Hi,
Rocky is doing ok. He developed Heave Lines so now he's on some
medication. I found a picture of the bugs by Rocky's pen. It is
pictured below. It's called a Box Elder Bug.
photo courtesy of Wikipedia
I
don't like them. I grabbed the latch to unhook Rocky's arena door
and i smushed like five of them. If that wasn't bad enough then
when I opened the gate I smushed two more. I don't mind them but
can't they find somewhere else. I mean there are hundreds of them.
Rocky and I went riding over the three-day weekend. We had fun and
my friend Mindy came over and rode a little. She likes horses too.
How's Lightning? Rocky says Hi. Give Lightning a cookie and a hug
for me. Oh before I go I wanted to tell you that your jump looked
cool. I can't jump very well but I could probably make it. Your
number 1 fans,
Gabby and Rocky
Dear Gabby
Sorry to hear about
the heave lines. I am glad to hear Rocky is getting medicine to make
him better.
The box elder bug
is pretty. In the picture there is only one. The bugs might not be
as pretty if there were lots of them.
It is really great
Rocky is OK to ride. Jumping isn't that hard, part of it is leaning
forward over your pony's shoulders so you don't get left behind on
takeoff.
Sometimes when my
mom is teaching kids to jump she has them hold on to the mane so they
don't tug on the reins. Maybe you could get a lesson to learn how
to do that.
Lightning said thanks
for the cookie and hug. She was really good for me on Saturday when
Anna, Lulu and I took her, Snow White, Acorn, Daisy and Splash to
the Fall Festival.
We had lots of kids
who wanted to ride and the leaves were really pretty!
Friends,
_______
hi
this is olivia can you please tell me about lightning?
Dear Olivia,
Lightning is a chestnut
Connemara pony, she stands 14 hands tall and has a beautiful upside
down heart on her forehead. She was born in Ireland and came to America
on an airplane.
Where are you writing
from? Tell me a little about you.
Your new Pony Pen
Pal,
_________
Dear
Pam,
If we write a letter to Lightning, will you please read it to her?
We're reading "A Pony in Trouble." We like the upside
down heart on Lightning's head.
Yesterday
in class we read a story about a horse getting stung by a bee. A
girl was riding Chancy and he started running. She flew into the
lake. Has Lightning ever been stung by a bee? How do you help a
horse if it's stung by a bee?
Write back to us please.
James, Gedia, and Allon with Mrs. S.
Dear James, Gedia,
Allon and Mrs. S,
Lightning really
likes letters. Mostly everyone asks me to give him a cookie or a carrot
or an apple. Reading a letter to her would be fun! I can even see
if she has a reply. No promises.
Getting stung by
a bee happens sometimes. The worst was one day when I was riding I
stopped by some bushes and wasps came out. Bees only sting once. Wasps
keep stinging and will chase you!
Lightning started
bucking and I heard the wasps so we took off at the canter and ran
until the wasps stopped chasing us and went home. She had a bunch
of stings on her belly and I got stung twice under my helmet.
When I got home
my Dad helped me put a little Icthammol on Lightning's stings. He
said a little baking soda made into a paste with water would work
too.
If there are enough
bee stings it could kill a pony or horse. That only happens if they
are in a pen or stall where they can't run away. There are a kind
of bee that came from Africa that will sting animals like that.
If I was allergic
to bees it would be more dangerous. I'm not.
Thanks for writing to me and Lightning!
Pony Pals,
_________
What
causes colic in horses?
Is it best to eat apples that sugar cubes?
I read a book abut a girl named Lisa handling a horse named PJ,
and for treat, Lisa have the horse a mashed PB and J sandwich. Is
that good for horses?
How's Lightning?
How're Jezebel, No Tail, and Fat Cat?
How's your family?
How's JB, Splash, and Daisy?
How's Woolie?
How are you doing in school?
Guess what! I joined 4H! I'm doing archery! I hope I don't have
to hunt anything!
Have a very good week!
Yours Truly,
Summer
P,S What are you thinking of getting for Christmas?
