Kids connecting with Horses

We always open our home to kids to learn from the horses. Right now there are 4 homeschool families that come regulary to learn about horsemanship. These lucky kids all have mom's who clean the paddock so they can ride and learn about horses. Some remarkable things have been going on with all the kids.

My youngest has just turned 3. When her mom first called she thought that I would say no because her daughter was too young. How could I say that when Scout got her pony and started riding at 3 weeks old! She was so shy at first. Only mom could side walk and she never spoke to me. Now, 6 months later, she rides without needing a sidewalker, Mom stays behind with her little brother and she talks non stop to me as we travel along the trail.

There is an only child, a preteen. She is shy and keeps to herself. She does however have a great love of animals. She reminds me most of myself. She has the best intuition of all of them, the lightest hands. She is developing a lot more confidence in herself and her abilities.

There are two sisters, my newest. The older one is always thinking of her younger sister. When asked what she wants she always says "what ever my sister wants, she is the one who is horse crazy". We can't forget about their older brother who comes each week and helps clean so his sisters can ride.

The brother and sister who ride together, one leading , the other riding and then they switch. There used to be frustrating times and yelling at each other...not always the teamwork we would like. One day we spoke about how they thought the pony was feeling when there is yelling or tension. They realized what was happening. The changes in them since have been remarkable. The siblings work together, stay calm, problem solve as a team and remind me that they must stay relaxed for the good of the pony.

We are really happy that we are able to offer other children the opportunity to experience the horses. It gives us so much joy to see how much they grow and to see them learn the connections that are possible with the horses.