HorseWorld

- A five-week course for Y7 and Y8 students

 

The students in Burgundy Class completed an exciting course at the South-West's leading charity called HorseWorld. The charity cares primarily for horses, ponies and donkeys, carrying out rescues, rehabilitation and re-homing to animals who have been abandoned, neglected, or ill-treated.

HorseWorld Website

 

Week 1: Getting Stuck In

The five-week course began on Wednesday 11th January on a chilly winter day. The students were introduced to the ponies, and enjoyed taking them for a walk and combing their coats and manes. At the beginning some students were wary of the horses and taking this initial step to stroke and interact with them was a great achievement. Overall, the day was a complete success with students facing their fears head on.

'Today, Molly was my horse, I liked brushing her coat'  - Saniya Y7

 

Week 2: Building Trust

This week the students were introduced to different horses and ponies. They started to build a friendship with their chosen horse for the day, combing their manes and decorating them with colourful pieces of material. They were introduced to the horses routine, and shown how to prepare their feed by collecting and distributing hay. They finished the session by taking their horse for a walk using a lead rope.

'Jerry was the brown horse and was very smart. I enjoyed walking him around in the session, as we walked completely in sync' - Luke Y7

  

 

Week 3: Avoiding all Obstacles

By now the students were familiar with the session routine, beginning with changing into suitable clothing including steel toe capped boots and a riding hat. They then collected hay for the animals feed and said hello to the ponies that were prepared for the session that day. This week the students learnt to control their horse, guiding them through obstacles laid out in the courtyard. They had to use the lead rope to direct them and began to learn the different commands to talk with their horse.

After the session they dressed their horse in a warm winter coat and walked them out to their field.

  

 

Week 4: Taking the Reins

This week the students were introduced to new pieces of horse riding equipment. First they completed their routine jobs of getting suitably clothed, collecting hay, and saying hello to the horses. They then watched the instructors kit up the horses with long reins as if they were going to pull a cart, (but without the cart). The students learnt to guide their horse as if they were on the cart, using the long rein technique. This involved increased control and communication with their horse to ensure they understood what to do and where to go.

  

 

Week 5: Saddling Up

The students' final day at HorseWorld was on Wednesday 8th February. It was a sunny winter day with the rain holding off for the whole session.

The students began by getting suitably clothed, this time swapping their wellies for riding boots. The students had time to say hello to the donkeys and ponies, as well as the horses they would be learning to ride on. Some students were also able to feed the donkeys and take them for a walk.

 

All the horses were kitted up with saddles and riding reins and walked down to the outdoor arena. This session had high objectives for the students, but everyone was very brave, and faced their fears of being so high off the ground and sitting on the horse's back.

Some students really took to riding and enjoyed learning how to command the horse to 'walk on', and even 'trot on'. The excitement on the students faces ensured that the trotting experience had been a great success, as they all fell into giggles of laughter at the vibrations they felt while riding along.

'It was so much fun, like riding a bumper car' - Jamie Y8

After the riding session the students were all presented with a certificate and a rosette. Their instructor highlighted how proud she was of each of them, facing their fears, and building friendships with all the animals. The students also all received hand painted horse shoes as a gift from the centre.

'Molly was the best horse I give her 10/10' - Cerys Y7

 

'I enjoyed getting my certificate after my 5-week course at HorseWorld, which I now have on display at home' - Leon Y7

 

'The best bit about HorseWorld was when we did a horse parade, with the ponies all decorated' - Josh Y8

 

Enjoy highlights from the course via this video link:

---

A special thanks must go to the Academy governors and doners as without their ongoing support and kind donations the students wouldn't be able to experience these amazing opportunities.