Kylee and Angelica Make Progress in the Helpers Program
LFEquestrian launched the Helpers Program this summer - a program where anyone age 12 and up can earn riding and lesson time by helping around the farm. Angelica has been helping us since the launch of the program.
Some of the tasks include feeding the horses, tacking up horses for training sessions, and doing general chores around the farm. Some of the tasks also include helping with horse training.
Kylee is one of my new horses that just arrived this summer. Kylee had experience as a racing Standardbred (cart horse) but had never had a rider. I spent some time with Kylee and started riding walk/trot with her very easily.
Angelica has been learning a lot about horses and riding, and she has a goal of being involved with horse training as a career so she has been helping me a lot with the horse training. Angelica was the 2nd person ever to ride Kylee - and she did a great job of riding walk/trot and practicing steering with Kylee.
Angelica has started to learn to form a partnership with the horses - Kylee used to be very timid around us and would run away and not want to be caught.One of things Angelica does to help this partnership is to visit Kylee in the field to rub and scratch Kylee, without going to catch her all the time.
This helps because non-demanding time is really important with horses. If you spend time with your horse when you aren't asking them to do anything, it helps the horse to view you as a partner and not just that bossy human.
Angelica's efforts are definitely paying off- now Kylee will sometimes greet us at the fence, and she isn't difficult to catch at all. Kylee even trusted Angelica to ride up onto the pedestal!
Congratulations to Kylee and Angelica for making huge steps of success!
Learn more about the Helpers program at www.lfequestrian.com/helpersprogram
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