
2 minute read
Waiting for My Hay
STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH Waiting for My Hay...
Goldie introduces readers to the other horses in the barn.
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Hello again! It’s Goldie, and I want to tell you about my friends here in the barn – until my hay gets here, of course. I’ll start with the horse in the stall to my left.
His name is Fred, and he is older than the other horses. Fred is a lesson horse like me, but he usually has the younger riders. He takes very good care of them, and is patient when they mess up. Horses are supposed to do what the rider tells them, but since Fred’s riders aren’t very good at communicating yet, he does what the instructor says to do. When she says “walk”, he walks, and when she says
“whoa”, he stops. Fred knows his stuff! Fred also gives a lot of lunge lessons, which are good for the older riders, because it helps them with their balance. Since
Fred is so popular, the instructor has to monitor how much exercise he gets every day. Fred is probably the hardest working horse in the whole barn. The horse across the hallway is the opposite of Fred. Her name is Dolly and she is a young horse. Dolly is very inexperienced and needs riders who have ridden a long time. She doesn’t know how to take care of a rider yet, so the older riders are teaching her. Dolly is hot-headed and even bucks sometimes, which is very naughty behavior, but it does teach you to ride! Some riders ask to ride Dolly before they are experienced enough, and sometimes they get upset when the instructor says no. She says no for their own good, of course – she knows Dolly is a lot to handle and might hurt someone who didn’t know what they were doing. Dolly is also hard to work with in the stall. She tends to dance around while she is getting brushed, and she has a lot of ticklish spots. The instructor doesn’t let the little riders even go into Dolly’s stall!
There is a little pony that lives beside Dolly. The pony’s name is Nutmeg, and she is really cute. You would think that a little pony would be perfect for the younger riders, since they are all short, but no! Nutmeg, like most ponies, can be a bit naughty. She likes to nibble on rider’s coats and has been known to run off with a rider or two. She does like to go out and eat grass, though, so a lot of the young riders get to take her out to graze. They all enjoy that.
The horse to my right is Barney. He is another lesson horse – solid and reliable. When riders are ready to step up from Fred, they start riding Barney. He knows what to do and almost always does what the rider says to do. Barney and I often work with the same riders.
I have more motion than Barney does. That means I pick my feet up higher than he does. It also means I am more bouncy than Barney! Not to brag, but I am a better show horse. The riders
Photo: Karen Robertson
by Christy Chajon, Contributor