Horses, Horses and More Horses

My homeschool group decided that it would be good if the kids could participate in book discussions. Every month we read a book and meet before PE to discuss. The kids generate the questions and I help lead. In March we discussed Little Britches by Ralph Moody. It was a great book! And a true story. Ralph and his family move to Colorado in the early 1900s and start a ranch. Ralph learns about horses and some lessons on character.

The book inspired us to want to learn more about horses. I checked out a bunch of books from the library. Corbin read Black Beauty and The Black Stallion, Braedi enjoyed the How to Draw Horses book, Dyllan liked wearing her cowboy boots and Faythe and Ephram loved playing with the farm animals. We learned about the different breeds of horses, drew and labeled a horse, practiced the different gaits of a horse, discussed the jobs of horses (past and present), talked about grooming and tack, AND visited a horse farm!

I found out from Christy about a horse farm in the area that lets kids ride for cheap, so we decided to check it out. We went for a tour, met and fed the horses and set up a time when we could come back and do a horse camp.

One week later we were back ready to groom, ride and muck. The kids got a chance to brush a horse then we watched as the teen instructor put on the saddle and bridle. They got a chance to lead the horse, then the kids got to ride the horses. They had to know how to control the horse and follow directions. They also had to take turns (and no one complained)! Afterward we all went back to the stalls and cleaned them. While we were cleaning some of the kids got to help clean the horses. I had no idea that keeping a horse was so much work. But that didn't stop Corbin from saying that he wanted a horse!

Walking or Trotting or Cantering (I can't tell).

This is part of our tour Faythe was scared of the horses. We took this picture to help prepare her for the camp and it worked. Grooming and Leading Riding around the barrels Mucking the stalls The kids worked hard and had a lot of fun.