Volume 2 Number 26 ----- January 5 - 11, 2009
Club Pony Pals News Trail Riding is Coming |
Dear Pony Pals Soon. Very soon. And it is awesome. |
Letters from Club Members |
Jan 1, 2009 12:36:07 PM melissa wrote:
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Dear Pony Pal Melissa Thanks for the suggestions. 1. In the works. Soon you will be able to visit Daisy and Splash. 2. We think cleaning a horse's hoof should stop after it's clean too. That is being changed as well. 3. You should be able to put the saddle pad, saddle and bridle on your pony in the current game, if you have cleaned both sides of the pony. 4. We are looking for ways to let Pony Pals talk to you. Stay tuned. Thanks for writing! We really want to make this game work well. WebMaster |
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Dear Pony Pal Sydney Thanks for writing. It sounds like you know your horse markings pretty well. Have you adopted any online ponies at ClubPonyPals? Did your grandmother name her "Conagher" horse after a Louis L'Amour character? That was a famous writer of western novels.Do you get to ride your grandma's ponies Windy or Molly? What kind of dog is Jewels, besides gray? How many of the Pony Pals books do you have? We are working to make them more easily available. Congratulations about figuring out how the Pony Pals got their name. Tommy may not be dumb, just troubled. Mike is sort of the same but does not seem to be so angry. Webmaster |
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Dear Pony Pal Emma Good to hear from you. We will put you on our tester list. Our trail riding game is just about ready for testers. Our flash coder says it is the hardest thing she has ever done. Also the best. Pony Pal Trail near Crandal's will be our first open section of trails in and around Wiggins. Wilhelmina Wiggins' home is definitely on our list of trails to build. She has a sleigh in her barn! And she drives carts when there is no snow! She also gives work to Tommy and Mike, so mischief is never too far from the Wiggins Estate. How many ponies have you adopted at ClubPonyPals? Webmaster |
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Dear Pony Pal Cayce Christmas was fun. Ponies and horses were involved. Apple Bounce is meant to be a silly game with cartoon apple faces. So it has silly sound effects. You can adopt as many ponies as you want at ClubPonyPals. As soon as our new barn is ready, you will be able to untack and feed each pony, log out and then log in to groom and ride a new pony. You can do that as many times as you want. How does ClubPonyPals look on a laptop? We now have signups from over 40 countries worldwide. We think member are using lots of different computers. Glad Rachel likes to watch you use a computer. What New Years resolutions did you make, if any? Webmaster |
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Dear Pony Pal Samantha And Happy New Year to you! 2008 indeed was memorable! We launched our beta version of ClubPonyPals. Pony Pals from over 40 countries worlwide have visited our site. Thousands of Pony Pals now read the Wiggins Weekly. Your letter is going to Lithuania, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, the UK, Australia, Singapore, China, South Korea and many, many other places. How will the New Year be special for you? Webmaster |
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Dear Pony Pal Emma Thanks for asking about ClubPonyPals and art. We and our readers love Pony Pals' art. If you make a picture, please send it to webmaster@clubponypals.com as a gif or jpeg file. If you draw it on paper, mail it to ClubPonyPals and we will scan it for the newsletter. Our mailing address is on the ClubPonyPals site under the Parents' Page Frequently Asked Questions, "What if I have more questions" section. ClubPonyPals runs art contests from time to time. You can read about past contests in past issues of The Wiggins Weekly. Click on that link on the ClubPonyPals home page. Let us know what you find! Do you like to draw? Jeanne Betancourt, Anna Harley, Wilhelmina Wiggins and the Webmaster all like to draw, paint and sketch. Webmaster |
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Dear Pony Pal Summer The best way to visit Wiggins is at Club Pony Pals. Unlike places that you can drive to, Wiggins is a place that lives on when members come to spend time there. As Club Pony Pals gets bigger, you will be able to visit more places from the books. Webmaster |
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Dear Emma Lots of Club Pony Pals members like to draw, paint and sketch. Right now their art is available in these Wiggins Weekly issues, along with letters from the artists. Right now there is one ongoing contest. Each week one piece of art is made into a jigsaw puzzle, this week Summer F's picture of Anna and Acorn won. The winner gets 100 Wiggins bucks credited to their account. Email or send in your entries to Club Pony Pals! Webmaster |
Letter to Jeanne Betancourt |
