Police Pony Retirement Range
Shelley, our President of the Board says, "we may not be able to make a difference to 1000 ponies but we will make a difference in the lives of the ones we touch.
Blue Line Ponies has 3 retirement ranges:
Blue Line Ponies has 3 retirement ranges:
- The main retirement range is 2 acres located at Blue Line Ponies Chair and Vice-Chair, Brian and Shelley Hill's, home. It is nestled in the North Georgia Mountains and backs up to the National Forest. It has a horse farm across the street, deep woods on one side, and a cow ranch on the other. The range is made up of "underbrush cleared" woods and pastures. They have 3 different gated areas and a beautiful streams that run through the property. They can open all the gates so the retirees can have admittance to all lands or they can separate as needed. They have their personal horse Ashling, and have added Yoshi and Isra. They are now FULL.
- The second retirement range is 14 acres located in Mount Airy, Ga. at Blue Line Ponies Secretary and Treasurer's, Harriett William's home. It is a mixture of woods and 2 pastures, backs up to 17,000 acres of the wildlife refuge, and has 20 acres of the National Forest across the street. It is a beautiful rolling hills retirement range in North Georgia. The William's have 2 babies on the range, Red and Billy. They are a bonded horse and donkey pair. They have opened their home to Marilyn and Festus, another bonded horse and donkey pair. They are now FULL as well.
- The third location is coming soon! Here is a teaser...5 acres in Appomattox, Virginia with lush pastures, a barn w stalls and they are currently building a walk-in shelter in the pasture so their babies have cover/shelter whenever they like. This location already has 2 confirmed prison/police ponies coming!!! STAY TUNED!
Here are a few things that may interest you. Obviously, nothing is in stone and each career service pony will have its own "needs" as they mature, but this gives you an "behind the scenes" to our retirement range.
The horses will have access to grass, and Blue Line Ponies team will add hay (Timothy/Alfalfa and/or Timothy/Orchard unless otherwise advised) and grains/pelleted (pulp, textured. etc.) feed and supplements on a individual diet basis. There are water troughs in all 3 areas plus a very active stream running through 2 areas. Since the ponies will be hay fed, managing the grass will not be very important. The 3 sections are a mixture of pasture and wooded areas. They can easily rotate between spaces or use them all at once.
Their retirees will not be stall bound, horses are very active animals, and running, playing and rolling come naturally to them. They will have a beautiful source of shade, shelter, in the wooded areas, open stalls available (being built) and pasture to enjoy during retirement.
Georgia is known for it's beautiful weather but it CAN get cold and nasty. They have already thought ahead and we have several "turn out" blankets for our retirees PLUS the stalls will be nice and cozy.
Both locations have plenty of space for "lunging/exercising" if desired. The Dahlonega location has a 45 foot round pen as well. Lunging is a horse training technique that focuses on communication, stretching, and flexion of the muscles. There are many benefits to lunging your horse, Blue Line Ponies will focus on engaging their career service horses mental health and maintain a strong bond.
Blue Line Ponies prefers "low level/ground level/low trough" level feeding (if our retirees are able). There are several reasons, natural wear of teeth and more, less strain on the skeletal system and soft tissue, relaxed mental and emotional state, better peripheral vision, better respiratory health, and eliminates the risk of hay and dust in their eyes. They have a three 10 foot long troughs PLUS they can also place hay on rubber tire mats during feeding time to keep the hay off sand and dirt areas. Keeping the hay off the ground helps eliminate sand/soil ingestion and reduce the risk of colic. These troughs and mats also minimize hay waste and are easy to hose off so the feeding areas stay clean. But wait, there is MORE! They also stay try to away from using buckets for their pellets, supplements, etc. and use a "do it yourself slow feeder" called rubber car mats. Yep, there are huge pros and no cons. It promotes quiet and relaxing mealtimes, slows eating to promote better digestive health, encourages through chewing, and no "bucket turning or bucket tipping" bad habits. That being said, not all horses are fans of this and prefer the bucket. Blue Line Ponies will always follow the horses lead, as long as it is not harmful.
They have scratching posts, shelter, stimulation aka TOYS, and salt blocks stationed throughout the range. SPOILING THEIR PASTURE PETS IS THE #1 GOAL.
