Polo Pony Rescue

04/12/2025

Rocket is living his absolute BEST life!

04/09/2025

Redhead is on high alert because the farmers next door are…farming. 🤣

04/07/2025

At the end of the day, there’s nothing like a snuggly Thoroughbred. ❤️

04/06/2025

Very well said. I really wish that I didn’t still see comments on posts that say, he’s skinny because he’s old. But then I remember that there are also people who think the Earth is flat. Humans can be extremely untrainable and set in their own incorrect beliefs. Animals deserve better.

How often have you expressed concern when encountering a thin or emaciated horse, only to be told that it's "normal" because the horse is aged? This is a dangerous misconception. What IS normal is for elderly horses to have severely worn or missing molars, making it physically impossible for them to chew hay or grain. Because of this, as horses age, their nutritional requirements actually increase, and they often need more specialized care such as the feeding of mash or other soft foods. Older horses that have not had regular dental care or are not being fed an appropriate diet are, in effect, slowly starving to death. Emaciation is NOT simply a "natural part of aging.” Horses that are starving because they cannot properly chew their food are suffering from extreme neglect. This is an urgent situation that demands immediate veterinary attention;based on years of experience, I can confidently state that it is an agonizing way for any animal to die.

The Dorset Equine Rescue frequently receives calls from concerned individuals who spot a malnourished horse and ask for help. While we are always ready to assist, it’s important to understand that we are not law enforcement. We can report these cases and request a welfare check; unfortunately, at this time law enforcement is not adequately trained to recognize signs of neglect in horses, and often accepts the owner’s explanation that the horse’s condition is a natural result of aging, especially if there is hay and grain present on the property. Too often, no action is taken, and the horse continues to suffer and lose weight. This is unacceptable, and the owner should be required to provide veterinary care without delay. Sadly, by the time we are called in to help, it is often too late, and the horse succumbs to malnutrition. This tragic outcome is often the result of ignorance, and we need your help to change that.

Please speak up if you notice a horse in need. It is the responsibility of every horse owner to ensure that their animal receives, at a minimum, annual veterinary and dental exams to accommodate their changing care requirements. Weight loss can also be due to other issues such as poor parasite control and metabolic disease; if you see a visibly thin horse, be aware that it is not normal, regardless of age. Immediate veterinary care, along with a carefully monitored feeding plan is essential to ensure their survival. We must educate the public (and law enforcement) that emaciation, for any reason, is not normal or acceptable. No animal should ever be allowed to starve. Let’s work together to ensure that all horses receive the care they deserve.

Shown is a photo of Thunder at the time of rescue. Unfortunately we were called in to help too late and his body had already started shutting down. He died of starvation due to lack of dental care, despite his owners feeding him several pounds of grain per day (which the other horses ended up eating).

04/05/2025

I see these ads too. It's all about facilities the humans will enjoy and so little thought is given to what would make the horses happy. If only more people could put two and two together and understand the relationship between turnout and being sane under saddle and staying sound long term... *sigh*

You can have all the facilities in the world, but if your horses can’t go out for 6 months of the year… what’s the point?

I came across a post this morning advertising a high-end yard:

• Olympic-sized outdoor arena
• Huge indoor arena
• Roofed horse walker
• Weekly clinics and shows
• On-site vets
• Even a café

And yet no winter turnout Oct to “Dry Spring” meaning April Time, that’s 6 months of no turnout just ridden and walker.
Because the fields are “clay.”

Look, I get that clay is difficult. But if you can invest six figures in show-standard arenas, you can invest in all-weather turnout or sacrifice paddocks. It’s not about money. It’s about priorities.

Turnout isn’t a seasonal perk. It’s not optional. It’s a basic need, for movement, for mental health, for socialisation. Horses aren’t machines you keep in a stable and bring out for work. They’re living beings who need space and freedom. A walker and a schooling session don’t replace that.

What really got me? The owner proudly says they sleep with their window open so they can hear if horses are door-kicking at night. That’s not charming, that’s heartbreaking. Horses shouldn’t be so stressed or frustrated that they’re banging doors all night long.

