the closest thing to a magazine about the Pony Pals and it's free. It is available everywhere.

Anyone can sign up to be a game tester, just email Club Pony Pals and say in the email "I want to be a Tester." Game testers get special emails that let them find out what is going on with our game way before anyone else. Thanks for writing,
WebMaster

Dear WebMaster,
    Firstly, thank you for posting up my photos of Nyah and me, in the Wiggins Weekly. Was a great thrill for me and my family.
    Thank you also, for remembering that my friends call me Bella, and I'm happy that you called me by that .  :-)
    I would like very much to be a game tester ( with Daddy helping ) and I also would very much like to receive the " Wiggins Weekly " too.
     A big Hello from Australia to all the other Pony Pals around the world. Regards,

    Isabella " Bella"

Dear Pony Pal Bella

Thank you for writing to Club Pony Pals. Your letter and others like it made us sure there would be lots of Pony Pals everywhere who would like to visit Wiggins and play with Pam, Anna and Lulu. You are the inspiration for our game.

WebMaster

 

 

Picture It

The story so far....

Ponigirl writes:
In the picture it looks like the horse is saying, "What's that? Is it edible?"

Pam Crandal writes:
Meredith tells her horse, "You silly, I'm learning to drive…."

NB Elementary writes:
"You'll hurt my feelings. Why are you riding that funny little machine instead of me?" whinnies Squirrel.

Pam Crandal writes:
Meredith laughs. Then she says, "You are too big for me, Squirrel. I want a pony. Then I would ride with the Pony Pals, and...."

Summer F. writes:
"I'm not too big!" neighs Squirrel. "I'm just the right size!"

Lulu Sanders writes:
Meredith thought Squirrel was funny. She looked very serious. Really she was trying not to laugh. Then she said, "Some little ponies want to be big horses. You're lucky to be so big. "

Summer F. writes:
"I am not too big!" yelled Squirrel. "See, I can lay down and you can just hop on!"

Anna Harley writes:
Squirrel sniffed the ground with his nose. He pawed the dirt and bent his front legs. Then he bent his back legs. Whump. He was on the ground. "Its nice down here," Squirrel thought. "While I'm down here I'll ...."

Isabelle M. writes:
"... just eat some of this clover. Hey when are you getting on?????!"

Anna Harley writes:
Meredith looked at Squirrel decided maybe jumping on without a saddle or bridle could mean problems.

Isabelle M. writes:
"Ok Squirrel I will go home and see if I can find someone to ride you."

Anna Harley writes:
Meredith drove off to the barn. When she got there she was really surprised because she found...

Summer F. writes:
...A girl sitting in a stool. She had dark blonde hair, and was petting a dapple gray pony with a black mane and tail. "Who are you?" Meredith asked.

Lulu Sanders writes:
She quiet and seemed to be thinking, but....

Summer F. continues:
The girl didn't stop petting the pony. "Wait a minute," said  Meredith to herself, "she isn't petting, she is writing a note."

When the girl was done, she clipped on her helmet, and tacked up her pony. "He ya!" shouted the girl. The gray pony galloped. Meredith saw when the girl was away from the light, her hair was brown. When she was in the light, her hair was very dark blond.
   
When the girl and the pony left,  Meredith read the note. It said;

DEAR ALL PONY PALS: Pongo, the Appaloosa foal is missing. He's in the Darkwood Forest, (I found tracks). If you want to help, grab a pony and go. P.S. Sorry if I'm scared about Darkwood Forest; I had nightmares about it. SUMMER

Meredith was scared. "I have to help," she said.

She ran to find Squirrel. He was hiding behind a bush. "Squirrel! shouted Meredith.

Squirrel came out from hiding. "A foal has gone missing," Meredith said, we have to help them find it."

Meredith tacked up Squirrel.

"But, I thought I was too big for you," said Squirrel. "Your size isn't what matters," said Meredith, "the foal is what matters now."  

Meredith swung herself on the saddle and chipped her helmet on. "Hy-ho, Squirrel! Away"

With an angry blow, Squirrel galloped. "To Darkwood Forest!" Squirrel slowed to a canter, then back to a gallop. No matter how scared they were, they had to help the girl find the foal. "This could be he greatest adventure in all of Pony Pals History," Meredith said to herself, "We could be heroes. Just wait till the Pony Pals read this!"

