Polo Pony Rescue

This came across my feed. Things I love about this picture: All the saddles have plenty of wither clearance Pads pulled up into the pommel after saddling so they don't rub the withers... There's not a thin horse to be seen. They all look fantastic. Kudos to this business and their obviously knowledgeable grooms! If you play polo, remember that it's your responsibility to know wrong from right - if horses don't look good, like these do, do NOT rent them for chukkers. You are the one who can choose with your wallet which kind of operation to support, the shoestring ones with thin ponies with long feet, or proper care. Please fund the ones who deserve it! It's also a LOT safer for you.

Show all day and then stopped at the barn to see Miss Charlotte. She's SO CUTE. Didn't get riding pics as it was too dark but she is truly doing amazing.

It's not the horses who changed- it is the human willingness to commit to them. I bet I can't find one rider out of 100 willing to fit horses up at the walk first anymore. Everything is rush rush rush and then, wow, the horses don't say sound? You don't say.

Moscow Mule and Kali had a pretty complicated Ranch Horse Trail course today. Backing isn't Moo's favorite thing but I love how Kali patiently tries again until she gets it done.

If your 27 year old OTTB doesn't look like this, give our recipe a try! Scoop = three quart typical plastic scoop that you buy at a feed store One scoop Timothy or alfalfa pellets (use alfalfa on severely thin horses and then you can switch to Timothy down the road for maintenance. Timothy from the start if horse is IR, Cushings, kidney issues etc.... 1/6 scoop powdered stabilized rice bran Sprinkle of senior for flavor if you want (Triple Crown is low NSC) The supplements we do once a day are: Probios (probiotic), BL Solution (herbal joint stuff...NOT legal to show on FYI), Aloe Vera Juice (keeps all the stomachs happy), Apple Cider Vinegar (more digestive assistance), flax seed (shiny coat) and Smart Vite Thrive Senior (multivitamin). If it doesn't have a scoop in it, they get "a splash" - nothing too scientific. Soak to the consistency of sloppy oatmeal, stir well to make sure everything is wet, let sit til pellets break down, soak again and stir. Most won't eat if there is standing water on the top so it needs to be soaked in but it can be sloppy. If your horse "won't" eat soaked food, remove all non soaked food. :) He will not starve in 24 hours and adapting him to soaked food is in his best interest as he ages and loses teeth and grinding surface. Above recipe 3x a day to start, supplements 1x a day. Really picky eaters or anxious horses, consider doing at least a few weeks of omeprazole, you will see a difference. Above recipe can be increased as needed. Hay on the side is fine once they are cleaning this plate as well. Horses who cannot eat hay will probably need to work up to having this recipe almost doubled or doubled. My oldest used to eat 15 quarts of soaked pellets daily. Yes it will be heavy! Yes it will hurt your back to move! Get a flat cart. I tip the wheelbarrow and use it as a ramp to get the heaviest one to the ground. :-) This works. Unless they're in organ failure, cancer, advanced Cushing's etc., this truly does work and it is half the cost of stuffing them with grain which doesn't work in many cases. If you have a horse who "can't" put on weight, try it. It goes without saying that they need to eat in a stall. It takes time to eat this much! Ours take about 90 minutes to lick their bowls clean. My personal experience is that weight gain supplements for horses work every bit as well as weight loss supplements for us :D Give it a shot and let me see your before and afters! This is Poke Along, Mike's Auction 2011 and here ever since. No, not preggo, permanent belly from lots of foals previously!

Yup. Again, they're not golf carts. They won't ride the same if you let them sit for a couple weeks.

Maybe went from my hardest keeper to a moose...all I can say is that if you're having trouble with weight, the general rule is it is a lot more forage than you think it is. She gets 4 flakes of alfalfa per day plus free choice teff plus soaked Timothy pellets with rice bran and supplements - one scoop AM in the group and then two scoops isolated in a stall at night. It is a lot of food and some horses will always need that much.

"Too fit" is not a thing. If your horses don't stop, it is not because they are "too fit." It may very well be that they are so unfit they are exhausted. Stopping from a gallop is hard to do, especially in a polo chukker when they're doing it so many times. It's a lot easier to lean on the bit and keep on running. Fit horses have better brakes!

Welcome Rosilla! Rosilla is an Argentine mare who is definitely old enough to vote and will most likely be a permanent resident. More to come! She will be roommates with Flora and Moscow Mule.

What will you choose to teach your children?

Perry saw the vet today! His teeth are fine and the major systems are all still working well at 25, but he does suffer from shivers, which is a neurological condition. Also ulcers, but we figured that and he's going to start on omeprazole immediately thanks to that great donation of a whole bunch of Ulcer Guard we got from Love This Horse Rescue. I have never had a shivers horse. I know Darla Clark has, so I'm gonna ask her too, but for those of you who have managed it, what has helped most? I already have Missing Link supplement and Vitamin E on the way on the recommendations I've received so far. He sees the farrier at 4:30. Gonna get this guy back in peak shape as soon as we can!

Maybe is taking over neighborhood watch around here. There are CARS where there normally are not! Maybe is Definite Maybe, a 2002 Affirmed granddaughter who was a racehorse, a broodmare, an auction rescue and now has been with us for two years defying all my efforts to make her work for a living with weird hormonal issues.

Charlie went to West Coast Equine Hospital today regarding the fast-growing mass on his face and the news was not good. He had a big tumor on the bone and it was not operable. It was going to start interfering with his ability to eat and breathe. We had to make the decision to let him go. I'll post the x rays when we get them. You may recall that he had some bone chips removed from his face about six weeks ago which our other vet thought was an old injury that had been a...ggravated. We now know what it was aggravated by - the tumor underneath it, pushing on the old chips. Charlie was Royal Linage, foaled January 30, 1996 in Texas. He came to PPR March 29, 2019 after becoming the subject of a buyer-seller dispute. He turned out to be unrideable due to a severe kissing spine. He had a GREAT time running around with the mares (he thought he was a major stud) the past year and a half. He truly had his dream retirement here and we will miss his naughty self! The picture is the last one I have of him, two weeks ago.