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Dear Pony Pal Annabelle Thank you for your letter. No matter how many I get from my readers, I enjoy each one. It means that my story has found a reader who also thinks that girls can be strong, smart and kind --with or without a pony. Lulu lived in England before she came to Wiggins. Where is Essex? That you and your family are willing to drive an hour so that you can be with horses and ponies shows that you must really love them. And that you don't mind pitching in to help. Both are good qualities for young people to develop. The Webmaster is working on making the books into a TV series or a motion picture. After I spoke with my editor at the Pony Pals publisher, I went for a walk in Sharon, Connecticut. That's when I had the idea for the adventures of Pam, Anna and Lulu. What can you write to tell us about your adventures in England? Webmaster for |
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Dear Pony Pals Summer and Shalin What beautiful names. In what part of the world are you? Now that ClubPonyPals reaches more than 40 countries, many members with wonderful new kinds of names are visiting virtual Wiggins. What Pony Pals books do you like? Please write and tell us about your adventures where you live, with or without a pony. You can learn moreabout me and my work at my website, www.jeannebetancourt.com Webmaster for |
Letters to Pam |
Pam: Hi Pam! How's Lightning? How's Woolie? Is he still "herding" the ducks? How are the school ponies? Is Splash still on the dash? is Daisy still lazy? How's Fat Cat? How is Jezebel and No Tail? How did you do in school? I'm doing well, in math.Have a good school year! Summer |
Dear Summer: Thanks for sending such a great piece of art. You are like Anna who likes to draw a lot. You are right, Woolie herds ducks. Sometimes I think he's got herding on his doggy brain. Fat Cat, Jezebel and No Tail are fine. I hardly ever see any mice anywhere in the barn. My mom says she is working on getting Splash and Daisy's stall ready so other folks can help my mom and I. You will be able to groom them and earn a few Wiggins Bucks while you do it. Cute rhymes for their names. Your add's to "Picture It" are great. You must like to write as well as draw. School was OK last term. It starts up tomorrow morning. What kind of math are you studying this winter? I like math. It reminds me of trotting patterns in my mom's arena. Your friend, |
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Dear Emma What do you know about Connemara ponies? Have you looked in your school library to find out about them? Wiggins is in Connecticut. It is cold here now. Tomorrow morning when I go to school, it will be slippery on some parts of my walk. Anna, Lulu and I had fun over Christmas and New Years. On Thursday night, we had a sleepover up in our barn's loft. We had lots of blankets. We could hear our ponies underneath us. That was great. We stayed awake until midnight. We could hear some people blow noisemakers in Wiggins. Then it was really, really quiet. New Years day we went on a trail ride to Mrs. Wiggins' estate. Ms. Wiggins had carrots for our ponies. We had hot cider. I hope we get to have a sleigh ride again while there is enough snow. Mrs. Wiggins says we can stop wearing the sleigh bells she loaned us to wear on trail rides now that deer season is over. We are glad nobody thought we or our ponies were deer. I will give Lightning a kiss on the forehead. Ponies smell so good. Your friend, |
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Dear Amy G My mom says that ClubPonyPals is going to have a place where members can write in to Anna, Lulu and me. Then you can see letters online. I like to get letters. People are writing in from all over the world! Is your Nintendo a Wii? My mom says she thinks ClubPonyPals would be a good Wii game. I got some clothes too. I got a ClubPonyPals hoodie. I wear it when I work in the stable. |
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Dear Jessica When I read your letter I was so glad to hear Princess is getting better. I ran to the Clinic and told my dad, too. He grinned and said to say "hi." Can you ride Princess again yet? What is her foal's name? My mom doesn't have any paint horses, but at Olson's there are two really cute paint ponies for sale. My mom thinks paints are pretty and made sure there was one in the game she built. Please write back and let me know about Princess. Friends, |
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Dear Cayce, I asked my dad about Annie's stifle. He said that a pony's stifle is like a human knee. When a pony or horse runs around a barrel fast, turning puts a lot of strain on their stifle joint. Ligaments can tear. The slippery stuff inside the joint can leak out or wear off. Then the bones rub against each other and that causes arthritis. If a horse with stifle problems can still be ridden then it is good to exercise them. Stronger muscles will help to support the joint and make it better. My dad said riding a horse in straight lines and big circles is ok. Turning quickly or spinning the horse is not good for the stifle joint if it is already injured. Oh I am so sorry to hear about Herman. Maybe Herman got cold from being outside. I remember that you have some other pets, hug them for me. Your friend,
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Dear Annie Echo is beautiful! Thanks for the picture. Write back and tell me what you're doing. |
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Dear Ellie It has been fun here over Christmas break. We got to ride a lot and we had a sleepover on New Years. I got a computer for Christmas. It was my dad's but it is a lot better than my old one. Here's a picture of me with Lightning. I was a little worried when it got taken. Its all OK now.