Shelley Hill has retired from 34 years medical where she spent the first 20 years of her career with an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. She was head assistant in the office's 5 Surgi-Centers and in the OR (she had OR privileges at 6 hospitals in the Atlanta area/suburbs) where they focused on trauma injuries from the neck up. That could involved full facial reconstruction via hip, rib or cranial graft, titanium plates and screws, cadaver bone, or other options. Blue Line Ponies is very serious about having medical emergency procedures in place so both Brian and Shelley are certified in human life saving skills via CPR and trauma PLUS there is a laminated card posted on the stalls that has emergency numbers, each horses history, etc. They have a life saving kit with tourniquet, gauze, coban, quickclot, pressure dressing, Equine colic relief, and a few other life saving items. They also have a good ole' fashioned first aid kit with all the everyday goodies to take care of normal bumps and bruises. That larger kit includes AspirEze +, ointments, Therabalm aka horse clay (this multi-functional product can be used as a poultice to soothe sore legs, relieve tired muscles and back soreness, and as a balm to help heal scratches, cracked heels, abrasions and more), basic dressings, ice packs, and other first aid needs.
There a many beautiful trails not a mile from the Dahlonega range where their ponies can enjoy a change of scenery and get some additional exercise with a rider (if applicable) or even walking beside our outstanding volunteers with a lead.
The horses will have access to grass, and Blue Line Ponies team will add hay (Timothy/Alfalfa and/or Timothy/Orchard unless otherwise advised) and grains/pelleted (pulp, textured. etc.) feed and supplements on a individual diet basis. There are water troughs in all 3 areas plus a very active stream running through 2 areas. Since the ponies will be hay fed, managing the grass will not be very important. The 3 sections are a mixture of pasture and wooded areas. They can easily rotate between spaces or use them all at once.
Their retirees will not be stall bound, horses are very active animals, and running, playing and rolling come naturally to them. They will have a beautiful source of shade, shelter, in the wooded areas, open stalls available (being built) and pasture to enjoy during retirement.
Georgia is known for it's beautiful weather but it CAN get cold and nasty. They have already thought ahead and we have several "turn out" blankets for our retirees PLUS the stalls will be nice and cozy.
Both locations have plenty of space for "lunging/exercising" if desired. The Dahlonega location has a 45 foot round pen as well. Lunging is a horse training technique that focuses on communication, stretching, and flexion of the muscles. There are many benefits to lunging your horse, Blue Line Ponies will focus on engaging their career service horses mental health and maintain a strong bond.
Blue Line Ponies prefers "low level/ground level/low trough" level feeding (if our retirees are able). There are several reasons, natural wear of teeth and more, less strain on the skeletal system and soft tissue, relaxed mental and emotional state, better peripheral vision, better respiratory health, and eliminates the risk of hay and dust in their eyes. They have a three 10 foot long troughs PLUS they can also place hay on rubber tire mats during feeding time to keep the hay off sand and dirt areas. Keeping the hay off the ground helps eliminate sand/soil ingestion and reduce the risk of colic. These troughs and mats also minimize hay waste and are easy to hose off so the feeding areas stay clean. But wait, there is MORE! They also stay try to away from using buckets for their pellets, supplements, etc. and use a "do it yourself slow feeder" called rubber car mats. Yep, there are huge pros and no cons. It promotes quiet and relaxing mealtimes, slows eating to promote better digestive health, encourages through chewing, and no "bucket turning or bucket tipping" bad habits. That being said, not all horses are fans of this and prefer the bucket. Blue Line Ponies will always follow the horses lead, as long as it is not harmful.
They have scratching posts, shelter, stimulation aka TOYS, and salt blocks stationed throughout the range. SPOILING THEIR PASTURE PETS IS THE #1 GOAL.
Shelley Hill has retired from 34 years medical where she spent the first 20 years of her career with an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon. She was head assistant in the office's 5 Surgi-Centers and in the OR (she had OR privileges at 6 hospitals in the Atlanta area/suburbs) where they focused on trauma injuries from the neck up. That could involved full facial reconstruction via hip, rib or cranial graft, titanium plates and screws, cadaver bone, or other options. Blue Line Ponies is very serious about having medical emergency procedures in place so both Brian and Shelley are certified in human life saving skills via CPR and trauma PLUS there is a laminated card posted on the stalls that has emergency numbers, each horses history, etc. They have a life saving kit with tourniquet, gauze, coban, quickclot, pressure dressing, Equine colic relief, and a few other life saving items. They also have a good ole' fashioned first aid kit with all the everyday goodies to take care of normal bumps and bruises. That larger kit includes AspirEze +, ointments, Therabalm aka horse clay (this multi-functional product can be used as a poultice to soothe sore legs, relieve tired muscles and back soreness, and as a balm to help heal scratches, cracked heels, abrasions and more), basic dressings, ice packs, and other first aid needs.
There a many beautiful trails not a mile from the Dahlonega range where their ponies can enjoy a change of scenery and get some additional exercise with a rider (if applicable) or even walking beside our outstanding volunteers with a lead.