However, somehow Maya caught horse fever after a week at Girl Scout Day Camp this summer. Now, mind you, she did not ride at camp. She did not even visit with horses. There were a couple girls in her group that split off once a day to do the riding program, and Maya lamented that she was not among them. We finished the summer by visiting a couple county fairs where they only wanted to spend time in the horse aisles (or the snack stands). I did note that they were not at all interested in watching other 4-H children compete in the ring. Maya and Genna were strictly drawn to petting horses (that didn't look likely to bite).
In August, after a visit to the Kentucky Horse Park, there was an intriguing ad on Craigslist. A woman in Otsego (25 minutes away) had a herd of 8 horses, 7 mares and one stallion. Having 2 small children of her own, she had too many horses and too little time to work with them. She was offering some of them for on-site leases, where she would maintain all care responsibilities and for a reasonable monthly fee, the leasee could ride, pet and groom to their hearts content. This was a group of AQHA mares at various levels of training and ride-ability. We were matched up with Annie, who's small frame from being at the bottom of the herd's pecking order, was better suited to child-size riders. She was broke enough and had some "halter showing experience". She was going to fit the bill to teach the girls some walk, trot, canter. After I got the OK from the owner to use my Hunt Seat tack, we agreed to a 3 month trial for Sep-Nov.
We had enough time to go see the horses about once a week. While we discussed having the girls experience some of the barn chores, there really wasn't much of that since the horses were field-kept, had automatic waterers, and their round bales were delivered by tractor.
We started our sessions with grooming followed by a 20-30 minute lesson for each girl, and wrapped it up with doling out treats all around. Of course there were some things the girls couldn't do like saddling, bridling, hoof-picking, and reaching the high parts of grooming. Then slowly, Maya began to lose interest in the part of the grooming routine she could help with. She preferred to play with the other horses lazing in the pasture, while Genna entertained the cat with the end of the lunge line or entertained herself on the family's swingset.
Their lessons made the cycle of being nervous, to being bored at not going faster. Wanting to trot and canter, then regressing to not wanting to leave the lunge line. Annie was rideable, but not one of those dead-broke, affable, lesson ponies. She had her moody times and required a lot of leg to maintain any speed or not cut corners. Eventually she got some bad habits that the girls weren't strong enough to overcome (like leaving the lesson "ring" area and going behind the barn). Then after a spooking incident where a tarped boat trailer was parked in a new location, Maya never really got her mind back into the game. I rode Annie a couple times, but as she was too small for an adult rider, we didn't really get along. She certainly wan't pleased with the contrast of my authoritativeness versus a child's weight and hand.
To top things off, and really turn their stomachs, there was that one time where the outing to the barn with an amiga ended with a trip to the emergency room after said amiga took a header off the hay bales and required 2 stitches in the eyebrow.
So after 3 months, I broke things off with the owner and I think it's safe to say we dodged an expensive bullet with the horse business.... meanwhile I am left daydreaming with the Chronicle of the Horse and USEF in my FB newsfeed.
 |
| The Ladies |
We had enough time to go see the horses about once a week. While we discussed having the girls experience some of the barn chores, there really wasn't much of that since the horses were field-kept, had automatic waterers, and their round bales were delivered by tractor.
We started our sessions with grooming followed by a 20-30 minute lesson for each girl, and wrapped it up with doling out treats all around. Of course there were some things the girls couldn't do like saddling, bridling, hoof-picking, and reaching the high parts of grooming. Then slowly, Maya began to lose interest in the part of the grooming routine she could help with. She preferred to play with the other horses lazing in the pasture, while Genna entertained the cat with the end of the lunge line or entertained herself on the family's swingset.
Their lessons made the cycle of being nervous, to being bored at not going faster. Wanting to trot and canter, then regressing to not wanting to leave the lunge line. Annie was rideable, but not one of those dead-broke, affable, lesson ponies. She had her moody times and required a lot of leg to maintain any speed or not cut corners. Eventually she got some bad habits that the girls weren't strong enough to overcome (like leaving the lesson "ring" area and going behind the barn). Then after a spooking incident where a tarped boat trailer was parked in a new location, Maya never really got her mind back into the game. I rode Annie a couple times, but as she was too small for an adult rider, we didn't really get along. She certainly wan't pleased with the contrast of my authoritativeness versus a child's weight and hand.
To top things off, and really turn their stomachs, there was that one time where the outing to the barn with an amiga ended with a trip to the emergency room after said amiga took a header off the hay bales and required 2 stitches in the eyebrow.
So after 3 months, I broke things off with the owner and I think it's safe to say we dodged an expensive bullet with the horse business.... meanwhile I am left daydreaming with the Chronicle of the Horse and USEF in my FB newsfeed.