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Letters to Anna |
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Dear Emma Me too. It is hard being dyslexic sometimes. I want to be smart. Sometimes I feel like I am not. My tutor says that is when I should study more. Sometimes I just take a break and go see Acorn. He loves me no matter what. Ponies are good like that. Mrs. Crandal made online ponies so everyone can be a Pony Pal. Do you have one? |
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Dear Cayce Christmas was fun. My mom and dad bought me a new saddle blanket and matching halter for Acorn. It is periwinkle blue. I really like it. My mom was at the diner working when I gave her your hug. She laughed and kept stirring the sauce she was making. I think it was gravy. My dad was sitting watching TV. Acorn liked his hug but wanted to know if there were carrots or cookies. Shadow was just happy to get a hug. Her paws were cold but she purred. |
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Dear Alyssa My Christmas was ok. I got a saddle blanket and halter for Acorn. I got wool socks too. And a sweater. My mom and dad didn't get too many presents. Pam got a computer. It must not be rainy where your barn is. Cardboard gets smushy when it rains. Is Tiny tiny? What kind of animal shelter do you want to have? St. Francis Animal Shelter is nice. They really care about their animals and try to find them homes. Here is a picture. It came from a book called "A Pony for Keeps."
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Dear Amy Acorn is good. He is really really fuzzy this winter. He got a big bag of carrots from my mom. I had to promise to only feed them one at a time. Nintendo sounds cool. Pet Prancer for me. I got a blue saddle pad and halter. And a sweater and socks. My mom and dad didn't get hardly any presents. At the diner not too many people come to eat dinner as much. My dad still is cutting wood, but he hurt his ankle. He has to rest it some days. We had a sleepover at Crandals barn on New Years. It was fun. We stayed up until midnight and played games up in the game loft. Have you had any adventures? Is it summer where you are?
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Dear Jess Pam, me, Lulu, Lightning, Acorn and Snow White is a lot to make a picture of. I will draw some on it this week for you. Fifteen inches of snow can be really fun if it is the fluffy kind. Here we got a lot of snow on top of the ice and it makes walking around slippery sometimes. Miracle is good. He is bigger than Beauty, almost as tall as Lightning now. Miracle is a bay, but his coat is darker than Acorn's. The half moon on his forehead is really pretty. Ms. Wiggins really loves him. |
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Dear Sammy the foal I am good. How are you doing? My Christmas was really nice, thanks. I didn't get too much stuff. Having my own pony makes every day like Christmas. I like to gallop too! |
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Dear Summer Thank you for the drawing. It is WONDERFUL. I love it!!!! I sent it to the WebMaster. She made a jigsaw game out of it. She said you would get some game bucks for drawing it. My tutor came back. She brought a cold back with her. My next lesson is on Tuesday. She said she will be better by then. My math is getting better. I practice in the game loft. There is a game called multiplication station. When you play it you get to practice times tables. 5x8 = 40. Picasso and Beauty are good. Miracle is big. Almost as big as Lightning! He is really sweet. You have to watch he doesn't BITE though. Ms. Wiggins said that will go away as he gets older. How are you doing? What kind of adventures have you had? |
Letters to Lulu |
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Dear Summer Your letter was great. I really liked the picture, you made Snow White pretty. When it snows the ponies are ok. They have a lot of fur. Snow White and Acorn live in a paddock that is outside. They just go into their shed when it rains or is windy. Sometimes they stand outside when it snows even when they could be inside. Ponies think different than people. Even ponies are a lot bigger than people. They like us and will do what we ask, but they are big. Even though I like horses and ponies, when I was first learning to ride there was a warmblood there that was so big I was scared of it. Just a little. |
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Dear Poppy Rema didn't think very much about Snow White. You are right. She only thought about what Snow White could bring her and what the money could buy. It's hard to remember that no matter how valuable a pony is it is also a living, thinking friend who can take you places and love you. Maybe Rema forgot that when she was away. I never forget that. Every day I get to spend with Snow White is special. |
