Children and Horses - By: Satish Kumar

If your child has grown up with horses, he is indeed blessed. There is a intellect for the clichÃ© about the younger girl asking for a pony for her birthday. At a private equine school, her imaginations can come true.

We got our horses when I was 10. We moved to the country, and Dad purchased two horses from his brother. Half brother and sister, they had an Appaloosa sire. Princessâ€™s mother was a thoroughbred, and Wacoâ€™s mother was a Welsh.

In private school stables, youâ€™ll often find thoroughbreds for the more advanced riders. These horses are used in athletic horse outcomes such as dressage and jumping, but also for training the rising rider. The stables will be full of horses that will do the accurate thing if the rider tells them to. In this style, the riders can be evaluated on their horsemanship.

Iâ€™m happy my sisters and I werenâ€™t evaluated. Princess had been, in Texan terms, â€œgreen brokeâ€ meaning that she had been ridden once or twice and had not bucked, so she was ready for 10 year old girls to ride. Waco had never been ridden. In fact, Dad hired a professional cowboy to â€œbreakâ€ Waco, and Waco promptly put the man in the hospital. The next week, my 5 year old sister was riding him bareback in the pasture. Yes, she coaxed him over to the fence and told him to stand still, then climbed onto his back. She gave him a good kick and said, in good cowboy terms, â€œGiddyup!â€ and Waco took off in a perfect foxtrot. Anyone else who tried that got raked off on the fence.

As girls who had never ridden horses, with horses that had never been ridden, we were a clear team. We would saddle the horses and ride down the highway to the â€œlittle storeâ€ and get a Slurpee. Then, weâ€™d circle close to the country club to Halliburton Oil Company, where Dad worked in the garage. He would purchase us a coke. We had to drink it there, to leave the empty for returns. Then, weâ€™d ride back home â€“ an 11 mile round trip, all along highways.

I had dreams of barrel racing. And jumping. Waco was an impressive athlete. His ears would prick progressive as he came the barrels, and as I controlled him to turn, he dropped his inner shoulder and pivoted around the barrel like a ballerina. It was exciting! We ran the course a few times, then he got bored, lay down, and would never do it again. Princess was an athlete, too. She could trot with her front feet and gallop with her back feet â€“ at the same time.

As a child, I had the incredible experience of mounting and controlling a huge, half-wild beast in what I now realize was potentially dangerous situations. I rode all through high school, too, even after I got my own car. The confidence and memories I gained during that time have been with me my whole life. Children and their horses form bonds that are never imperfect.

About the Author

For more information about boarding schools with horse programs, check out Milo Academy and Milo Academy Horse Program.

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