North American Pony Trainer 2020 team, Domina Jenn and Tromper Bluroan, all our love goes out to you.

We want everyone to know that we have extended Travel Funds for all the postponed and cancelled events they were scheduled to Present at this year to be available for when these events occur again. They are a fabulous Pony/Trainer team, and deserve the opportunity to have their full say on Pony Play. The Covid-19 pandemic has altered some of their plans. However, these plans are POSTPONED, not cancelled. We know Domina and Tromper will do great things once the Cons start up again and it is safe for them to travel!

We were delighted to see Tromper via video chat this week. We are having our video chats using https://meet.jit.si/ (“Jitsi” rhymes with “bitsy”) which is good because it is free and you do not need to sign up for an account to join.

We are still accepting applications for North American Pony 2021… at least until the end of the month! You must complete and send your application form with all attachments and fee by May 31st, 2020 at 11:59 PM if you would like to compete.

You can buy tickets to the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equus-international-pony-play-event-tickets-84458131545

A reminder that this event will provide masks for anyone who attends. We MUST ensure a safe event for our wonderful ponies, trainers, friends, and community. Thanks to everyone for being safe and kind.

Hey everyone! We had a great IN-PERSON hangout at Griffith Park this week! It was good to see your faces. Or at least, half of them. Everyone wore their masks and maintained their distance. We are very proud of ourselves for demonstrating and practicing the most up-to-date recommendations.

This is also very good because we are all looking forward to Equus in August, and knowing that everyone can follow the rules, we are confident in our ability to have a safe and fun event. CLICK HERE for more information about EQUUS, including the event location and a link to buy tickets.

Here’s some exciting news that was revealed at our last playdate. This year we are including a new event: jousting.

You definitely won’t want to miss it!

We try to keep EQUUS fresh and exciting every year. If you have an idea, let us know! The only thing we are limited by is our safety and our imaginations. If we can adapt an activity to do safely, then we are always enthusiastic to try!

As many of you know, our governor is taking steps to open up California slowly and carefully. We have been closely following official guidelines to ensure the safety of our group during these difficult times.

Our May play date is Saturday, May 16, Noon to 3 p.m. in Kenneth Hahn Park – Olympic Forest. We feel that our emotional, mental and spiritual health it is important to gather this Saturday. There are more aspects to one’s well being than just physical safety.  We need each other, we need to be seen, heard and known.  We need to do it correctly and safely.

LA County has begun reopening parks while requiring visitors to practice social distancing. Remember that opportunities to visit parks depend on Angelino’s dedication to acting safely to prevent transmission. If we’re irresponsible, infections will go up and parks will be closed. When we go out, we’ve always had a high burden to represent ourselves well, so we have practice being safe and setting a good example for those who see us.

As usual we will be meeting in the grassy area of the park called “Olympic Forest,” which is past the Japanese gardens.

Here are some resources and some guidelines below for staying safe:
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area [lacounty.gov]
COVID-19 Safety Guidelines [lacounty.gov]

* Do not visit public trails and trailheads if feeling sick and/or exhibiting any symptoms of illness.
* Physical distancing of 6 feet always required. No group gathering allowed on trails or in the parking lot.
* Everyone needs a face covering at the trailhead/parking lots and on any trails where there are other groups of people nearby.
* Avoid popular locations that are prone to crowds.
* Alert trail users of your presence and step aside to let others pass.
* Bring water, hand sanitizer, and/or disinfecting wipes to wash or sanitize hands frequently.* Wash hands when leaving and entering the house, and avoid touching surfaces or ones’ face while out.

It is supposed to be nice and sunny, with 50% humidity and above 80 degrees. PLEASE do remember your masks if you come!! Also, please remember it is $6 cash to enter the park on Saturday, and a $10 donation to the LAPCC to participate.

Stay safe!

Hello darlings!

Since we’re all craving a bit of extra social interaction, we have added more “virtual playdates” to our calendar. Last Saturday we had a second April hangout, with 8 members joining us!

