Horse course…
This is the fourth and last installment in our "Monday morning sessions", at least for now.
I asked our younger daughter her impressions of her horse course sessions, and here's what she narrated for me to share with you...
During my horse course, we’ve been learning everything there is to know about horses, things like the body parts of a horse, all the different types of horses and how to ride a horse.
We’ve learned how to walk, trot and canter with our legs, riding western style.
The teacher brought halters, lead ropes, saddles, bridles, and brushes. We had to know what each one was, how to use them, how to take them apart and clean them. We began by just taking a partner instead of a real horse to use halters and lead one another around the gym.
Our daughter is to the right with the ponytail
Our teacher and her husband made a barrel horse, called "Blues". She used the barrel on it’s stand so we could each use the saddle and sit on it (though I already knew how). She taught us (while on “Blues”) to steer a horse.
She taught to do the western knot, (a big and long girth), that goes under their belly to make the saddle stay on the horse..
Sometimes the teacher wears fancy horse riding show clothing. She wears clothes for living on a ranch, including cowboy hats, cowboy boots and she showed us her spurs.
We were taught to use a hoof picker, so all the students had to show her how to use them and tell what they were for.
The teacher told us all about what horse shows are for, what to do with the horse, how to show it, the importance of how everything has to look nice including the rider’s clothing.
The saddle, halter, and bridle have to be buffed to shine. The rider has to be dressed with fancy shirts and hats. The horse’s mane must be braided and brushed to a shine too.
I am enjoying this horse course and I’m learning a lot more than I already knew before. We still have two more weeks to go yet.
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