If we really care about horses, then we need to put their welfare before the wow-factor. The priority should never be human comfort or prestige over what the horse actually needs.

Stop building palaces for people and start building environments that let horses be horses.

FYI do you know what’s a starting to be a big selling point for stable yards now, turnout, invest and use it your advantage.

03/31/2025

What's horse Moscow Mule looking at? It must have been the postman as he brought us an incredibly-needed $5,000 donation from the Yamani Family Foundation yesterday!

We have the farrier tomorrow and we need to haul our Gator into the John Deere dealership for service. This couldn't possibly come at a better time!

Got to love a good mailbox day ❤ Thanks to all of you who send donations, large or small, that keep the hay barn full, the soaked timothy pellet mush coming and the $!$%! equipment running...most of the time! 🤣

03/29/2025

Apparently a controversial hot take but I'm still gonna say it (I know you're all shocked...)

Every day on Facebook, I see another story or ten about someone who gave or sold their horse to someone and that person blocked them and refuses to supply updates. And every time someone comments that it sucks, someone pops up with their story of woe about how a former owner/rider "just kept contacting them" and so they HAD to block them.

I'm sorry, but literally how selfish and lazy are you if you can't take 30 seconds to voice-dictate "Sheba is doing great! Here's a pic of her last week with my son at the gymkhana." and attach the picture?

Now, I'm NOT talking about cases where the former home was abusive or neglectful. Obviously I would block that person too. But many of these cases seem to be ones where there was nothing bad about the former home/rider/whatever and the new owner is simply feeling threatened somehow by someone else caring about how the horse is doing?

Normal people get emotionally bonded to animals. It's a good thing. People have to give up horses for lots of reasons that don't necessarily make them bad people - i.e. kids whose parents sold the horse without their permission, job loss and literally not having the money to care for them, health issues where they couldn't physically do the work, running from an abusive spouse with no resources and so on. Why wouldn't you take a few minutes to put this person's mind at rest that their horse is actually safe? Don't you realize how tortured many of these people are that they couldn't provide the home for life that they planned to provide?

As many of you know, I am not shy about saying that people should do what it takes to support their animals, whether that's a second job, scrimping on their own housing to create the money for care, driving an old car rather than have a car payment which would be board money, etc. I think you should always do that before you get rid of an animal that you love. (And a lot of you kiddos need to figure out that you take the horse with you to college. That's how you stop bad things from happening to them.) I totally understand that you may not think the former person's reasons for giving up the horse were good. I really do get the anger when you think about the fact that they took the horse to an auction and if it hadn't gone to you, it could have easily gone to slaughter. I wouldn't give a horse BACK to that person under any circumstances - however, I WOULD give them updates because updates are fast and easy and you'll never lose in life by doing a kind thing that takes very little time and costs nothing.

Yes, .000001% of the time, the person really could do something crazy like try to steal the horse back but this is incredibly rare. I'm not saying you have to allow in-person visits. I'm just saying send a picture and a brief update. There's nothing to be gained by creating all of this suffering by former owners/riders who are tormented by not knowing if the horse they love is safe or starving somewhere, especially if their situation has improved and now they could do something about it if the horse was in danger.

In short, just don't be a jerk for no reason. It's a great rule to live your life by and it will bring you better luck!

Had to share this picture of Footloose. I was involved in her original rescue about 20 years ago, long before PPR, and here she is today at age 24. Seeing updates when I remember seeing her in a kill pen still makes my day! And yes, her mom is a photographer - contact Jessica Worley Photography if you're in the general Portland, OR area and want pictures like this of your horses!

03/27/2025

Important to read if you have a horse who pulls back when tied. The solution is NEVER to hard tie them with something that won't break and let them fight. That's how you create permanent damage and make your horse from an expensive performance horse to a future pasture pet, if that. This is a very common issue with polo ponies and is directly caused by du*****es with anger issues hitting horses who are tied to something - we all know a few like that.

If you own a horse who pulls, the best trick I've found is tie them to a loop of polo wrap. It has some give and take so they don't feel as trapped, and if they do break it, so what? We all have an endless supply of old crappy wraps with worn out velcro and if you don't, you'll find tons of them for $1 a set at tack sales.

