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A Passion for Horses It's a Girl Thing! By Julie Kirtz Garrett On a frosty winter morning, Rhiana Hughes, 10, guides her horse Popcorn into a graceful trot around a muddy indoor ring. Rhiana is 15 minutes into her weekly horseback riding lesson at Woodland Horse Center in Silver Spring. Along with her riding boots, she wears a confident expression of delight. "He's an Appaloosa," she proudly explains. Like many Washington-area girls, Rhiana is passionate about horses. She started riding lessons two years ago, but she fell in love with horses long before that. The weekly lessons have taught Rhiana the hard work it takes to care for a horse. She's also learned how to exert her will over something much bigger than herself. Horseback riding is an ego booster for Rhiana. “When she started riding, she couldn’t remember her left from her right," says her mom, Linda Barrow. "She was not a strong kid. But she's so strong now – and not just physically." Ride 'em Girls Today's typical horse-crazy girl has probably never heard of cowgirl legends like Annie Oakley and Dale Evans. But their cowgirl spirit lives on in Washington-area stables. Girls dominate the scene in riding lessons and competitions at horse centers across the region. For example, 90 percent of the young students at Woodland Horse Center are girls. Woodland riding instructor and assistant manager, Brittany McCarron, has a pretty good theory about why. “I think there’s almost a romance to it, even for young girls who don’t know what romance is," says McCarron, 23. "There’s chemistry between a young girl and a horse." McCarron should know. She started riding when she was 4 years old. She's been teaching since age 17. "Riding was the only thing that brought me out of my shell," she says. "I was able to interact with other kids while doing something I loved.” Andie Asher, 11, of Washington, D.C., has a similar story. As a shy toddler, she fell in love with horses while visiting the barn at Meadowbrook Stables in Chevy Chase. When she was 4, her parents signed her up for riding lessons at Meadowbrook. "Riding has allowed her to become herself," says Tricia Asher, Andie's mom. "If she has a bad day at school, she'll say, 'Can I stop by the barn?'" Along with riding, Andie enjoys grooming horses, taking care of the stables and just hanging out with other girls who ride. "The barn feels like a second home," says her mom. The relationship a girl develops with a horse keeps her in the saddle. Renee Terselic, general manager of Potomac Horse Center in North Potomac, believes girls are drawn to horses because girls like to nurture. "Horses are like the stuffed animals of early childhood, only much better, because they are alive and responsive," says Terselic. "If you've got a carrot, you've got a best friend." The thrill of competing also motivates girls who ride. Potomac Horse Center offers students a chance to compete in many different shows every year. Along with riding classes for students as young as 5, the center has a classical dressage program and a hunter/jumper program. Camp Strawderman, an all-girls riding camp in Edinburg, Va., has four shows a year. Camp owner and director Margaret H. Gouldman says girls like to win. "They love being with horses and taking care of horses," says Gouldman, "but girls also like to win ribbons." Improving individual riding skills can give a girl an enormous sense of accomplishment. Horseback riding teaches them that achieving personal goals takes discipline. "The more advanced you get, the more you have to learn because of the level of the horse," says McCarron. Giddy Up and Pay Up Supporting a girl's horse habit isn't cheap. Private lessons can cost $100 an hour. (Group lessons are more affordable.) The fee for Meadowbrook Stable's 32-week session during the school year starts at $2,200. And for parents, there is also the hassle factor. If you live far from a stable, just getting your daughter to horseback riding lessons is a hefty time commitment. It's wise to make sure you and your daughter are ready. Consider visiting a local horse center several times and signing your daughter up for an introductory riding lesson. A summer camp can also give her a good feel for what it takes to ride and groom a horse. Riding Safety Horseback riding can be thrilling and fulfilling for girls of all ages. It can also be dangerous. A 2007 study published in The American Journal of Surgery found that horseback riding is more dangerous than motorcycle riding, football or skiing. The study recommends riders wear helmets and safety vests to reduce the risk of injury. Parents should look for riding programs that emphasize safety at every level of instruction. It's a good idea to attend your child's lessons. You should like what you see and hear. Try a variety of instructors and find one that suits your child's personality and needs. A good riding program emphasizes, "safety, fun and education – in that order," says Terselic. Young riders need to learn how to evaluate a horse's behavior so they know what to do if a horse makes an aggressive move. The Woodland Horse Center tells girls to get help when a horse puts its ears back or acts extra jumpy during a grooming session. Learning the body language of a horse is essential, says McCarron. "We teach girls safety right from the start, and it's something that has to be reviewed all the time, because horses are animals with a different mind.” Getting to know the mind of a horse and overcoming her own fear is part of the magic. When a girl learns to test her physical courage by riding a powerful beast across a field, over a jump or around a muddy ring, there is no telling what she can do in other areas of her life – including the dicey world of fifth-grade recess. That's why an hour of horseback riding can quickly put a little schoolyard teasing into the proper perspective, says Asher about the benefits of her daughter's horsemanship. "No matter what, she can be a determined mighty warrior on the back of a pain-in-the neck horse." And that's a lesson any girl can ride into adulthood. Julie Kirtz Garrett is a Washington, D.C., based writer. In addition to writing for Washington Parent, her work has appeared in Bethesda Magazine, and on FoxNews.com, CNN.com and Dotmoms, a parenting blog. There is a wealth of information online to help parents unfamiliar with the equestrian world. Here are a few websites to investigate: Camp Olympia in Rockville, MD (www.camp-olympia.com) |
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