Waukesha County has numerous stables, a topnotch equine horse clinic, Olympian equestrian riders and the only equine management program in the state. Although we could not possibly cover every wonderful horse story in our area, we would like to dedicate the following pages to the talented and educated horse lovers that live in our midst.

The game of polo has taken a prominent position in Waukesha County, with two polo clubs located within its borders. The Milwaukee Polo Club’s home field is located on Highway VV in the town of Merton and the Stone Bank Polo Club’s home is at the Lake Country Event Center in the town of Oconomowoc.

Besides two outdoor fields, Dave Robinson of the Lake Country Event Center built the only indoor polo arena in the area. The arena allows for indoor equestrian activities to take place year round.

Although the club is private, Robinson says that jumping, riding and polo lessons are available to the public.

The center is also unique in that it specializes in holding charitable events for nonprofit organizations.

For more information contact Dave Robinson at (262) 966-3319.

Unlike the Lake Country Event Center, the Milwaukee Polo Club hosts polo matches every week that are open to the public.

The club takes to the grass at the polo grounds, located on Highway VV, two miles east of Hwy. 83 and 3 miles west of Merton.

Polo matches are held every Sunday at 1 p.m. from mid-June to mid-September. The cost is $3 for adults and free for children under 12 except for a few matches that are played to raise money for charity. Then the charity sets the admission price.

For more information about the Milwaukee Polo Club check out the Web site at www.milwaukeepolo.com.

It’s likely you won’t find the next Triple Crown winner among the horses at the Nashotah-based Bil-Bar Farms. But what you will find are "sane-minded horses for amateur racers," says co-owner Barb Knoff. "I don’t breed hot crazies. I breed quiet, nice, well-built, easy to ride, easy to break out, sane horses."

In addition to the breeding services, Barb and her husband, Bill, farm 300 acres and Barb teaches several courses in WCTC’s equine management program.

Knoff got into the breeding business when her children were young. She couldn’t afford the $50,000 plus that it would take to get a horse suitable for hunter-jumper or dressage competitions. So she decided to breed her own. Her successes include a horse that her daughter rode and won dressage awards with.

Now Knoff and her daughter, Sandra, are partners in the breeding/training business. Knoff breeds the horses and Sandra trains them.

The breeding operation is small; Knoff has only three mares. But she’s very picky about who she mates her horses to. "It’s difficult to put the right mare with the right stallion and make sure you’re getting a nice horse as a baby that grows up and meets your goals," she says. "All of the horses we’ve produced have had successful careers."

Knoff breeds her mares herself, using artificial insemination with frozen sperm. All of the sperm comes from warmblood stallions imported to the United States from Europe. "The stallion I’m breeding to now is called Popeye K and he’s worth $750,000," she says. "Just his stud fee alone is $2,500. This is not a cheap sport."

In hunter-jumper and dressage competitions, the horse is as much of an athlete as is the rider. So the quality of the horse is important. For those who simply want a horse to ride the trails of the Kettle Moraine, a $1,000 horse will bring as much pleasure as a more expensive one.

Horses, like humans, have personalities. Some are gentle; others can be downright nasty. Like a recalcitrant child, many high-spirited horses can be tamed using the right behavioral techniques.

Karen Mielke trains horses using a clicker technique. One of her current projects is her own Oldenburg mare named Grace. "She’s 7 years old and a member of the family," says Mielke. Grace is being trained to accompany Mielke in dressage, sort of a "ballet on horseback."

Living in Wauwatosa, Mielke boards her horse at LoRoge Equestrian Center in Mukwonago. Also a member of WCTC’s equine management program faculty, she has taught English and Western training techniques at one of the campuses of the State University of New York.

Mielke’s interest in horses started at a young age. "My grandfather always wanted a horse," she says. "So he bought each of his first grandsons a pregnant pony mare. We had Welsh ponies growing up and my parents threw me on a pony at age 2 and a half."

Attending Cornell University in New York, Mielke trained with a Hungarian riding master who was also the coach for the 1940 Hungarian Olympic team.

Mielke’s teacher focused on how a horse communicated with its rider, which was out of character for the time. "After working with him, I started to research equine behavior more," she explained. "You kind of have to be like Sherlock Holmes in that you have to read a horse’s body language to determine its problem."

Many behavioral problems are aggression-related. Horses that kick, bite, strike and rear are dangerous not only to the rider, but to other horses. "Horses are herd oriented. There is a regular pecking order," says Mielke. "If you don’t follow that order and take a horse lower in the order out of the pen first, the ‘head honcho’ will create problems. The idea is to try to work within the hierarchy to minimize harm to horses and humans."

Watching the energy in the horses at the Kentucky Derby, you’d never think that such an animal could be retrained to work with the disabled. But after they retire from racing, some formerly high-energy horses find their way to therapeutic riding centers like LifeStriders in the town of Delafield, Ranch Community Services in Menomonee Falls or Avalon Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Watertown. There, after some training, they start a new career as facilitators of behavioral and physical change.

The nonprofit organizations offer disabled children, youth and adults opportunities to work with and ride horses. Disabilities run the gamut from physical and psychological to cognitive. And the scope of services is tailored to the needs of the individual clients. "For example, with clients with cerebral palsy or autism, we try to decrease the maladaptive behaviors," says Veronica Sosa Agnoli, LifeStriders’ executive director.

The field of therapeutic riding or equine-assisted therapy began in Europe during the 1960s. The Western perspective of the program believes that when you sit on a horse, its spine is arranged like the human spine. "As the horse walks, it will move your body as if you’re walking correctly," says Jody Schuenemann, director of the riding arena at Ranch. The activity tones and stretches the muscles and improves balance.

The Eastern perspective believes that a horse is an animal of prey and needs to gather itself and be ready to move at a moment’s notice. To do this, the animal’s "organized structure" provides emotional organization through its body. "You feel centered and structured when you get off the horse," she adds. Thus riding is beneficial for those with emotional or cognitive challenges.

Riding can help treat conditions as varied as strokes, autism and developmental delays. Each individual is matched with a horse that’s appropriate for their needs. "Each horse gives the rider different input," says Schuenemann. "And not every horse does every program."

"Not any horse can be a therapy horse," adds Sosa Agnoli. "They have to have a particular temperament and not spook easily."

One thing Sosa Agnoli hopes to bring to LifeStriders is to work with premature babies and infants. She’s previously treated babies with hypertonia, a condition where they’re unable to get out of the fetal position. After laying the baby on top of a pad on the horse’s back, the horse is walked slowly. The combination of the rocking movement and the animal’s warmth helps loosen the baby’s muscles so it’s able to stretch out. Others have reflex delays or won’t latch on.

All of the horses at both LifeStriders and Ranch have been donated to the organizations. "We have an ex-racehorse and an ex-polo pony," says Schuenemann. The 12 horses in the Ranch stables include Arabians, quarter horses and Norwegian fjords. LifeStriders has an Appaloosa, a Thoroughbred and a quarter horse among their herd of five with more to come. Both groups offer riding lessons for the general public. Ranch has also designed programs for Girl Scouts, school groups and birthday parties.

To learn more about the field of therapeutic riding or to schedule a lesson, call LifeStriders at (262) 565-6124; www.lifestriders.org, Ranch Community Services at (262) 251-8670; www.ranchwi.org. or Avalon Therapeutic Equestrian Center at (920) 206-1148.