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About Horses

It was summertime and Andrew and his family were preparing to leave for their annual beach vacation. Every year the family packed up their car and headed east to spend three fabulous weeks in a beach house right on the ocean. Besides loving horses, Andrew's next favorite thing in the world was the beach. His dreams were always filled with adventure like Andrew dressed as a cowboy riding along the seashore on the most spectacular horse in the world. Behind him wild horses followed their leader who was taking them to a safe place where they could live forever free from harm. Little did he know that on this vacation, Andrew would almost be living his dream.

After a long drive, Andrew's family finally arrived at the shore, parking their car in front of the beach house they had rented for the past several years. It looked the same, but this year something was different. Next to the beach house there was a big fenced in area with a barn adjacent to it. Curious, Andrew went to investigate and to his surprise and delight he found a field of horses -- beautiful horses grazing in the warm sun and gentle ocean breeze. Imagine how excited he was as he ran back to his family to announce his discovery.

After unpacking the car and settling into their vacation home, instead of running to the beach, Andrew begged his father to take him next door to once again to view the horses and to find out how and when they arrived. Knowing how much Andrew loved horses, his Dad agreed to walk over to see what the new neighbors were all about and how they got there.

Luckily, the owner of the new horse farm, Ted, was standing in the field with his horses and welcomed Andrew and his father as they approached. He told them that he opened the farm about six months earlier and offered horseback riding lessons to visitors and the opportunity to ride his horses on the beach. Andrew was thrilled, and the owner could see just how much this young boy loved horses. He was so impressed with Andrew that he invited him to come over whenever he liked to learn more about the horses on the farm and to help care for them.

Needless to say, the very next day, after a morning swim with the family, Andrew headed next door to take the Ted up on his offer to teach him everything about he wanted to know about the horses on the farm and how to care for them.

Ted was delighted to see Andrew and began the lessons by taking him on a tour of the farm and explaining the history of the horses that lived there. He showed Andrew an American Walking Pony named Aqua, which is a combination of a Tennessee Waking horse and the Welsh pony. He explained that this pony has three gaits -- the Pleasure Walk, Merry Walk and the canter. The American Walking Pony stands about 4 1/2 feet tall - the perfect fit for Andrew. Next, Andrew was introduced to the Paso Fino, named Charlie. Charlie came from Puerto Rico and stood about 5 1/2 feet tall. Ted said that Charlie was very smart and agile and was a favorite choice for heavier people to ride because he was very hardy and able to handle a lot of weight. Andrew thought that Charlie might be a little too much for him to handle.

Andrew's favorite horse was Tonka, a Spotted Saddle horse that was born in Spain. It's history is traced back to a time when some horses fled from ships that crashed onto American borders and were left behind after the Civil War. Ted said that Tonka was a great horse to ride and invited Andrew to take him for a spin on the beach anytime. Andrew also met a very friendly horse named Tag that was a beautiful Spanish Mustang. It had a short back and low tail and took an immediate liking to Andrew. Andrew loved Tag's black and white color and decided he would like to ride him as well.

After viewing all of the owner's horses, Andrew was taken into the stable where all the horses lived. Ted taught him how different horses needed different foods to eat and how important it was for each horse to have a balanced, nutritious diet in order to stay healthy and not gain too much weight. Horses must be feed special grains, hay and even vitamin supplements to help them stay strong. Ted showed Andrew what each horse ate and how to feed them just the right amount of food and water.

Next, Andrew learned how to properly groom a horse, and how important it was to groom a horse every single day. Ted explained to groom a horse properly grooming tools like a curry comb, body brush, mane and tail comb, and a hoof pick and a bucket were all important to have on hand. Andrew learned quickly about how to groom a horse and promised he would help out with that chore every single day. Ted was very happy with this news and said that, in return, he would give Andrew some riding lessons. Andrew said that although he did know how to ride he would love to learn how to jump and learn more horse gaits. Ted gladly agreed to help Andrew learn jumps and gaits.

Ted said that because Andrew was such a great student, it was time to take a horse on the beach for a ride. This was Andrew's dream come true. Ted taught Andrew how to put a saddle on a horse (Andrew chose Tonka). For the beach ride, Ted chose two Western saddles and showed Andrew how to first put a saddle pad on and the saddle in a way that would not harm the horse. He explained that it was very important to put a saddle on gently so the horse is not frightened and to always keep a hand on the horse so that it will know where you are at all times. He showed Andrew how to fasten the cinches to keep the saddle in place, making sure it is snug without pinching the horse's skin. He also showed Andrew how to adjust the stirrups so that his feet would reach them, allowing Andrew to have better control of the way Tonka moved.

Saddled up and ready to go, Ted and Andrew headed down the sandy path to the shore. As they trotted along, the owner explained that long ago horses were used to haul fishing nets to the shore and to rescue people who were drowning or were stranded in boats off the shore.

The rest of the morning was spent rambling along the seashore, enjoying the warm sunshine and gentle surf. Andrew simply could not believe what a lucky boy he was. He had three weeks to look forward to, doing what he loved best to do -- playing by the sea and spending time with his best friends in the world - horses.