Ginny S. writes:
Meredith and Squirrel rode carefully through Darkwood Forest so that they could hear any sounds that would help them find Pongo. Meredith had tracked deer with her father so she knew the signs to look for, that would tell her if an animal had come this way.

Rider and trusted pony moved slowly along the leaf-covered trail. When he came to a tree that had fallen across the trail, Squirrel refused to go any further.

Photo by Jeanne Betancourt

In this strange situation, Meredith thought about what her parents had said about horse behavior: "Mer-Mer, your pony has a special sense that tells it when something is wrong. Trust your pony when it stops and find out why it won't listen when you tell it to go on." Using caution, Mer-Mer slid off of Squirrel and approached the ground that was hidden under the fallen tree. Something was trapped...

 Summer F. writes:

Meredith looked at the fallen tree. She was about to, till a sound if hoof beats made Meredith look up.

She saw two girls on ponyback. One was the girl she saw in the barn riding her dapple gray pony, the other was a blond haired girl on a Piebald pony. Meredith rode to them. The girl slowed their ponies to stop.

"Are you Summer?" Meredith asked to dark haired girl. The girl looked at her in surprise.

"yes," she said, "yes I'm Summer."

"And my name is Sunshine," said the blond girl, "and my pony is Piddles."

More girls came on ponyback. One was a dark skinned girl with short, curly, black hair. Her pony was a sleek chestnut with a upside-down heart for a star.

Another was a pale skinned girl with thick, blond, wavy hair. Her pony was a dark colored, cute looking, dun Shetland pony.

The last girl was a pale skin colored girl with short, smooth, black hair. Her pony was a pure white one.

"We're here," said the white pony's rider.

"Are you the Pony Pals?!" Meredith asked is amazement.

"Yes," said the dark skinned girl, "I'm Pam, this is Anna, and Lulu."

"And our ponies are Lightning, Acorn, and Snow White," said Lulu.

"Wow!" said Meredith in amazement, "may I have you autograph?"

"I promise we'll give you our autograph when we find Pongo," said Anna. Meredith put the paper in her saddlebag. Meredith looked under the tree. Nothing. So the gang galloped on.

"Meredith!"Summer shouted, "look out!" Meredith halted Squirrel just in time before his hoof sunk into a puddle of quick-sand.

"That was close!" he said.

"Tell me about it!" said Hugo. He tossed his flowing black mane.

"Let's keep looking," said Pam.

"Let's go!" said all the ponies at the same time. As the gang of girls and ponies went deeper into the forest, a screeching sound came from the canopy. Lightning gulped.

"I don't like the sounds of this," said Snow White.

Suddenly, frightened whinnying came from deeper in the forest. The sound frightened everybody.

Hugo reared and neighed loudly. Piddles pranced in place. Squirrel jogged in circles. Lightning tried to run away. Acorn tried to buck Anna off. Snow White blew her nostrils.

"Wait!" said Lightning. She pricked up her ears. "I'd know that cry anywhere!'

"Pongo!" everybody said at once. They galloped farther. The sound was so loud, the girls felt like they were deaf.

"Look!" said Sunshine, pointing her finger to a Appaloosa foal. "It's Pongo!"

Yes it was Pongo, but he was stuck in a big puddle of quick-sand. The girls dismounted. They had to think of something, and fast!

Kayla writes a note to the rescue party:
Take a bunch of Wooden Boards and put then on top of the quicksand.

Walk slowly and carefully across to Pongo.

Then take shovels and carefully remove the quicksand away from Pongo's legs and hoofs.

Then you take Pongo's halter and put it on him. Then you take Pongo's lead rope and clip it to Pongo's halter and tie some rope to the lead rope and you and the pony's pull until Pongo is free.

Then you can walk back on the boards and walk home. Then you can wash and groom Pongo and feed and water him.

 

Pam Crandal writes:
Sunshine looked at Kayla's suggestion.