Many people asked about EQUUS. EQUUS is scheduled to be in held 14-16 August and at this time, it is still 100% happening. Safety is one of our top priorities, so as we get closer to the event date, we will provide more details. Currently, expect for EQUUS to be held in August, as planned. We will have strict policies on social distancing, disinfectant use, and mask wearing, to be determined closer to the event, to keep everyone healthy.

Thank you for your support, and stay tuned for more virtual playdates!

Although we’d certainly all rather be outside, Google Hangouts is proving to be the next best thing! Two days ago, we were able to hang out with one another safely, online, from noon until 3 p.m. online. We had 8-10 people join us from the comfort and safety of their homes. We will likely be doing this again next week. Please contact us if you want the link!

Thanks to Trainer Pollux for coordinating our virtual playdate, and for the attendees for attending! We are all in need of some social interaction and it was wonderful to see each other’s faces. We will meet in person soon. Remember to wear your masks and wash your hands (or hooves, or paws!)

Hello to our dearest kinky and fun folks! We hope you’re all safe at home and keeping a stiff upper lip in these difficult times.

Here is something to look forward to:

We have made reservations for the Fall Fox Hunt, this October!

Camping will be held on the first weekend of October, from Friday October 2nd at 2 pm through Sunday October 4th at noon.

The Hunt itself will take place on Saturday, October 3rd, beginning at 10 a.m. Usually we are finished with the Hunt by 3 p.m., at which time we share a celebratory feast!

Location: Rose Valley Campground in Los Padres National Forest. We have reserved campsites 2-5, as well as 7 and 9.

We know you’re all experiencing cabin fever and are looking forward to going outside once it’s safe! Until then, remember: ponies can do yoga in their homes!

In the meantime, our playdates are being held ONLINE! Join us this weekend for a Virtual Playdate on April 18th at noon. We will be using Google Hangouts. Please contact us on Facebook for a link, or send us a message if you don’t have access to Facebook. Andrew (Trainer Pollux) will be hosting.

Dearest kinky and fun folks,

Instead of canceling our April playdate, we will now host it online over Google Hangouts. In order to join, please respond and RSVP by providing or confirming your Gmail account. Andrew (Trainer Pollux) will start the online meeting at 12 noon on Saturday, April 18th and invite all participants who have RSVP’d. If you are not friends with us on Facebook or Yahoo, contact us directly so we can get you in contact with Andrew! This is an especially good opportunity for new or shy pets to introduce themselves. Just because we’re quarantined doesn’t mean we can’t adapt!

If you’ve never used Google Hangouts or would like to test out your connection please let us know and Andrew will contact you to help you perform a test meeting beforehand to make sure you have no trouble joining our online playdate on April 18th.

If you’re looking for other ways to experience petplay online, check out Wolfe Academy. Wolfe Academy is not directly affiliated with the LAPCC, but they are, like us, Los Angeles-based, friends of Sanctuary LAX, and we cross paths often. We recommend and support their contributions to petplay in SoCal!

Link to the FB page for the Pup/Handler 101 class: https://www.facebook.com/events/829287640906978/

Link to the FB page for the Becoming and Knowing Your Animal class: https://www.facebook.com/events/922997661465145/

Stay safe, stay strong, and stay positive!

Happy National Puppy Day, everyone! Did you know March 23rd is National Puppy Day? Well, now you do!

Here in Los Angeles we are under a “shelter in place” order, so for the foreseeable future, our spring events are canceled (including the Puppy Olympics at the Off Sunset Festival, and the Spring Cart Romp). But now’s a fine time to practice at-home pupping!

Here are some links to help you stay safe:

https://corona-virus.la/

http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pag

In the meantime, you can find us on social media, being social! Our Facebook group is ALWAYS open and you can contact us there if you have any questions about event changes and cancellations.

Have a Happy National Puppy Day!