Ginger moves to SPR full time
A week ago Friday was Ginger's last day at her 'old' job. She'd been with Thermo Electron for.. well - longer than we've known her. I think that is actually where I met Ginger first. I was consulting with a guy in their IT department and I peripherally met her then. Then we found out we lived in the same condo association. Then she found out I volunteered for the Colorado Horse Rescue... and the rest is history.
The reason for the timing is that Summer Horsemanship Camps started at Sun Pony last week. Camp runs for 5 days at a time, 9:30 to 2:30. We have planned to accept up to 12 kids at a time. Last week we had 6, and this week we're set for 7. I think she's glad to not start out absolutley full, but still with enough kids to form 2 groups.
The kids double up and share a horse. They ride in the morning, do ground work and other stuff, then do some fun activity in the afternoon, like trying out bareback riding, or English riding, etc. On Friday they hold a little show for parents. They spend much of the day getting the horses all spiffied up - braiding manes and tails, etc. And then they do a demonstration ride. Well, last Friday it was pouring down rain. So they did their demo ride indoors.
We've never had three horses mounted up in our indoor area before - note we call it an indoor area and not arena because it plain old isn't big enough really to ride. BUT - in a pinch it's come out very handy. An considering that one of our student's mothers pointed out to us this weekend that it has rained for each of the last 8 Saturdays in a row... we've been in a pinch more often than not it seems!
Anyways, no good pictures from this week's show - maybe next week. Dave did grab a few on Wednesday... but really looks like the dozens of other lesson pictures we've posted before so I won't bother you with these.
A very interesting outcome from our first week of camp, however, is that several of our horses are clearly enjoying the benefits of being fawned over for hours at a time. Jordan has always been ear shy, and doesn't like to be bridled. He and I basically had a good understanding and thus had no issues over bridling any more. But then he had a series of several unfortunate experineces with some of our students, and he reverted to being VERY phobic. So we were doing all his bridling. Well - unbenownst to anyone, on Friday his camper decided to not wait and bridled him by her self. Then she did this again later in the day. This is impressive - particularly considering she's 10 and not tall enough to reach his head if he chose to raise it like he often does for bridling. Likewise, Shoni is also shy about being petted and approached. Yet within a week of the girls loving on her we can see a difference in her reaction.
Of course I miss out on all of this fun - I may have to take a few days off to help out. After basically spending zero time in the barn last week, this week we've got some chores more evently split so that I will continue to do some barn stuff in the mornings before I go to work. It was really disorienting last week having no barn chores to do!
The reason for the timing is that Summer Horsemanship Camps started at Sun Pony last week. Camp runs for 5 days at a time, 9:30 to 2:30. We have planned to accept up to 12 kids at a time. Last week we had 6, and this week we're set for 7. I think she's glad to not start out absolutley full, but still with enough kids to form 2 groups.
The kids double up and share a horse. They ride in the morning, do ground work and other stuff, then do some fun activity in the afternoon, like trying out bareback riding, or English riding, etc. On Friday they hold a little show for parents. They spend much of the day getting the horses all spiffied up - braiding manes and tails, etc. And then they do a demonstration ride. Well, last Friday it was pouring down rain. So they did their demo ride indoors.
We've never had three horses mounted up in our indoor area before - note we call it an indoor area and not arena because it plain old isn't big enough really to ride. BUT - in a pinch it's come out very handy. An considering that one of our student's mothers pointed out to us this weekend that it has rained for each of the last 8 Saturdays in a row... we've been in a pinch more often than not it seems!
Anyways, no good pictures from this week's show - maybe next week. Dave did grab a few on Wednesday... but really looks like the dozens of other lesson pictures we've posted before so I won't bother you with these.
A very interesting outcome from our first week of camp, however, is that several of our horses are clearly enjoying the benefits of being fawned over for hours at a time. Jordan has always been ear shy, and doesn't like to be bridled. He and I basically had a good understanding and thus had no issues over bridling any more. But then he had a series of several unfortunate experineces with some of our students, and he reverted to being VERY phobic. So we were doing all his bridling. Well - unbenownst to anyone, on Friday his camper decided to not wait and bridled him by her self. Then she did this again later in the day. This is impressive - particularly considering she's 10 and not tall enough to reach his head if he chose to raise it like he often does for bridling. Likewise, Shoni is also shy about being petted and approached. Yet within a week of the girls loving on her we can see a difference in her reaction.
Of course I miss out on all of this fun - I may have to take a few days off to help out. After basically spending zero time in the barn last week, this week we've got some chores more evently split so that I will continue to do some barn stuff in the mornings before I go to work. It was really disorienting last week having no barn chores to do!
Labels: Ranch
posted by Monica at Sun Pony |
9:12 AM
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