The 'Boys'

I figured I'd email my old polo boss to find out if there were any polo clinics coming up this summer. I was surprised by the speed of his response, almost in the blink of an eye! He really does love the sport, and my time riding and grooming his horses just made me fall in love with it too.

Turns out that the owners of Misty River are managing the Royal Winnipeg Polo Club now, which is awesome. I took lessons from the Biron's last year, and it's a nice facility. G, the old boss, took me by surprise by letting me know that my old favorite polo pony, Hobo, and second favorite horse Danny (the one who caused my head injury), are likely retiring after this year. I was floored to hear that they will be 19 this year! 19! That's crazy. I hope that Moon'er can move like that right through 19 years, and beyond. I'm so happy that both of them have had such long and successful lives. Of course, now I'm wondering what they plan on doing with them. No surprise that I'd have every temptation to see if G would give me old Hobo to look after for the rest of his years. I mean, I doubt he'd be willing to keep covering their board and expenses, considering what I recall of Peppercorn and Krista when they got too old. Krista was actually still kinda young but no longer sound, and she went to a breeding operation. Peppercorn if I recall correct was either sold as a pasture mate, or given to a horse rehoming operation.

Guess when it comes to my old buddy Hobo, I'd rather not see him go off to someone else's place. : (

He might make a nice mount for people wanting an easy ride...

It'd be a bit extra board costs every month, and being a total TB, he'd probably need some warm blankets or extra grain to get through the winter. But still. He's my old friend too.

Why do we all have to grow up?

Anyway, G listed a couple places that hope to start slow polo in their barns, and that they're doing some clinics as well. I'd probably have to trailer in, but it would be okay for a weekend as long as I can maneuver the trailer around. And he invited me out to visit with the boys again, which would be really nice. It's been such a long time, and I do miss them terribly. So sad to see that they're retiring. It's been what? 6 years since I rode for him? 6 years! They were MoonSox's age when I started riding for him. Which is incredible. Time just passes way too quickly.

So, I'll give him a call and see if I can come out for a visit sometime. Might be to my advantage...And might be an awesome sport for me and my MoonSox to grow old in together.