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Waiting for My Hay... A new school year means changes at the barn for Goldie and his friends.
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by Christy Chajon, Staff Write
hings were very busy at the barn this summer! My riders were here almost every day, and it is quiet now that everyone is back in school. I do miss my human friends, but I will still get to see them in the evenings and on the weekends. Plus, now I have more time to talk to you! We have some other changes here, as well. Some riders have just started and some are moving up to more difficult horses. Let me tell you about a new rider first: Mary has never ridden before, so she will start with Fred. You may remember from a few months ago that Fred takes care of beginning riders. He is nice and
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that’s the way it goes! Michelle will still show me this season, but will move up to a tougher horse to practice on here at home. She will start riding Dolly soon. I’m very proud of Michelle for moving up to Dolly, because that horse is tough. It takes a lot of experience to ride her. Some of the lessexperienced riders get upset if a younger rider gets to ride Dolly before they do, but the instructor knows what she is doing. It’s not about how old or big you are, it’s about how much riding experience you have. So you need to listen to the instructor when it comes to which horse you ride. It doesn’t hurt to ask to ride a tougher horse,
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next season! I’m excited to work with her. She seems like a great girl—she comes out to the barn even when she doesn’t have a lesson, just so she can help out. She has learned a lot about horses by working with them on the ground. The more you know about horses, the better a rider you will be. Ella, of course, is very excited to ride me, but it does make my human friend Michelle a bit sad. She will have to share me now. It is hard for some of the riders to have to share their favorite horse, but
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She has learned a lot about horses by working with them on the ground. The more you know about horses, the better a rider you will be.
calm and will be perfect for Mary to ride while she learns the basics, like how to start, stop, and guide. Once she gets her balance, she will start learning to trot. Fred is really looking forward to helping her learn. He likes teaching beginners the best, since he is getting older and likes to take it easy. Then there is Jenny. She has been riding Fred for a few months now and has learned all of the basic skills, so she is moving up to ride my good friend Barney. He will teach her better balance, and
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how to tell a horse what she wants him to do. You see, Fred took such good care of Jenny that she doesn’t really know how to respond when a horse doesn’t automatically start trotting when she says the word “trot.” Barney will teach Jenny that she has to be firm and really let the horse know she is in charge. He will still baby her a little, but give her a challenge, too. That is why he is so good at what he does! Barney has a current rider, Ella, who will start riding me soon. Ella started riding about a year ago, and she has worked hard to learn how to ride Fred and Barney. Now she is doing so well the instructor told her she will get to show me
but if she says no, don’t pester her about it. She knows what is best for you and the horses. I will miss having everyone around as much, so I hope you work hard in school and get your homework done so you can come see me in the afternoon. Otherwise it will be pretty quiet around here…until dinnertime, anyway. Then all you can hear is me, happily eating my hay! Here it comes now. Talk to you next month! n
