A friend took her grandson to the Lake County Fair and posted photos online. I made the mistake of looking at them. Mistake? Why? Because there were pictures of him riding a pony, where the ponies go around and around on a turnstile. She said one pony had its eyes closed as it walked. She looked for water and food and didn’t see any.
She said it was the first time her 6-year-old grandson had ridden a pony. He was super excited about the $13 ride, in which the pony went around in a circle approximately 20 times.
Could those ponies possibly be enjoying themselves in the heat of the day?
Why are these rides even allowed? Where’s PETA when you need them?
PETA website addresses the issue of pony rides at fairs. “Ponies can suffer from hoof ailments, saddle sores, and mouth and teeth problems, resulting from ill-fitting or carelessly rigged tackle. Since pony turnstiles are common on the summer fair circuit, ponies are often forced to spend hours working in the scorching heat. Water may be withheld from the animals—to prevent unsightly “accidents.” It’s often cheaper to replace worn out or sick animals than provide proper veterinary care, so operators may work ponies until they drop.”
It continues; “Busy operators who spend the season traveling from one venue to the next typically don’t spend the time or have the resources to attend to sick or injured animals or bother to unload them during lengthy periods of travel to give them proper rest.”
I’m not jumping to judgment on all pony rides using turnstiles (oh yes I am), but with the heat during the Lake County Fair, I don’t believe it’s in the interest of the animals to be constantly walking around carrying a child on their backs.
No one at the Fairgrounds office was able to answer questions about how the fairgrounds regulates the live ride. The Fairgrounds CEO, Sheli Wright was unavailable at press time (The Napa Valley Insider recently reported she has taken a job as new Fairgrounds director in Napa)
The owner of Epona’s Equine, Denise Marie Claiche, recently wrote to the Sonoma County Fair regarding her concerns over the conditions of the pony rides there. In her letter she said, “I am writing to bring your attention to a disturbing issue I saw at the fair. I was very discouraged by the pony rides. While the ponies were shiny and in good weight, their feet were horrible. They also had no available water. I understand that often times the mentality is that they are work tools. Beasts of burden. However, these are living animals. They are in need of care, and water should be available in the heat. Their hooves were grossly neglected.”
Claiche received no response back from the Sonoma County Fair.
I’m not naive enough to believe that my one column could have an influence over whether people would boycott future pony rides, but perhaps it could make people think twice about taking their children on the ride.
My friend said that her grandson was so excited to be near a pony. There are better places where he could experience an up close encounter, such as at Epona’s Equine in Kelseyville where they have holiday events, lessons, camp and ranch visits. In an environment where the animals are cared for.
What’s a girl to do?…keep encouraging fair goers to skip pony rides, and rather introduce their children to ponies and horses that are in healthy environments.
Lucy Llewellyn Byard is currently a columnist for the Record-Bee. To contact her, email lucywgtd@gmail.com
