Girl Guides Spring Edition
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My plans to ride were quickly erased this weekend. Friday morning I learned we had Girl Guides coming on Saturday. There was to be a group in the morning and one in the afternoon. I immediately felt tired. It’s not the kids themselves. They are usually excited, although tentative. It’s the slow walking I knew I would be doing, around, and around the arena.
Until we know how well the kids can ride, we make sure all the horses have a side walker. The horses are unlikely to do anything. The opposite is often true. If it weren’t for the person leading the horse, most of them would just ignore the rider and do nothing. My mare would be very happy to stand in the middle of the arena with someone draped over her back. She actually clued in that if my mother walked into the arena as I was riding, she’d grind to a halt, because she knew a lengthy chat would follow and she didn’t need to do anything but be a big comfy chair. Since I realized what she was doing, I make a point of just saying ‘hi mom’ and trotting on.
Related: Girl Guides First Horse Encounter
As it turned out, there were less than half the number of girls than we anticipated, and only about two and a half hours of lessons. All the girls were between the ages of eight and twelve, and none could actually ride. The morning was really a pony ride, with some instructions thrown in. That’s okay, because this group was from downtown Toronto. Just being in a barn and getting up close to the horses was a really big deal.
Whenever I am doing this sort of thing, I always remember the saying ‘more is taught then caught’. Because I was at some points leading a horse and 'instructing'. I couldn’t keep my eyes on everyone as they went around, and I wasn’t able to speak directly to anyone as I could if I were in the middle. I’m sure there were several times when I was being completely ignored. All had competent side walkers however, so they all got a bit of one-on-one coaching.
It’s sometimes hard to tell if the girls are having fun or not. While they’re on the horse, they look so somber and serious. Often they need to be reminded to smile and breathe. While they certainly won’t learn to ride in that short time, it would be nice to have them at least looking like they're glad to be up there.
The girls had an extra treat this time around, because my sister decided to fill up her trailer with critters and bring them over. Besides interacting with the horses, they were able to hug and play with chickens, an orphan lamb, a baby miniature donkey, a goat and of course the family Jack Russells who love to put on a show. One of the leaders was enraptured by a rooster who fell asleep in her arms. Sometimes the leaders want to ride, but apparently this time holding chickens was enough.
I like to give my girl a day off after she has to carry unbalanced, floppy riders for a few hours. But tomorrow she should be all rested up!
I’d like your opinion. If you have only a half and hour or so to ‘teach’ someone about horses and riding, what’s the most important thing you’d like them to remember? |
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