Pony Club celebrated New Years by going to the EQUESTFEST in

Pasadena, CA. See article by Hannah J. on page 3.

EQUESTFEST!

Royal Riders

News February 2009

Volume 1, Issue 5

Upcoming Events 2

Pics of the Month 2

EUESTFEST! 3

About Pony Club 4

Horse of the Month:

Friesians 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Did you know?

Believe it or

not, horses

have no mus-

cles or fat in

their lower

legs. The bones

(and hooves)

below the knee and

hock joints are ma-

nipulated by ten-

dons and ligaments

connected to mus-

cles higher up in the

legs.

(Taken from “Good

Horsekeeping” by

Elizabeth Illif)

Royal Riders

Pony Club

Kristen D.

February 9th

Hannah J.

January 24th

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sammie H.

February 12th

A special welcome to our new members: Allyson A., Avery M., Halina H., and Sammie H.

Happy Birthday!

Pics of the Month

February:

Lessons every Monday and Friday

at 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 15th—McCoy Show—Chino

Hills

March:

Lessons every Monday and Friday

at 4:30 p.m.

Mar. 7th—Combined Driving Exhi-

bition

Mar. 14th—D Combined Rally—

Agoura

Mar. 21st—D1 & D2 Testing

April:

Lessons every Mon-

day and Friday at 4:30 p.m.

April 5th—Dressage Show—West

Covina

April 19th—McCoy Show—Chino

Hills

April 25th—Trail Ride

May:

Lessons every Monday and Friday

at 4:30 p.m.

May 15th-17th—Mega Rally—

Moorpark

May 23rd—Volunteer at Mustard

Seed Ranch

Upcoming Events

ROYAL RIDERS NEWS Page 2

A very goofy pony!

I’m watching you! I’m still watching you!

Photos taken by:

Katie D.

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5

Today was the day. I was so excited, I hardly slept! This morning I was going to the EQUESTFEST at the Los

Angeles Equestrian Center. This is a presentation of the horses, riders and their parade performances all together in

one great show. Finally we arrived. When we got out of the car, I could already smell the stables…not that it was a

bad thing…it was kinda welcoming.

We saw the arena in front of us and went to get our seats. I was practically jumping off the stands! After

waiting a minute or two the show finally started. A bunch of riders on Palomino horses came out all dressed in red,

white, and blue. They trotted around the arena and we sang the National Anthem. Then they did a sort of dance and

made formations. So many incredible horses performed.

One of my favorites was a Medieval Times show. They chased each other all around the stadium with

swords and spears. One of the stallions, after having knocked off his rider, cantered around the arena having a field

day! I think the coolest exhibit was the girl trick riders who galloped around the arena at top speed. They did a

bunch of daredevil tricks on the horses’ backs. There were also enormous Shire horses being ridden by girls in top

hats. There were circus ponies and riders, and tiny donkeys that pulled a miniature cart. But, the most impressive

sight was the Clydesdales with their skill and obedience doing a 180 degree turn as they moved the Budweiser coach

around in one place.

After the show we went and visited all the horses and riders that performed. The one that amazed me

most was the solid white Shire stallion. He was a gentle giant and had the longest mane I’d ever seen. Another one

of my favorites to see and pet were the adorable miniature donkeys. The EQUESTFEST was an amazing experience.

It was a chance to see and get up close to the amazing Rose Parade horses. I truly loved this experience. My family

and I will surely make plans to go again next year.

The Amazing EQUESTFEST Adventure

By Hannah J.

Page 3

Pony Club Comes to Yorba Linda

North Orange County’s very own Pony Club is here! Become

a part of the Royal Riders Pony Club. Pony Club is an inter-

national club geared toward educating our youth and guiding them toward becom-

ing better horse riders. Pony Club will encourage our young horse lovers to become

even better citizens in our already strong community of horse lovers.

This year promises to be full of new experiences. Each month we will have an

unmounted lesson and two (or more if you want) mounted lessons. In the last

year, we have already hosted Pony Play Days for our members, represented our

club in our local parades, made our own homemade horse treats, and partici-

pated in a Pony Club Rally and Camp. In 2009 we are hoping to participate in

even more rallies and clinics, as well as to experience some local field trips. We

welcome you to join us! To learn more go to: www.ocponyclub.org

Friesian Facts

Sharon Kaak

18207 Shook Lane

Yorba Linda, CA

92886

Phone: 714-606-7136

Fax: 714-274-7136

E-mail: dskaak@sbcglobal.net

The Perfect Club for Pony Lovers

OC PONY CLUB

Our website is:

www.ocponyclub.org

1. Friesians are one of the most ancient European breeds of horse and modern Friesians are direct descendants of the horses that medieval

knights used to ride into battle.

2. Friesian horses come from the same area of the Netherlands as do the more familiar Friesian (Holstein) dairy cattle.

3. Friesians are a rare breed. There are fewer than 1000 Friesian Horses in the U.S. and Canada.

4. The Friesian Registry, which is still based in the Netherlands, maintains very strict standards for stallions. To become approved stallions are

judged on conformation, way of going and quality of progeny. There are fewer than 50 approved Friesian stallions in the entire world.

5. Friesian horses now only come in black but they originally came in chestnut and grey as well.

When the Friesian Registry was founded in 1879 there was only one purebred stallion remaining. All of today's Friesians can trace their ancestry

back to that one stallion. (from: www.waltz.net/friesians.html)

Suggestions, Comments, or Questions: Email Kristen D. at: horseloverkristen@sbcglobal.net

Newsletter Managing Editor: Kristen D., age 12

Page 4 Royal Riders