In praise of the school pony

True story from one of Lily's riding teachers, whom I'll call "Teresa" because that's not even close to her name:

Teresa has a big farm that can host horse trials and just about anything else. She's also got a string of school ponies that couldn't win a ribbon in a horse show unless they were the only horses in the class, but are some of the best riding teachers around.

One day she was taking a class of beginners on a trail ride where they would play the game, "Pass the Stick." (She probably has a better name for it but I can't remember.) This game makes walking through the woods fun and helps children work on steering the horse and developing their balance. Here's how you play: Teresa gives the first child in a line a flexible stick or pine branch and tells this child to find a place to put it (such as on the low-hanging branch of a tree) so that the next child can pick it up. The next child puts it on a tree limb and it goes on down the line.

This game is challenging if you aren't great at steering your horse. This was Dora's problem. Dora, a tiny girl with long blond hair, compensated by stretching out as far as she could from the horse she was riding to the tree branch where the stick was perched. Dora stretched and stretched. Dora stretched too far and hit the ground. The line of school ponies stopped. For some reason, Dora was lying on the ground under her horse, rolling back and forth and laughing. The other children steered their horses nearby, almost encircling her, and they were laughing, too.

Teresa calmly called out, "Dora, honey, get out from under the horse, please."

Dora kept laughing and yelled back, "I can't." All the children were laughing now, and Dora kept rolling.

Teresa didn't like the scene. The child was under the horse. Her school ponies are good, but they are still horses. "Dora, honey, I said for you to get out from under that horse!" Teresa was riding as quickly as she could toward Dora, but she didn't dare trot or do anything that might make Dora's horse or the other school ponies move.

"I can't!" Dora called back, still laughing and rolling and still smack dab under the horse.

Teresa, who is immensely calm, was beginning to lose her calm. "Dora, right now, get out from under the horse."

Dora didn't move other than to keep rolling and laughing.

Teresa finally got close enough to hop off of her horse and grab Dora's horse's bridle, "Dora, get out of from under that horse!!!!"

Dora kept laughing. All the children were laughing. Dora said, "I can't! He's standing on my hair."

Bless him. That school pony never took a step. Teresa lifted up his front foot and freed Dora's hair.

Comments

[risingrainbow]

Oh my, I can just see this. Such a good pony! Now that is priceless.

[Anne]

Where do they get these good horses? Truly, they are the ones the rest of us would overlook.

I'm so interested in the work you are doing with your Arabian at your web site. You have your hands full -- she's even afraid of grass!

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to reading more about your horses at your web site.

[mehorsie]

sorry, i didn't have time to read all of the posts, but this one was funny! i was laughing while reading it! i can imagine being there and laughing my head off! thanks for a great laugh!
Mehorsie
p.s. in case you forget who i am, you commented on my blog at www.brunette84120.blogspot.com. thanks!