At Summerwind Ranch, Pagosa Springs CO
Kids and Marchadors are a recipe for success, fun and lots of learning! Led by D.j. Sims Klein – who sometimes covered more miles than the horses did. The camps ran 3 mornings each week for July and August here in Pagosa Springs Colorado.
Many children were brand new to horses and young! The youngest this year was 6 years old. Some were returning again. The kids, parents and grandparents love the whole experience and thank us repeatedly for making it possible.
We use only Mangalarga Marchador horses for lessons. One boy smiled broadly when he found Caboclo da Piedade was going to be his lesson horse again this year. He said “I wanted him and was afraid he would be dead”. (Caboclo is 24)
Quotes to remember:
“I love this mare – she doesn’t like boys and neither do I”. “I have acorns in my pants” (aker riding the trails)
How they love the horses! They braid the manes and tails. They bring treats to feed. Some even brought extra treats to leave as a surprise for later in the feed buckets. They don’t want to leave to go home.
Their joy is contagious. Determination and courage are evident and every students confidence grew by the hour.
The Marchadors are unbelievably kind and patient with the fumbles, unclear direction, and little people who have to stand on tip-toe to groom their mount.
D.j teaches horsemanship, not just riding. The camp kids go get their own horse from the pasture, get them ready to ride, learn ground work, how to mount and then to ride. At the end, they do the reverse operation, sometimes ending in a favorite activity – a horse bath! They are very serious about learning.
We are very serious about sharing and teaching children. They are our future.
