Horse & Pony Aug-Oct 2020

Keep trotting

Our relationship with horses is often a lifetime affair. One that ebbs and flows through varying circumstances and stages of our lives. We can now add pandemics to the long list of reasons why. Who saw that coming? 
This issue of Horse and Pony covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our horse community from various perspectives. No doubt, some people were hit much harder than others. Those of us who have horses at home with us are fortunate. The horse industry overall has changed and will continue to, like everything else. 
Barn life went on as usual at my home. The riding/training plan and schedule had already become sporadic when my daughter started a family. Showing and lessons had moved to the back burner a few years ago. The logistics of juggling two little boys, full-time work, and the challenges of childcare during a pandemic has left her with even less time and energy. Her own horse sits mostly idle, growing wider by the day.
My grandson, who turned four in June, has been the beneficiary of the last shreds of her available horse time. 
The affectionately named “Chester Road Pony Club” started back up once COVID-19 gathering restrictions loosened a bit, after a good launch last fall. My daughter and several other former Avon Pony Clubbers, now grown up, meet twice a week at our place for “lead line bootcamp” with their small children and ponies. The ringleader, the legendary Mary Henry, has the children (ages three to six) in various stages of posting to the trot, dropping and picking up their reins, holding their reins without holding the saddle, along with lots of other confidence, strength, and balance-building exercises. 
Mrs. Henry, now in her ninth decade and on her third generation of students, came armed for the season with sparkling new bending poles for cup races, and flags on poles to add some additional fun to the sessions. The children are improving in leaps and bounds. The ponies, a few of them ancient, are hanging in there and mostly behaving themselves. The mothers are logging lots of miles, also mostly behaving, save a few eye rolls and quips amongst themselves when asked to trot to the end of the ride one more time. 
They all know how fortunate they are. The lessons learned will be lasting ones. Mrs. Henry garners respect, instills confidence, and encourages commitment and work ethic. Decent traits to carry forward into this unpredictable world.
I’m riding almost every day. I’ve done my time running beside ponies, and happily expending what little additional energy I had on my children’s activities. Now I have the time and extra energy for my own horse and my own riding goals.  
That said, it doesn’t get much sweeter than watching my little grandson trot proudly past with a flag flying in his hand, my daughter sweaty and smiling at the end of a lead rope, and Mrs. Henry yelling “well done” from the centre of the ring.