What do you think?
The more I teach the more I notice that youngsters who get involved with riding and horses are such lovely kids. They have such different attitudes to their non-horsey counter-parts: Most of them are polite, respectful and value the things that seem to be lost in so many children nowadays: The love for nature, caring, responsibility and joy in "small" things - like the smell of freshly cut hay!
I just had to write this because this little girl answered my question as to why she was sitting on a bale of hay with a big smile with: "Well I WOULD LIKE (!) to smell like this - it's better than Mum's perfume and Sam will love it" (that's her pony). Then she excused (!) herself and ran off to check on "Sam" who "needed to be brushed, so he feels good".
(She is 9 y.o.) cute.
That is so sweet! I think that the fact that kids are having to look after another living being that is reliant on them teaches them a lot more responsibility and compassion.
I sprung mine tonight sitting beside a feed bin talking to a little chestnut fellow and telling him how sweet he was and it was awful to have this hot weather. She was then seen using a sponge to clean around his eyes and nostrils......I was in a shed a little ways off and she did not know I was there.
Then as I was helping her put them out tonight a bay fellow came up to barge through and she put her arm across his chest and in no uncertain terms told him he was to reverse and go into the paddock. All the time keeping eye contact with him.
PS. She also soundly kissed and hugged both boys before saying goodnight.......:-)
PPS. She has told me she will never get married because she does not want to share her love of her horses........:-)
....and I like her wisdom.
Kissing horses "good night" is also one of my weaknesses.... resulting in beard-like discolourations on face. This should "fix" any prospective husbands...
-it helps here.
I'm full of warm fuzzies reading about your "kids".
Most of my students are great, but I have come across the occassional spoilt brat who considers their horse or pony to be a show ribbon magnet, who beats it up witht the crop, throws tanties, dosn't ride the horse between shows and dosn't understand why they didn't win. Must be the ponies fault, so now it's for sale.
Churned me up in inside. Can anyone lend me the money to buy this absolutely gorgeous talented little pony? He deserves better.
Hi Annette,
Know what you mean saw a kid throwing a massive temper tantrum at a show one day and lashing the crop into her lovely little pony. I was stood with my hand itching but obviously mum had had enough and pulled kid off pony and wrapped crop around kids bum!!! Kid screamed blue murder, but was frog marched back to the float with instructions never to do that to the pony again........justice me thinks.....:-)
By the way I also have a gorgeous pony for sale thru no fault of his own, rider outgrown, if interested please feel free to contact me. Good safe allrounder.
Hi Deb,
Well I wish the mother was like the one you described. Unfortunately mother sides with the kid, and kid gets whatever she wants.
I'm actually not in the market for a pony, I'm just feeling very sad for a particular pony who has had a bit of a rough time. Because of his owners ego's, he is now for sale. I'd love to buy him because he is such a special little guy, but I can't spend the money. I just hope that he finds a good home, with some little girl who would love him to pieces.
