Carousel is saddened to report that Bucky is no longer with us.   Therefore, we will retire his blog.  Bucky will be missed by each and every person who took lessons, volunteered, worked at the barn, taught lessons and visited the park.  He was the perfect lesson horse.  He taught countless children to learn to walk, trot and canter.  His life was one worth a million as he gave to each and every rider who got the privilege of riding him.

1. Polo
A team sport played on horseback, the objective of polo is to score goals against an opposing team. A score is made by swatting a small white plastic or wood ball with a long-handled mallet, into the opposing teams' goal. The sport is played at speed on a grass field up to three hundred yards in length. Each team consists of four players and their four mounts; however arena polo only requires three members and is a slightly more athletic and gymnastic version with more maneuvering and shorter plays.

 

Want to be more equestrian-savvy?  Here are some common horseback riding terms and their meanings.  You will sound super fluent if you learn these terms!

Above the bit:An action of the horse in which they raise their head over the level that their hands can reach reducing the amount of control the rider has over the horse.

Action:Movement of the horse's legs

Aids:Aids are signals and cues used to communicate with the horse. There are natural cues such as voice, legs, hands and weight and artificial cues which include whips and spurs.

Good Morning!

 

So much happening here at Carousel!

 

As you all know, we had our first Doggy Day event on May 12th and it was a success!  Please check out the events page on the website for photos of the event.  We also added photos of our Couch Potato Winners.  There are some super cute pooches!

 

This past weekend, May 19th, we had our student horse show.  All of our students had a great time!  I personally scored a few blue ribbons myself!

 

Some items of interest.

 

 

 

Another rainy day.......I'd like to be in a stall today instead of this rain.....

 

Do you know about bedding in stalls?  Here's some information I found.

 

Straw is very commonly used as stall bedding and tends to be preferred for mares and young foals. You must be careful, however, as some horses will happily eat straw bedding and this can cause a problem if you are trying to keep your horse on a diet. Different straws may be more absorbent, but they may also be tastier.

A pony is a small horse that is generally considered friendly and intelligent, and sometimes stubborn and devious. They are incredibly strong for their size and a mature pony can sometimes pull the same amount of weight as a draft horse. In general they must measure less than 14.2 hands- not all horses that meet this are considered ponies however. Here is a list of the top five pony breeds!

 

Height: 7-10.2 Hands
Bred in the harsh conditions of the Shetland Isles, the Shetland pony is a hardy and strong breed that comes in almost every color imaginable except leopard spotted.

 

Hello Hello all of my two legged-friends!  What a busy weekend for me.

 

Yesterday, Carousel Park had their first ever Doggy Day event and it was excellent!  So many people came by to pet me and say hello to me.  I have my own special stall now where people can come and visit me!  We had quite the turnout!  A couple of dogs even barked hello to me!

 

A few things going on this week.  We have a Bring-a-Friend to ride event on Thursday, May 17, 2012 and we also have our Student Horse Show on May 19, 2012.

The donkey, Equus Africanus Asinus, is a domesticated burro, essentially. It is the descendant of the African Wild Ass. A male donkey is called a jack and a female a jenny, male foals are called colts and females filly's. They were first domesticated around 3000 BC and are known for being stubborn, though this is perhaps attributed to their naturally cautious behaviors and unwillingness to simply take off without being certain of where they are going.

HAY HAY HAY!

 

Good morning!  What a gloomy day today.  I'll have plenty of time to relax with my thoughts today and wanted to see what my readers think of my blog and what they would like to see going forward.

 

Please comment and let me know what you think of the website and blog and what you would like to see added or blogged about.

 

I certainly welcome your suggestions (and your spare carrots).

 

Love and Carrots,

 

Bucky, The King of Carousel