In addition to (obviously) not smacking them when they're tied to something, also don't girth them up when they're tied to something. Always untie them first. Don't tie them short to something as a means of immobilizing them so that you can do something they don't want done to them, like clipping or treating a wound. Have someone hold them instead. The best way to fix a puller is not to create one in the first place.

03/26/2025

YIKES - one of our fans caught a thief! This is not our Venmo. It has an extra E on the end of the username. They stole our picture but it is not the same one as we use for Venmo. I have reported this to Venmo and if I can identify who this is, and if they are in the country, I will obviously be suing them as well as reporting them to law enforcement. Please check your transactions and make sure you have not sent money to this fake Venmo account. Let me know if you have, and also report to Venmo.

03/25/2025

In case anybody was wondering, here's the total dollar amount of donations we got yesterday after we asked for some help! Meanwhile, the shelter got repaired for $580. As the kids like to say, the math isn't mathing! Can we do better today and get a little help keeping these horses fed and sheltered? 😀

www.paypal.me/poloponyrescue
Zelle: [email protected] (scroll down, past the phone number part)
Venmo:

03/24/2025

Correntina (on the left, with her boyfriend U2 on the right, both mid twenties) looks exactly like me trying to wake up this morning. I just kept hitting the snooze! Unfortunately, I also realized it's the end of March and I've likewise hit the snooze on our fundraising efforts. Time to wake up and get to it!

Here's what's on our expensive to-do list this week, along with all the usual feed purchases:

- guy coming today to fix the shelter that bit the dust in the recent storm

- farrier coming in the next week to do all 26 horses here

- just paid off the vet for the last round of bloodwork to make sure we're doing all that we can for our seniors

- still need a hitch installed in the new truck so that we can start hauling our own horses again (most importantly in case of fire)

If you love what we do, please consider helping us do it! You can send a paypal at www.paypal.me/poloponyrescue or Venmo or Zelle to [email protected]

You can also send a check to Polo Pony Rescue, 35715 80th St. E, Littlerock, CA 93543. As always, visitors are welcome but by appointment only since I do work a regular job and can't always come out of the house for a quick tour!

03/22/2025

Little cutie pie Pop Tart, on the trail today… adopted in 2015 and thriving today at age 29! Thank you Erika for being an amazing adopter!

03/21/2025

I've been taking classes in AI to make sure I stay competitive in the workplace, and as part of a certificate I'm working on to use AI for law, we're practicing scenarios with what is called the Persona Pattern, where you tell AI what it is, and it answers accordingly. I decided to tell it that it was a senior horse, and I was actually really impressed at the accuracy of the response! Seems like AI could actually become a great way to educate people on proper care.

Here it is:

Act as a horse who is 25 years old. Do you prefer living in a stall or a pasture? What things can I do to make your life better?
ChatGPT said:
[Nickers softly, flicks tail]

Well hey there, human. I’m 25 now—got some years under my girth, some gray around the muzzle, and plenty of opinions. So listen up.

Stall or Pasture?
If I had to choose, I’d say pasture—every time. I like space to move, the sun on my back, and the breeze in my mane. My joints feel better when I’m not stiff from standing in a box all day. That said, I wouldn’t complain about a run-in shelter to get out of the rain or wind. And on really cold nights or when the bugs are brutal, a stall’s not the worst thing—as long as I’m not stuck in there all day.

But full-time stall life? No thanks. It’s boring, it’s confining, and it makes my arthritis ache. I want to move—it’s what keeps me going at this age.

How You Can Make My Life Better:
Keep Me Moving

Let me walk around freely. Motion is lotion for these old joints.
If I’m stalled at all, turn me out daily and for as long as possible.
Watch My Feet

I may not be galloping barrels anymore, but I still need regular farrier care.
Soft footing helps—don’t leave me standing on hard-packed ground or rock.
Keep My Teeth in Check

At this age, my chompers aren’t what they used to be. Float them regularly so I can chew without pain.
Soak my feed if needed. I don’t want to choke or waste calories trying to eat hay I can’t chew.
Senior Feed, Please

