Learning about horses and more @ Singapore Polo Club

Smarties love love love animals especially mei mei. When we got invited to the Singapore Polo Club 130th Anniversary Open House Celebration, smarties were thrilled!

The minute we got there, smarties were asking about the horses…
“Where are they??”
“Can I pet them?”
“Can I feed them?”
“Can I play with them?”
Gosh! You can see how excited they were.

We reached the lobby and checked out the programme for the day. Loads of activities the kids as you can see from there…

First thing first, the horses! We had a nice and friendly lady guide who gave us a tour around the horse’s stable. The first horse that we saw were “blindfolded” and smarties were asking why. What the horse is wearing is known as fly mask which is used on horses to cover their eyes and sometimes the ears to protect from from the flies. The mask is semi-transparent thus allowing the horse to see and hear while wearing it. Interesting huh!

We moved on to another row of horses where we can actually pet them and “talk” to them. The horses were happily sniffing our hands and that was really ticklish. But smarties loved it. From then on, they keep giving their hands for every horse, we passed by, to sniff.

This is where the “riders” keep their equipment or tools used for horse riding.

Check out mei mei’s white horse aka prince charming (白马王子). They were communicating while she kept chatting away and he kept licking and sniffing her hand.

The horses here were all imported and are very well taken of. Their diet is one of the main factors that the caregivers need to take note of. Too much feed will result in an overweight, inactive or sick horse and too little feed will result in a skinny horse with reduced stamina and poor immune system. Caregivers usually gauge if they are well or not by their physical appearance.

Even though it was a short tour, we got to ask questions and getting loads of answers from the guide. We got to see the horse’s food store room and their bathroom too!

Right after the tour was the Dog Agility Show. The number of cute dogs there really got smarties elated with joy. They went around asking permission to pet the dogs and hugged them. The dog owners were really kind to let them play with their dogs.

Do they get tempted to own a dog as a pet too? Yes, they do and they did ask me permission to get one but nope…not at the moment…

Smarties spotted the game stalls and ran for it. They saw the top prize and couldn’t wait to get their hands on it. They went through the games with confidence and with the aim of winning the top prize. Their motivation was awesome.

Guess what? They got the top 2 prizes! Gor gor won the 2nd prize while mei mei won the top prize, her favourite little pony.

She was the first top winner and everyone was in awed with her luck!

Before heading for lunch, we had a quick tour around Singapore Polo Club’s track on their “tractor”! Cool huh!

We had a quick lunch as smarties couldn’t wait to explore other activities. First thing after the lunch, mei mei went for the tattoo, while gor gor went for the photobooth for some photo taking.

She was pretty satisfied with what she chose: butterfly. Don’t ask me why butterfly and not dolphin or flower….but I preferred the dolphin, though…

Before we know it, it was the Fancy Dress Horse Pageant. Check out the pretty horses and children!

They were all so adorable. We love Pinkie Pie group as they were the brightest but it was the Green Cupcake group who won the best dress. Nonetheless, I bet the children had loads of fun dressing up themselves and the horses. Smarties kept asking me if they can take part in the future…hmm… I’ll check that out.

Finally, what they have been waiting for: horse riding. Even though is written on the programme as pony rides, we got the big horse instead and it was the winner of the fancy dress!

Look at their happy and satisfied face while on the horse. As a mom, you know you did the right thing when you see such happy faces on your children’s faces.

Smarties went for another round of games and won 1st and 2nd prize again! How lucky can a person get? Here’re their happy faces with their loots after we reached home.

As mei mei has 2 ponies, she graciously gave me one of them before bedtime.
“Thank you mummy for bringing me there. I had fun and I love my prizes, here’s one little pony for you to keep you company tonight.”
Awww…I was touched…really touched.

The trip was really fruitful as we got to learn about horses, how to take care of them, how to communicate with them. What are the dos and don’ts while taking care of the horses. The mini tour cultivated awareness, knowledge and appreciation for the horses.

Smarties were happily running around in the field, chasing after the dogs. That short period of sun and outdoor unstructured play helped a great deal in developing their fitness, motor skills and overall well-being.

As for the game stalls, smarties overcome their fear of losing and disappointment. At some of the game stalls, smarties couldn’t win. They were slightly disappointed but that didn’t deter them from winning their top prizes. Instead, they overcame their disappointment and moved forward. The self-esteem and the motivation in them really inspire me. Glad that they had fun playing and learning at the same time.

* Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and they do not represent those of people or anyone else. No monetary benefit / compensation is involved.