"That might work but we are in the middle of the woods and Pongo is sinking now! Does anybody else have a Pony Pal Plan?" she yelled.

What happens next? Write in and tell us -- you can help write this new Club Pony Pals e-story!
Send your e-story idea to WebMaster@clubponypals.com

 

LETTERS TO PAM

Dear Pam,
Please tell your dad that I said Thank-You for the
information. Please respond PDQ the second after you get this E-Mail.
Sincerely, Cayce

Dear Cayce

My Dad says you're welcome.

Pony Pals,

Hey Pam,
I love the pony pals and I started reading the books when I was 7 and I now am 10 turning 11. I can't wait till i find other books about the pony pals!!!
I am dying to meet you and if I can't can we be friends?
and could you ask Lulu and Anna if they want to be friends with me.
I have my own horse and his name is Bookie and he is a buckskin. He is 14.2 hands and is about 17 years old.

And the events that I competed in were at the athletics carnival :
• long jump : Came 2nd and made it to zone
• shot put : came 8th
• 100 metre sprint : came 4th
• 200 metre sprint : came 6th
I had a great time!
Samantha (pony pal lover)
Dear Samantha

Jeanne Betancourt wants to write more Pony Pals books, too. Bookie sounds like fun, I like the pictures that you sent.

Your track meet sounds like fun. I am a good runner too and I practice sometimes thinking maybe Lightning and I will compete in ride and tie. Do they have that sport in Australia?

Write again, we're Pony Pen Pals,

________________________

LETTERS TO LULU

Hi Lulu, its Samantha. How is it to have a dad that
travels the world! Hows Snow White?
My Mum "Anne" is going overseas in August and she is
going to England, Las Vegas, Arizona, and lots more countries and she will be away for my birthday on the 6th of September. Sorry if there are some spelling errors i am very bad when it comes to spelling and math.
Will you be my pony pal?
Samantha

Dear Samantha

Wow, your mom sounds like she travels just like my dad! Make sure to give her a big hug for me before she goes. Maybe if she feels guilty about being away on your birthday she will bring you something special as a present! ;-)

Snow White is good. She was really fun to ride this week when it was hot, we went to Badd Brook and ate a picnic with our feet in the water. It was really fun.

Some computers now have a way to check spelling. If you are close to the right spelling, a computer can fix it for you. If you write a word that is wrong but spelled right it will leave it. But if the letters in a word you write are in the wrong order or there is an extra letter or two sometimes the computer can fix it for you. For math sometimes a calculator can help.

Every member of Club Pony Pals is a Pony Pal with us. Thanks for asking!

Pony Pals,

________________________

Dear Lulu,
Hi! I wrote you and asked you about fear of riding and how someone got thrown off my pony.
I didn't really tell you clearly about the situation, so I'll tell the story, since you asked who it was and all...
Well I have never ridden my pony. Somebody did six months ago at the sale I got him at. Me and my mom had been working with him with the saddle, and my mom finally got up on the saddle. Samson wasn't happy about that, and when my mom sat in the saddle he took off at a gallop! He reared and bucked and my mom fell off. it happened so fast. We had to go to the hospital and my mom is still very sore. That was last week. I felt so guilty and I totally spaced out for the next few days. I guess since it was his first time with us riding him, he wasn't used to it. My mom still wants to work with him and in a way I do, and in a way I don't. I've got terror in me. On this friday I am going to ride a trail ride on huge horses. I've done it before and it's so fun, but I'm so nervous now. Than you for listening. -
Pony pal Sarah

Dear Sarah,

Wow that is really scary. Pam, Anna and I all agreed this was a Pony Pal Problem. We met and this is what we had.

I wrote "Sarah and her mom need to find help with their pony."

Pam wrote "Ask my mom to help Sarah if she lives close."

And Anna drew a picture of Pam's mom and you and Samson taking a lesson with her.

So the Pony Pals all think you need to get some trainer to help you.

Your pony needs to feel safe and happy that you are riding him. You need to feel safe and happy you are riding him.

So Samson needs to learn how to not be scared of being ridden and that means taking lessons from someone who knows a lot about horses and ponies and can help you with not being scared.

