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8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, July 31, 1984 Rosie teaches kids how not to fall off horses About halfway through the lesson, Rosie starts to groan, a throat-rumbling grumble she heaves out of her mouth with every step. You think, gee, there must be something seriously wrong with this horse. She sounds like she's about due for the next flight to the great corral in the sky. But the young rider up top doesn't look concern- ed, too busy sorting out where to put her feet from how to hold the reins ---- without falling off. It's a tricky business for a beginner and this youngster has all her concentration funnelled into the task at hand, try- ing to impress her riding instructor Janet Weir as she goes by. Meanwhile Rosie, who looks perennially preg- nant despite the daily ex- ercise she gets at Hoskins Stable's Sum- mer School Horseman- ship Course, is huffing and wheezing her way along the oval track, Sam gets his tail brushed by student Shelby Burke, who doesn't 8runting along in time to hs her rider's posting. Up 3 AN i ------ | igi seem fo mind her job at all. ~ NAN A \ AD SN hh § i c } ! "ah TERR Ra RA : s SAN - Wm . ; ria y Te ® OH H £2 There aren't a lot of boys in horseman- learn more about horses like Smokey ship school, but two Oshawa lads, Mike Fitz- (above). Now that they've taken the course, patrick, 6, (left) and Andy Rempell, 7, share they both say they want a horse of their own. the course with a bunch of girls in order ¢~ : Sometimes you need a little help when Kenya's tail out of the way while Julya you're dealing with lazy horses. Jacqui Bosworth, 11, cleaned out the tired old Morjey, 11, of Tyrone was happy fo hold mare's hooves. down, huff, puff, up busy place, with people out stalls. down, moan, groan. and horses as far as the "The grooming is the Janet Weir laughs. eye can see. easiest part," she "It's a game Rosie The summer school claims, 'but the tacking plays," she explains. course runs three hours up.is the hardest." "The object is to make each weekday, for two But for six year old the rider feel sorry for weeks at a stretch, Mike Fitzpatrick, who her, hopefully sorry (although this varies can't be much more than enough to stop riding ---- Shirley says many three and a half feet tall, altogether." students sign up for one his toughest assignment This time the game is week at a time). It's was "how to get on the not in Rosie's favour. amazing what the horse." The young girl inthesad- students can pick up in Seven year old Andy dle walks, trots, canters two weeks. Rempel finds riding is and jumps, paying no Most of the students the hard part. heed to the mare's bitter who do sign up are girls, "I always bounce up complaints. aged six and up, and down even though It's just another day of although a few boys you're not supposed to," summer school and for toughit out everyoncein he admits. the 15 or so horses and awhile, with their female And for eight year old ponies at Hoskins counterparts. And hard- Marci Rowland, just get- Stables, there'll be ly a session goes by ting back on a horse after another month of classes without at least oneadult a nasty spill took a lot of before Fall rolls around. participating. courage. Engineered by stable But even the adults are "My cousin has a horse owners Shirley and invariably female, sup- named Heidi, a pony, I Terry Cane, the course porting the mystique should say. I rode him has been going on for five about ladies and horses. bareback and fell off," years with no signs of "I think what really Marci says, pointing to slacking down. happens quite often, various parts of her "We built this indoor especially in the winter- anatomy that were bruis- arena for ourselves, time, is that boys have ed at one time. started taking in hockey or something and Spills aren't too com- borders, teaching a few the girls are left at mon around Hoskins lessons and this whole home," Shirley reasons. Stables, though. The thing just mushroomed," Kelly Drew, a nine horses used in summer Shirley says. "Now I year old Oshawa girl, school are as gentle as don't have time for says whe took the course grandmothers and anything else." because "I love horses." sometimes just as old. Summer school isn't It wasn't quite what One old geezer, a pin- the only thing keeping she expected, however. to named Squeeze, is 35 - her busy. Each year the She figured all she'd be years old and still stable hosts a ride-a- doing was riding but Kel- teaching kids how to ride thon, to raise money for ly was in for a rude every day. She's the the highly respectedand awakening when she quietest mare in the celebrated Horseback discovered she had to barn, the pony every Riding For The Han- learn about grooming, dicapped program. It'sa tacking up and mucking (Turn to page 12) OY /i Rosie, Rosie, Rosie. Not only does Rosie moan and groan dur- ing riding lessons, she also give the kids a hard time when they try fo tack her up. Claire Radford, a 10 year old Caesarea girl, spent nearly 15 minutes trying to put a bridle on Rosie, who just wouldn't cooperate. a I ee. | I Ee ma a ag HE EC