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Dear Emma Wow thanks for writing me. It is fun to hear you like hiking and reading and PONIES! What is your online pony's name? Give her a carrot for me. Friends, |
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Dear Cayce For me the best present was having my dad home for the holidays. He left on Friday. We went hiking and he showed me how to build an igloo. That was really fun. We built it over on Mt. Morris. Pam and Anna and I all rode over there on Saturday and it was still OK. We tied up our ponies and went inside and it was fun. |
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Dear Monika I wrote about Snow White "The Story of Our Ponies." She was born in New York. Rema was her first owner. She had Snow White for five years. Then Snow White got hurt and I bought her with all my allowance for a year. Now Snow White lives with Acorn at Harley's house. You can learn all that from reading my friend Jeanne Betancourt's books. What's not in the books? Snow White has a small scar on her right flank and a couple of bare spots on her leg where the hair didn't grow in perfect after she was hurt. She really likes to have her ears brushed and her withers scratched. She likes to roll in mud and will find a puddle to roll in if there is one anywhere in the paddock. She smells wonderful when she is all clean and brushed, like a meadow and leather and pony all at once. She likes to be kissed behind her left ear. When we jump it feels like flying. Your friend, |
dear lulu hello,no were i live is not bissy.please say hi to your dad from me thanks.what did you get for chrstmas.what you been up to? from amy g |
Dear Amy G Sometimes it is busy here. Mostly all the grown-ups are busy all the time. Sometimes Pam and Anna and I feel like they make us too busy too. Riding ponies helps with that. Mrs. Crandal calls that "vitamin H." ;-) My dad brought me some stuff from Africa, and my Grandma gave me a fuzzy sweater and two sparkly hair clips. They are all kinda dressy. She I wore some of them when we ate Christmas dinner. My Grandma made bergoo. My dad went out and brought back two rabbits. Grandma put in a bought chicken. It was good. She made biscuts with it. The gravy was really yummy. We had a sleepover on New Years and stayed up till midnight playing games in Pam's game loft. I practiced and practiced and practiced. Anna's tutor said if I play those games a lot my math will get better. What did you do over Christmas? |
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Dear Kirby Your letter got lost last week. The WebMaster made me promise to say "sorry." So here it is. Sorry. Snow White does look really beautiful out in her paddock right now. My dad took this picture while he was here.
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Dear Madeira (and all your friends) Mrs. Crandal says you will be able to ride on Pony Pal trail with your online pony very soon. I rode on it this week. It is almost as good as riding my real pony. And a lot warmer when it is cold out! Acorn loves geraniums. He did eat them out of grandma's pots and will eat them again any chance he gets. They must taste really good. Thanks for writing and say hi to Mrs. S, Richard, Brian, Elisa, Gabby, Mackenzie, Jennifer, Madison, Morgan, Dylan, Brittany, Matt, Lane, Josie, Zachary, Rose, Destiny, Mrs. B J. Your friend,
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Picture It |
The Story so far.... The Pony Pals had just completed freeing a herd of wild mustangs. They were cleaning up the twine and string, putting it in their saddle bags when suddenly someone shouted "Stop!" They all turned and saw Lulu's father. Lulu was very angry with her Dad, she jumped on Snow White and galloped away. Summer, Meredith, Sunshine, Lulu’s Dad, Pam and Anna gave chase on their ponies and horses. Snow White got out safely, but horse thieves came and tried to steal all the other ponies and horses. Elie and Star stopped them and gave the ropes back to Lulu's dad. Lulu yelled up that she still needed help. Mr. Sanders laid down on the bank and started to feed a rope down to Lulu when suddenly he started to slide! The girls grabbed his shoes but one came off and ..... Lulu backed up but there wasn't much room as her dad slipped down the bank and splashed into the stream at the bottom. "Dad!" she yelled. "Are you OK?" Her father shook his head and sat up. Then he started laughing! "This reminds me of the time in Brazil when..." What happens next? Let us know. Write to WebMaster@clubponypals.com |
Pony Pal Thoughts for the Day Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains
unawakened. No matter how badly behaved you are, A more expensive pony doesn't make a better one. |