We all hope your mom gets well really fast. How was your trail ride on Friday? Write back and let us know!

Your Pony Pal,

Dear Lulu,

Does your dad like to cook? If he does then if Anna's mom needs help at the diner he could work for her. Glad your dad's trying to find a place that's closer to you. Good luck with trying to talk him into moving in with you and your grandmother. I know that you're happy at your grandmother's house and in Wiggins and with Snow White. Plus I figured that if your dad moved in with you and your grandmother then he wouldn't have to worry about buying a house and make you move again.

Please answer my questions. Please respond PDQ the second after you get this E-Mail. Sincerely, Caycey

P.S. Did ya'll have a good 4th of July? We did. What did your dad say about permanently settling down in Wiggins? Don't give up ...

P.P.S.Dear Lulu, Thanks for giving Snow White another kiss for me. What happened to your dad's father? Sincerely, Caycey

Dear Cayce,

My grandfather died before I was born. Grandma says she misses him but not enough to get married again. ;-)

My Dad and I talked about him living here and he said that he still has to go back to Africa for right now. But we both would like to live together again and he promised to see if he could think of a way to be able to move back here.

When I asked him about living with Grandma he said he didn't think that her house was big enough. I told him we could get Anna's dad to build a new part of the house so it was bigger. He said he didn't think that could happen unless he moves back here for work.

Thanks for telling me to ask him. Oh, my dad is a good cook if you like food from cans. Grandma says that he's "hopeless in the kitchen" but I think that's because she doesn't like anyone else in her kitchen.

Your Pony Pal,

 

________________________

LETTERS TO ANNA

Hey Anna! How are you and Acorn? Have you and the other pony pals gone on any recent adventures? I've been helping the little kids with the horses at Riverbend equestrian. It is so much fun! My favorite horse to ride is a 17 hand Trakehner, he's a chestnut gelding and may be big but would never hurt a fly! He's like a big lap puppy and is a sucker for a bright red apple!! I was wondering how many much you clean Acorn's pasture and how much feed Acorn (being a Shetland) eats a day. Thanks 4 everything!!
Audrey

Dear Audrey
We rode on a picnic to Badd Brook. It wus fun. Acorn wus good. He getz hay 2x a day and a handful of oats. Pony Pals,

Hey Anna,
I love Acorn, he is so cute.
How's school? Are you still having your tutor? I love your Art. your the best artist. would you like me to send you a drawing of a pony!
I love the pony pals and always will.
I ride ponies in Australia,
but how did you learn to canter?
Love From samantha
from Australia!
PPS Here is A peice of my art work
that i have done on Paint!!!

Dear Samantha
When i first rode I took lessons from Mrs. Crandal. That is where I learned to canter. Do you draw ponys 2?
Pony Pals,

Dear Anna, Here are some pictures of Annie. Isn't she cute?

Annie was bay as a baby and now she's Chestnut. Is it possible for a horse to change color as they get older? From the time they're a baby to the time they're an adult. These pictures where taken at my cousin's house way before we got Annie. Annie has a blue halter now. Could you please E-Mail these pictures to Pam and Lulu? Annie's registered name is O.'s P., but everyone calls her Annie. Please answer my questions.
Sincerely, Cayce
P.S. Hope the fire works didn't scare Lightning, Acorn, and Snow White. Please answer my questions. Please respond PDQ the second after you get this E-Mail. Sincerely, Cayce

Dear Cayce,
Dr. Crandal said when a horse baby is inside its mother the water that is around it is dark brown and when a foal is born that color can stick in the hair. Then as that hair grows out the horse can be a different color. The 4th fireworks were OK. They were not too big this year. I gave Acorn and Snow White some hay just B4 the firewerks started and all they did was eat.
Pony Pals,

Pony Pal Photos

Here is a picture of my horse "Bookie" -- and another Picture of me Riding him!!! Samantha in Australia

Nyah the Pony in Australia

 

 

Pony Pals Thought for the Day

By Mary

It's raining outside.
But you still want to ride ....
So you can !!
Go to : www.clubponypals.com
"Where you
can always ride
even when it's raining."

 

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