We continue to really enjoy working with your eighth graders for the Talk to the Animal practicum. We have already noticed differences in the way that the kids approach the horses and their awareness of the horse's perspective when being haltered and led. This week, several of the girls were attempting to halter our miniature horse and at one point, he had gone into a little alley in the pasture. Rather than moving in to accomplish the task, Riley and Izzy reflected that it might be intimidating for him and delayed accomplishing the task to preserve the relationship. Very insightful!
We also met with the farrier who regaled the kids with tales of his worst injuries (!) and allowed them to go up into his trailer to compare the size of a miniature horseshoe with that of a draft horse. We talked about the importance of hoof health and how he reads the horse's body language in an effort to keep himself safe. Finally, we watched a great Animal Planet movie called, "Wild Horse Redemption" about a program in Colorado where prison inmates train the wild mustangs culled by the Bureau of Land Management so that they can be adopted to the public. We will be talking about what the inmates gain in that process.
This week, the kids will be returning to Teri Crozier's farm up in Statesville where many of the rescue horses for the US Equine Rescue League are kept. They will be helping with a service project to prepare the farm for a historic house tour--the proceeds will benefit the rescue. Not glamorous work, but they will be of great service this week.
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