Give me a balanced senior grain, and make sure it’s easy to digest.
Hay is still good, but some of us need pelleted or soaked alternatives if chewing is tough.
Don’t Forget My Mind

I might be older, but I’m not brain-dead. Keep me engaged—talk to me, groom me, hand-walk me, give me something to do.
Maybe a slow feed hay net or a jolly ball to nudge around.
Buddy System

I still like company. Don’t isolate me. Horses are herd animals. Let me have a quiet pasture mate or two—even if we just stand together and swish flies.
Check My Body Daily

I may not complain much, but you’ll catch problems early if you put your hands on me every day—lumps, sore spots, weight loss, swelling, heat in joints.
Blanket Me If Needed

Don’t overdo it, but if it’s wet and cold and I’m ribby or clipped, a well-fitting blanket helps.
Make It Easy on Me

Put my water in a place I can get to easily. Don’t make me trek uphill just to take a drink.
Salt block? Great. Low enough for me to lick without contorting my neck.
Respect My Pace

I’m not the sprinter I once was. Let me move slow. Let me rest. Let me age with dignity.
You give me comfort, safety, freedom, good food, and companionship—and I’ll give you all the love and wisdom of a horse who’s seen a few seasons. Deal?

[Snorts gently, nudges your hand for a cookie]

Want me to tell you what I really think of that new young gelding in the next paddock?

03/20/2025

There's a lot of discussion out there this week about exactly where the line is at which we should be choosing euthanasia for rescue horses. Someone's having a conference about it somewhere.

On one end of the spectrum are the people who obviously let things go too long and horrify about 99% of the rest of us with a field full of horses that are either emaciated, so foundered they can't walk, have deformed limbs etc. and yet these people believe these miserable, suffering horses "want to live" and refuse to call the vet out to end things.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who think horses go into two bins: adoptable/rideable and euthanasia. The general argument (not targeting anybody in specific here, just something I've heard numerous times) is that rescue resources should go to save young, sound horses with a future.

Obviously I'm happy I have the common sense and logic to not be a member of group #1, but I also will never be a member of group #2. Horses like Andy are why.

I used to watch Andy at polo. I joke to this day that he has 300k on the odometer, and I'm not sure I'm exaggerating. He always played two chukkers, and after that, he got ridden by the owner's children some more, while every other horse who played had been bathed and watered and was relaxing at the trailer.

He was ulcery and ribby and so hard to tack up that I routinely, back in my polo-grooming-days, got called over to get a bridle on him or get him girthed up because he was biting people and I'm really good at not getting hurt.

I finally got him in 2018. He had been retired for a while and had been well cared for where he'd been boarded, gaining some weight, but he was still a bitey, pushy stress case.

He's been with us seven years now. He turns 31 next month. He likes people now. He's stopped showing the whites of his eyes 24/7. He loves being brushed - no more biting. He will take a swipe at me once in a while about blanketing, but I've informed him that 31 year old Thoroughbreds really do need to stay warm and dry when it's raining.

I absolutely believe Andy has earned the last seven years. He is a little creaky, and on some meds, and he's got Cushings, but he still gallops around regularly. He loves hanging out with his girlfriend, Penny, and they can often be seen scratching each other's necks.

The cost of caring for Andy for seven years? Let's be honest - at least $30,000. This is the point at which the young-horse-savers start screaming in protest about all the horses "with a future" they could have saved with that money.

Andy might not have much of a future, but he's got a past - a past full of hard, hard work, polo trophies, working when he wasn't comfortable and working when his stomach hurt and working when he was hungry. Maybe that doesn't earn you a safe and happy retirement in everybody's books, but it sure does in mine. Maybe I'm somewhat influenced by being older myself and knowing that my quality of life is just fine even if I'm creaky and need some supplements.

Some day, something will get worse and I'll have to call it - and I will. In the meantime, I feel very confident Andy would have chosen these last 7 years over a needle the day after he became too unsound to play polo anymore.

03/18/2025

Just brightening up your feed with a little Lola! Lola got here about a year ago, and we were hoping she would come sound and be adoptable, but she’s only sound if she doesn’t have weight on her back so she has joined our retiree herd and certainly does not seem to be complaining about it!