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NORWEGIAN WOOD FARM, 15 Old Queens Highway, Kerhonkson NY 12446
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Sonia has been with us since Fall of 2006. She's a senior at Rondout Valley High School, and receives gym credits for her time spent riding. She started with a great love of horses, but no real hands-on experience. She's now a talented handler, thorough groomer, and helps by tacking up horses for lessons, assisting with feeding, stalls and turning-out. Her riding skills are super too . . and she's learned to ride a wide variety of horses here on the farm. She'll likely compete in her first show this spring, and be a great asset to any intercollegiate riding team when she's off to school next fall. We'll miss her terribly next year!
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WHAT DO WORKING STUDENTS DO ??
We work with beginner thru advanced horse lovers, to insure that students understand and practice safe handling, proper horse care and stable management skills. Beginning students will learn to halter, lead and groom ponies and horses. We'll show you the various kinds of tack and equipment used, and WHY such equipment is chosen and how to fit it properly. (No horse is happy if his gear is on backwards:)))
Students will also learn how to feed horses for optimum health and nutrition. . .they're digestive tracts are VERY sensitive and each horse at our farm has a diet created especially for him or her. We'll also teach the elements of stable management . . . so as to maintain a safe and happy environment for the horses. . . .for example, they prefer quiet to rowdy . . dry over wet conditions, need dust free environments, access to salt, and warmed water in winter!!
Working with horses requires physical strenth (you'll build your muscles!), coordination (multi-tasking and motor skills!), common sense, and attention to detail. The rewards? Just being around these marvelous and gentle creatures is a pleasure in itself . . .they're intelligent, graceful, sometimes playful, sometimes pranksters, almost always kind when treated kindly, trusting, curious and deserving of great respect. Learning to ride, or improving your riding skills, adds a whole new dimension to your relationship with a horse . . . and you'll learn that the most effective way to communicate with these massive creatures can be by the most subtle and simple gestures. Riding can be like pairs-yoga . . and a deeply rewarding activity for both horse and rider.
Basic riding skills include "going and whoa-ing", steering (with both hands and legs), at the walk, trot and canter . . .on strait lines, circles and toward, around and over obstacles,
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WHAT IS THE COMMITMENT INVOLVED??
We ask that all beginner students commit to 3 or more Basic Training sessions, of approximately 3 hourse each. We'll start by showing you how you can be most helpful, and safe, in the barn, while making a contribution to the work-effort. Once your basic skills are established, the exchange of lessons-for-help can begin. In exchange for 4 hours of work (done all in one shift, or pieced-together,) students will receive a 45 minute private lesson. Depending on the schedule, lessons can be redeemed on the day of help, on a separate day, or "banked" for the future. Your commitment to work and help at the farm is expected to be reliable, is very much appreciated, and we are therefore pleased to remain flexible in scheduling. Once trained, you can commit as often or as little as possible, so long as your skills remain current and you can be relied upon to fulfill the shift you commit to.
WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS SHIFTS AVAILABLE?
Like most horse farms, we can use help all the time:) We'll try our best to pair your abilities and interests with available work. Perhaps we need help with stable-keeping during the week . . perhaps you want to help with tack-ups for lessons on weekend mornings? Available afterschool? Then stalls, tack-ups or evening feeding might be the thing. If you're really good and prefer to work on your own, we might ask you to stay on the farm andhold down the fort while we're at horses shows or on field trips.
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WHEN CAN I TRAIN?
We'll be offering training on select days during the 2007 School vacation week . . . from Wednesday December 26 thru Tuesday, January 2. Throughout the month of January, we'll also offer Sunday sessions, as well as midweek sessions for adults as well as a few afterschool slots.
WHEN CAN I RIDE?
We have an all-weather covered ring for year-round use (see our home page), equipped with lights (and music!) as well as extensive outdoor riding areas. We ride indoors in the winter months, until the ground softens and dries.
While we're not afraid of the cold, WE WILL NOT BE RIDING for MOST OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. Our regular (and busy!) lessons schedule will resume in March, so we hope you'll be trained, fit and ready to "hop back on" then.
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