Picture of Sherry's Nephew and his pony. Aren't they cute?
They girls and their mom were real troopers
working and playing hard in the heat. Every parent dreams of having a
kids
horse to keep their children safe and having fun. These little
girls had the perfect kids horses. I have never worked with a better
pair.
Their names were "Roper" a palomino gelding and "Smokey" a gray
gelding. They were both under 10 years old. They
were despooked to
nearly everything. So I would call them nearly bombproof. I don't
believe there is such a thing as a
100% bombproof horse, because we can
all get startled from time to time, and that is only natural. It is the
reaction to
the scary thing that is important.
I have worked with a lot of so called "kid horses". Most of them are
very dull, pushy, resistant, and sometimes disrespectful. These two
horses stood out above all the rest, because they were not only calm
but fairly sensitive as well. The
combination of self-confidence yet
respect was apparent in these two horses, indeed a rare combination for
a "kids horse".
I don't know how much they purchased these horses for,
but they were very valuable in my eyes.
Both girls were able to play six of the seven games quite successfully
by the second day. On the third day they were
playing them with
creativity using obstacles. (Like the circle and yo yo game while
sitting in a chair, squeeze over a tarp,
etc). We didn't even try the
sideways game yet, because I wanted them to win the driving game of
both the front-end and hindquarters before moving on, to prevent any
frustrations. The girls were very surprised at how light their horses
turned
and stopped while riding in a halter. It was such a blessing to
see the girls building their confidence and horses that were
being so
willing. We even got them to jump the barrels on the second day in less
than 10 minutes.
We went on three trail rides. The first one was filled with games using
bushes, trees, and wild flowers for direction and stopping, buddy sour
circles, and serpentines to practice our direct reins.
The second trail ride was about an hour for relaxation, as we went with
the ranch dude string and guests. We hung out
at the back of the string
as I was the official gate closer. The third trail ride was about 2
hours and we challenged the
riders with a few bigger hills. The views
were great and we took some pictures.
Since it was so hot, we spent plenty of time swimming in the lake.
That's where I got the sunburn. We had fun trying to
catch minnows,
tadpoles, and baby frogs. The fish were sure jumping and it was
sometimes kind of freaky when they
jumped so close to us. We saw a
pelican and a bald eagle, plus some turtles peaking our of the water at
us from time to
time. Of course we build sand castles on the beach.
I took a young horse on her first trail rides during the camp and let
the Mom ride my horse Dolly. I can't tell you all how
proud I was of
"Sorry", she was the leader and acted like she had been trail riding
her whole life. I had to mount and
dismount several times as I was the
gate opener and closer. She acted like a professional ranch horse. At
times like
these, I remember how frustrated I used to get with stuff
like that, before I taught my horses the seven games. They sure
come in
handy. They are more than just games. They are a means of communicating
so that we can both be safe.
Because of the driving and porcupine game,
I was able to keep her out of the wire gates at all times. Thank
goodness,
I have learned this stuff and put it to good use. However, I
did tear one of my favorite pair of pants on the wire while
trying to
fix a gate that had a broken wire.
The participants loved the ranch and are looking forward to coming back
to enjoy the beautiful views in the sandhills
and riding in the open
country. I just hope the next time they come it is a little cooler. We
talked about going tubing or
tanking the next time they come. I can't
wait to see them again, I know they are going to be doing amazing
things with
their horses, because they were such good students and they
have such nice horses. These girls are going to grow up
to be great
horsewomen as they have a huge head and are getting started in the best
way possible. What a gift their
parents have given them! And what luck
to find the perfect horses for their journey.
As I came home last night sweating, sun-burned, with cracked lips, I
never felt such fulfillment and joy even though my
body was aching all
over. It was a very good week!
Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis
We had a great time visiting you during the
rodeo. Thank you for allowing us to come and visit you and your
horses.
What a wonderful spot you have near Burwell. Ally is still
talking about the whole thing (especially riding with you). What
a
blessing you are for her. She just wants to absorb everything you do and
say. You have such a good way with her.
You impressed me with your skill with the horses. But
you blew me away when I watched how you worked with Ally. I
don't know if
you remember but Sunday afternoon of the two day clinic she was trying sooooo
hard to impress me and
she was also getting very tired. Her frustration
was growing and you kept encouraging her to try again. Then she froze
and
started crying. You instantly responded calmly and reassured her.
Then you physically moved away giving her
some space. When that didn't
settle her down you had everyone just walk around with their horses. You
handled her perfectly. She was calm and ready to try again after that and
was successful at the skill. There are people who know a
lot about horses
that are not good at working with people. You my dear are both, a
wonderful horsewomen and a
wonderful teacher.
See you this fall, Vicki
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