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by Dennis Bright There is something magical about children and horses. The wide eyed look of wonder as the child touches a horse for the first time and the smile that always seems to follow. It is these special moments that I've truly come to treasure. We recently hosted a field trip for the Gilroy Headstart Pre-School program here at the Bright Ranch. I'll never forget the sight of the big yellow school bus as it parked at the end of our long private driveway and the forty plus preschoolers and parents as they came walking up to the barn, the children were so excited to be out in the country and around horses. For the majority of the children this was their first time on a ranch and their enthusiasm was contagious. We offered a hands on program for the kids, they were able to pet Rosie the red hen and discover her nest of eggs in the hay stack. We brought out Jenny our donkey for the children to brush. And I gave a brief demonstration on how take care of a horse along with some fun stories. The program director, Velma Ferguson did a wonderful job of organizing the day and translating my words to Spanish for the children. The following week we were visited by a Morgan Hill cub scout troop. The boys were a lot of fun and I spent the first twenty minutes answering questions as fast as I could. Once the program started they settled down and really took an interest in the horse care lecture where they learned how to feed, water, groom and even how to properly clean a stall. The highlight for the scouts was the impromptu straw fight they started while they were spreading the bedding. The main message of the day was responsibility for the care of a horse and team-work, helping each other accomplish the task at hand. The cub scouts had a terrific time and we certainly enjoyed their visit. While I'm on the subject of children I thought I would share some of my thoughts about the issue of safety in regards to children and horses. The first thing that I require of our youth students is that they wear a helmet whenever they ride. When children are first learning how to ride they are especially vulnerable to head injuries as their balance and coordination are still in the developmental stages. Parents often call and ask when is a good age for their child to start learning how to ride. The old school of thought was the sooner the better, in my opinion the soonest a child should be allowed to ride is between eight and ten years of age, and that depends on their physical coordination and confidence. I know some people would disagree with me but the truth is how much is your child's safety worth. The other issue that comes up is the parent who wants to put their child in a lesson program and the child would rather be playing baseball or soccer and it's really the parent who would like to go and take lessons. That's why we are very selective about the youth students we accept it has to be the child's desire to ride in order for the lessons to be successful. Lately we've been getting a lot of calls from parents wanting to buy a horse for their children. The first thing they ask for is a safe and gentle kids horse and they want to spend under a thousand dollars. Unfortunately the horse market today is such that it is almost impossible to find that combination. That is due to the long recession the horse economy has been in and the high international horse meat prices, combine those two market forces and you'll find very few low priced horses. What you will find in that price range are untrained young horses and problem horses none of which are suitable for children. My question to the parents again is how much is your child's safety worth. What I recommend for the parents who can afford to do so is to invest in a well trained sound honest horse for your children the cost for a horse like that will be somewhere between $2500-$3500. I know that sounds like a lot of money but that's the market reality today. The good news is that if and when you do decide to sell your horse you should easily be able to sell it for what you paid for it. Last modified: Sunday, July 28, 2002 |
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