Fleetwood Girl Scout Junior Troop 1956 had an amazing experience recently with the staff at Shady Hallow Assisted Riding facility in Birdsboro.
The scouts were separated into three groups, each with its own learning experience. The first was inside the barn where the girls met Miss Allison. She spent time explaining horse safety, what to do and not to do in a barn and how to act around large animals. She then showed the troop the various tools they use to groom a horse and put their new found skills to work on Classy and Elmer.
The next station was run by Miss Jess who taught the girls the difference between an English and Western ride. They were able to learn about all the equipment that goes along with each style of riding and noticed that there is much more to riding than just hoping on the horse. Jess further explained how to properly lead a horse and let each girl practice on Duley.
The final station was lead by Miss Kathi, who showed the girls how to properly mount and dismount from a horse, how to use the reins to steer and most importantly how to stop the two horses they would be using, Little Red and Shadow. Kathi then walked side by side with each girl on their horse explaining how to walk around the arena, weaving in between barrels and if the girls were confident enough, she gave them the opportunity to trot.
