Dear
Pam,
Me and Rocky both agree the picture looks just like him. Tell Anna
thanks. Rocky's cough is getting better but he is unable to be outside
all the time because we haven't built his a paddock yet. He has
been turned out in our riding ring since we've had him. My mom says
his paddock will be built soon. My mom went to horse college and
got a degree. She used to have lots of horses and won lots of ribbons.
Her last horse died when I was 2 on Halloween. My friends and I
think that he has a ghost since he was put down on Halloween. My
mom doesn't really like to talk about him now. Anyway, we didn't
have a horse until I turned 12 last year. That's when I got Rocky.
He's a registered American Welsh. He thinks he's a racehorse. I
don't mind but because of his "racing career" I've fallen
off twice. How's Lightning. Tell her she's the best and give her
a carrot for me.
Your Number 1 Fan,
Gabby
P.S.Rocky Says Hi
P.S.S. Tell your dad I said thanks for the information.
Dear Gabby
Anna was really
happy you liked the picture. This week she drew a picture for the
painted ponies competition. She wants to do hers like Acorn, just
like in the book.
I am glad Rocky
is outside. I asked my dad and he said the riding ring is fine if
it is not dusty.
How sad that your
mom's horse was put down on Halloween. 8-(
Did your mom or you ever see the ghost?
When my mom had
a pony in to train that liked to run off she would always lunge him
first. Then by the time she got on the pony wanted to go slow.
Lightning is so
good. It is still warm here but she is getting furry. I gave her a
carrot last night and told her it was from Rocky and you. She asked
if I had a cookie.
Your pony pal,
_______
Hey
Pam,
can you thank your mom for the advice:)
I learnt a lot.
And I do have a pony that crab walks, but he is actually a horse,
do you know how to stop a horse from doing that??
your NO.1 Fan
Samantha
in Australia
Dear Samantha
Jack and Jill kept
interrupting us when I asked your question over dinner. I did learn
some stuff.
My dad said it is
really important to make sure that your pony is not injured. Like
he said last week, crab walking can be partly from soreness in the
stifle joint on a horse.
If a vet looks at
your pony and tells you it is not injured, then my mom said crab walking
could come from a pony that needs more exercise. It is just like a
person who is a couch potato. An out of shape pony may crab walk because
it is easier than working with their back legs.
My mom said what
she would do if a vet told her the pony was not hurt. She said she
would start the pony on a regular exercise program and use leg and
training to teach it to walk straight.
Then Jack and Jill got up and started racing around the dining room
and I had to go finish my homework.
Hope this helps,
Your friend,
_________
Hi,
I am Sarah. I live in a town in southern Minnesota. I share a horse
with my Grandpa. He is a Quarter Horse thoroughbred (Which means
that he is completely a Quarter Horse, you’d probably know
that. I just didn’t want to cause confusion because there
is a breed of horse called a Thoroughbred.)and he is 29 years old.
He is pretty old for a horse, but he is doing GREAT!! He runs faster
than my grandpa’s mare! (Well, Missy is a little fat, but
she still can run pretty fast.) Well, I ride Western. I hope you
aren’t upset, because as I’ve experienced, some English
Riders think that riding western “works the horses too hard”.
But horses are MENT to run fast! To run away from predators. And
besides, horses aren’t meant to look all fancy like, no offence.
Hey! Do you know WHY you must always go on the left of your horse
to get on? In the Medieval Times, many warriors rode horses in wars
or any other purpose. And they didn’t want to hurt their valuable
friend and helper, so with their sword on their right, they mounted
on the left! It seems that horses have begun to naturally get used
to being mounted from the left!! I think that makes sense!! Please
let me be a Pony Pal, even though I am a lot different from you,
(Examples: Charlie is a horse, not a pony. I ride Western, you ride
English. I have nothing against English, while some people think
differently about western. I CAN’T JUMP HORSES, and you girls
can.)please, please, please!
Sincerely,
Sarah and Charlie
Dear Sarah
It is so great to
hear from you. From your letter I can tell you are a great Pony Pal!
Yes, a quarter horse
crossed with a thoroughbred is still a quarter horse. They can be
called an Appendix, too. Horses can get very old if they are taken
care of. Your grandpa must do a good job of that. 8-D
My mom says riding
is what works horses, not what kind of saddle you use.
We don't look too
fancy most of the time. My mom likes to trim hair and stuff when we
go to shows. But most times we clean the hooves, brush the bodies
and go out on trail.
You are right it
is hard to jump in a Western saddle. The horn gets in the way of leaning
forward over a pony's neck.
Pony Pals,
PS Lulu, Anna and I started to talk about crossing different breeds
of horses. We came up with some names. Can anyone think of others?
• Quarter
horse x Arab = Quarab
• Arab x Morgan = Morab
• Quarter x Andalusian = Azteca
• Thoroughbred x Draft horse = Warmblood
• Quarter x pony = Quarter pony
_________
Dear
Pam,
Thanks for sending me the drawings of Annie. Thanks for the info
about Cushing's. I'll E-Mail the vet and ask him what kind of food
we should give Cimarron if he has Cushing's.
I want to get Annie a new bit. The bit she has is gentle and fine,
but it slips in her mouth. I want to get her a (soft) bit.
The picture will show you what the bit I want to get Annie looks
like. I want to get her the blue bit.
Mom's not sure if the bit I want to get her is gentle enough. Will
you please ask your mom (what) would be gentle enough for Annie?
Friends,
Cayce
Dear Cayce
The picture you sent showed a full cheek snaffle bit with plastic
over the mouthpiece.
My mom said this
is a fine bit. She also said that its much more important how you
use a bit than what style it is.
We were grooming
JB and Lightning to ride in our paddock and she brought out other
bits to show me. Some had skinny mouthpieces, some had fat mouthpieces
and one had a plastic mouthpiece like the picture you sent. That one
was all eaten away by a horse who likes to chew the bit.
She said that when
you ride it is really important to reward the pony or horse by stopping
pulling at the right time. Even a bit that is not gentle is okay if
you are careful about releasing pressure when the horse is being good.
The horse learns what you want by when you stop pulling, not by when
you pull.
Then we went and
rode in our paddock. We practiced asking Lightning and JB to do circles
and squares using leg and as little pulling on the reins as we could.
That was really
fun. Lightning got so I just could look where I wanted to go and start
to squeeze my fingers and she would turn.
Your Pony Pal,