Dear Summer
Colic can come from
a lot of things. In horses it is very serious. Once Lightning colic'ed
when she got fed too many apples. Colic can come horses from not drinking
enough water, from food that is too rich, from eating sand, or even
from just rolling the wrong way. 8-(
My dad says that
colic is very sore. It is like a bad human stomach ache. In horses
it is more dangerous, because like my dad says "It's a one-way
street." So if they eat something that makes them sick, it has
to go all the way through them. It can keep making them sick until
it comes out the other end.
Like that PB &
J sandwich. Some horses would be OK. But Lightning would probably
get sick because it is too rich. Other horses would be OK. I think
that on that old TV show Mr. Ed that's how they got the horse to "talk."
Lightning is good,
all the cats are good, JB is lame right now but its just a stone bruise
and he will be better in a few days, Splash is good, Daisy is lazy,
and Woolie wants to play fetch.
In school we are
still studying fractions.
4-H sounds like fun!
What do you shoot arrows at?
I don’t know
what mom wants to get for Christmas. It is too far away.
Your friend,
____________
Dear
Pam,
You are so lucky you have a fall fest! My town's was rained out
and they won't have another one. I have this great horse named sugar.
I'm pretty new at riding, and I couldn't ask for a better horse
(I don't think I've loved anything as much as her). Anyway, my confidence
has really improved with her. Today I had the best transitions when
cantering, it was like a dream! Where you confident when you got
Lightning?
Haley+Sugar
Dear Haley
Sugar sounds great!
I don't remember when I wasn't riding. I think my mom took me on her
horses with her sometimes even before I could ride alone. Then I started
riding alone with her leading me around at shows. By the time I got
Lightning I wasn't afraid at of her all.
Then Lightning got
sick. She started to act badly. She ran away with me and bucked me
off. I got scared of her. It took Anna and Lulu's help for me to see
that maybe Lightning was sick. When my dad helped us figure out what
was wrong with her, she got better. You can read about it in "What's
Wrong With My Pony?"
Once Lightning got
better then she was good again and I wasn't scared.
It is true, when your pony is being good it's the best. It makes you
feel like you can do ANYTHING!
Thanks for writing.
Hug Sugar for me and feed her a treat.
Pony Pals,
______
Hi Pam! I am a new Pony Pal member. My name is Leigh. It is soooooooooooooooo
coooooooooooooooool that you can talk to horses.
Bye!
Leigh
Dear Leigh
It's not talking
exactly. Horses don't think in words. I believe that they think in
pictures and feelings. You have to slow down, be quiet and try to
understand what they are thinking.
Sometimes if I am
really quiet and then I touch a pony I can see and feel what they
are feeling. It can help me help them. That's part of why I want to
be a veterinarian.
Maybe you can try
it too. Other pets like dogs, cats and even little animals like hamsters
think kind of like horses. They use pictures and have things on their
mind, too.
Let me know if it
works for you.
Friends,
_________
hi
pam its amy g..i sent a email to your pony pals to you guys are
the best...i really want to be a pony pal and live in wiggins and
be your best friend that will be so cool...i really love ponies
but i don't have one. do u want to be like best friends?
i asked anna and lulu to do you guys go to school or go to school
a little bit like in the books....i love your ponies to ok talk
to you later see ya.....
amy g
Dear Amy G
Thanks for writing. My mom says once you joined the Club you are an
official Pony Pal. You will be able to adopt a pony when you go to
the Club Pony Pals game.
Anna, Lulu and I all go to Wiggins Elementary on School Street. We
go every day. Anna has a tutor on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons,
too.
Everyone in Club Pony Pals love ponies! That's why we made the club!
What did you do this week?
You can read what we did in the article about the Fall Festival.
Your friend,
__________
Dear Pam, Please
tell your dad that I said thanks for the info. I do set off metal
detectors. I'm sorry for making you sad. Luckily I got a surface
replacement so they left some bone from my old hip joint. Thanks
for telling me how you got Lightning. That's cool.
Friends, Cayce
Dear Cayce
Wow, setting off metal detectors must be weird. Does your hip hurt?
Are you grumpy like I was when I hurt from falling off Lightning?
How is Cimarron's abscess?
Friends,
____________
