More about the Polo Pony Retirement Foundation Horse Seizure
Letter from Lindsey & Story – One happy ending!

I’m not sure whether y’all have been following the Polo Pony Retirement Foundation story that seems to keep getting worse and worse (you can read about it on the website I created for the Polo Pony Rescue Fund – www.poloponyrescue.weebly.com). Pull out you’re tissues, because, if you are a horses lover at all, this one will hit you hard… One horse at a time is becoming my daily mantra lately. Thank God for the people in NY and Lauren Crowe for finding Dandy there. Please check out the whole site to find out everything that has happened and is still happening… And anything you may be able to do would be a tremendous help. Thank you all and thank you Cissie for sharing this with us.

– Lindsey

WARHORSE AND TEACHER
(Ode to Dandy)

He came up to me in a pasture next to a sale barn in Tennessee and said “pick me”. At three he had already been through the juvenile race horse wars. Racing had taken its toll on his sensitive mind and he was dropped off to be fodder for dogs – I paid for him by his weight and couldn’t wait to ride him! He was a “Dandy”. For two weeks we did everything but go in a straight line. His fragile mind and body had survived the racetrack trials by evidently NOT travelling the shortest distance between two points. He was better in a halter than with a bit  – we rode into the sunset many afternoons, clearing the bugle out of his ears – replacing it with the sounds of birds and squirrels – we did circles around bushes and figure 8’s around trees and chicken coops. He slowly discovered himself through quiet repetition. Cows and calves gave him purpose as he learned to cut them out of their herds and turn them back in competitions. Polo was the next progression and he revelled in it when he chased the ball as cleverly as he pursued a calf. More importantly he trusted – he gave me his heart and I gave him confidence. We faced his demons and backed them down… We had to part company – I had taken him through kindergarten and grammar school. It was time for others to teach him in the polo high school and college – time to put finishing touches on the diamond in the rough!

Six years later I got a call about donations to pick up for the Polo Training Foundation – where my passion had been horses and their training, I found a new course in helping human youngsters discover their talents in the polo world. More importantly I had already learned that the ultimate teachers are the ponies. What a privilege to be a guide to young students of the game. I was challenged by matching players to ponies and facilitating an exponential learning curve where animal taught man to work as one with them in the most incredibly difficult sport ever! Gathering up teachers was tough. They could have all kinds of behavioral quirks as long as they were safe and sane when they played. You can’t truly learn polo if every pony you climb on does everything for you…. So, here I was on a gorgeous farm picking up potentials and the owner says “I have one more for YOU – he is not for the kids to ride”. That is how “Dandy” came back to me. He had somehow hurt his hock in the process of being finished and also along the way he had become ball shy. When I started riding him in Texas I could not get him near the ball. I tried everything…and then my Son tried and a few other trainers tried….I even offered him free to several graduated college players who needed to fill out their fledgling strings – to no avail. You can’t play polo on a pony who won’t go near a ball!!! It seemed hopeless. I put out feelers to place him in a nice home as a pleasure horse – time was of the essence – my boss was coming to visit  – I had to account for all my chargers!

I stayed awake at night trying to figure out what I was going to do. Then…it came to me in a dream. The next morning I went straight to the barn with a piece of fleece. I secured it around his noseband and off we went….he never looked back!, he never looked sideways, he never looked down! I had a new horse! I played him, my Son  layed him and soon camp kids were crawling all over him. He quickly became a favorite. During his teaching time, there became something very soulful about him. As he gained confidence in his newfound role, he became purposeful. He wanted to please. He needed to do well. He was most patient with the timid kids. When a beginner needed a boost, they rode Dandy. When a player needed confidence, I gave them Dandy. When we were teaching newcomers how to tack and bandage, we used Dandy. He would stand like a rock and would even resist fly swatting if there were kids nearby. He became famous for Dandy hugs. He would walk up to you and very quietly and politely position his head against your torso – he seemed to know when a hug was needed and he would stand perfectly still until the racing heart he touched slowed to his contented beat. He never took without asking and he always gave unconditionally.

Eventually he didn’t even need the fleece – he wasn’t afraid anymore. He taught for years and was an integral part of the training at Brushy Creek Ranch. I took him to Aiken and Houston to play – he loved it! As sometimes happens with athletes and old injuries, his hock gave during a competitive camp game. I turned him out and he never was sound enough to be used again. What does one do at this point? Do you explore options?; Look for a good home with turn out?; Find someone that needs a companion horse? Then I remembered a woman who talked about a retirement home for polo ponies – in Virginia! It sounded too perfect….. I may never know his fate. If he is gone, I hope he didn’t suffer. If he did, I hope it wasn’t for too long. If he survived the atrocities at Mine Hill I hope that he is happy. You are a Dandy! And I will always love you!

Post script: The happy ending here is another tale of good fortune and luck. Nancy took 3 horses to sell at a Renaissance Faire in NYState. Fortunately Dandy was bought by Kris who took my little horse and taught him a new vocation….JOUSTING! He stayed sound for 2 years with them and will be retiring on September 20th. Kris is going to let  me bring him home where he will be turned out for the winter with his old friends – Mango, Reggae, Fahrenheit and Harley….Oh the stories he will tell them!!! Thank you to Kris for your compassion and understanding and to Lauren for your persistence!

For more information about the Horse Seizure at the Polo Pony Retirement Foundation in Orange County, VA please visit the Website (www.poloponyrescue.weebly.com) that has been set up to inform and to help track down the donated horses.