I operated a riding school for a decade and some of my fondest memories were not of the lessons for competitive riders on expensive warmbloods, quarter horses, etc., but of the days when I would organise the school horses and ponies for "Own a Horse Days".
Own A Horse Days involved a whole bunch of kids turning up and pretending to own one of the school horses for the day. How sweet! you may think, but I can assure you, whilst I now look back and smile, I swear those days aged me 10 years!
Let me set the scene, 12 suburban children and/or adolescence, who had never been near a horse, are going to "own" one. Now this is not like pretending to own a pet lamb for the day! Despite my horses being very well behaved, they had big feet and sharp teeth and young fragile humans can be … well fragile!
The day would start with each child telling us about themselves and what school they went to, etc., whilst their adoring parents looked on. During this little introduction, I would quietly calculate how much noise each parent would make if their darling child came home with a bruise or two. As there was also a pool on the property, I would confer with each parent about their child's ability to swim and or allergies, anxieties, etc. It could be quite alarming to find out their child was not only unable to swim, but also asthmatic and afraid of animals!! It happened on more than one occasion.
With parents back in their cars and away, it was time to run through our first session for the day "safety around horses". A subject I know like the back of my hand and as natural as walking. Hmmmm, except when you are trying to contain the enthusiasm of 12 new "owners". I remember the time, I hadn't even had a chance to mention "safety" or "how to approach a horse", when 12 youngsters took off like cut cats, whooping with joy, towards the tethered horses. Any horse person reading this will know exactly what happened. Yes, I had horses breaking ropes, rearing up in panic and stampeding towards the gate!!!! As 12 stunned children came to a halt, I gave a calm (on the outside only) speech about how horses are prey animals and should always be approached quietly and calmly. This speech being given whilst my horse savvy helpers cursed and rounded up 12 snorting, sweaty horses.
With such brilliants starts like this, it was remarkable my lovely school horses were so cool and calm for the next session. Although my outer demeanour gave a different impression, my insides were often rattled!
Finally, we would arrive at our "first" session… How to approach a horse! Quietly and calmly we would stand and discuss how the horse saw the world, blind spots and where it was safe to put our feet and fingers. Keeping an eye on 12 excitable kids is quite an art and spotting one inspecting a horse's belly before she was stood on, required exceptional peripheral vision.
I must admit, it was with some relief when I finally had all 12 mounted for the "games". Whilst to some it might appear these kids would be safer on the ground, it actually wasn't the case. Horse people instinctively move around horses and keep themselves safe. It's almost like a sixth sense in that you can "feel" what the horse is going to do next. Not so with non horse people, both kids and adults. They get themselves stood on, knocked over, bitten and then accuse the horse of being vicious or taking a personal dislike to them. However, I am digressing from my story.. All the horses knew the "games" by heart and my verbal cues could direct them where to go, when to stop, when to slow down and yes, all that added up to stress free fun (especially for me) It also meant I could decide who won the game and thereby let every kid win at something!
Interestingly, a number of those first time "own a horse day" kids went on to become competitive riders, with two competing at a high level nationally. I wonder at what point they began to notice the subtle clues and changes of weight that saw them evolve from raw beginners to intuitive horse women who naturally moved to keep their fingers, toes and other bits safe! Next story will be about the Adult's social mornings… they were very funny!
