[Sportsandrec] {Spam?} Horseback riding

[Peter Donahue]

Good morning everyone,

     This thread is reminding me of my summer camp days at Harkness 
Memorial State Park in
Connecticut. One of our activities was horse back riding. There were two 
ladies who taught horse back riding to all of the campers. Camp Harkness 
was a camp for individuals with disabilities. One unique feature of this 
camp is that different agencies and organizations operated camps for 
those with various disabilities. At the time the Oak Hill School for the 
Blind now the Connecticut Institute for the Blind Oak Hill operated and 
I'm pleased to say still operates a camp for blind children and adults 
at Camp Harkness.

     A unique feature of Camp Harkness is that campers could participate 
in activities their disability would permit. They weren't lumped 
together in a cross-disability situation that gave some campers 
wonderful activities to participate in such as horse back riding. 
Because different entities operated the various disability camps 
everyone that attended Camp Harkness could engage in disability-specific 
activities. Some activities were enjoyed by those with a particular 
disability but there were intercamp activities such as swimming that all 
campers enjoyed.

     We had four horses one of which was ridden by the lead instructor 
and the others were ridden by another instructor or three campers at a 
time one camper for horse. In the beginning we rode tethered to the 
instructor's horse until we learned the routes we would ride but 
eventually we free road. It was exciting riding across the Harkness 
Estate with an instructor leading the caravan of riders usually the 
instructor with three campers on horse back following behind. And we 
didn't just walk. Sometimes we trotted, cantered, and gallopped even 
jumping over fences. We did the same thing using a saddle and bridle and 
at other times we rode bare-back even in a trot. We rode both English 
and Western Pleasure.

      I'm guessing that the horses were American Quarter Horses. They 
were all geldings. During my first year at Camp Harkness we had four 
horses named Beavor who was always ridden by the lead instructor, Fritz, 
Red, and Star. Red was replaced by Cadet in 1971. I'm not sure why Red 
was retired. He was very small and they probably wanted a larger horse 
that could carry heavier campers like myself.

     Let's not forget that blind persons have participated in advanced 
equestrian activities such as Dressage. When you take the limits off of 
blindness many things are possible including participating in equestrian 
activities.

Peter Donahue





Naima Leigh via SportsandRec wrote:
> Hi Robert
>
> I'm the same way. I want to ride like the sighted people, riding free with
> the wind blowing through their hair.
>
> I once red of a hand held device that blind people could use to now where
> they are going. It had a tone for directing the horse. Have you heard of
> that.
>
> Naima
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SportsandRec [mailto:sportsandrec-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Robert Moore via SportsandRec
> Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2016 10:10 AM
> To: 'Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List'
> Cc: Robert Moore
> Subject: [Sportsandrec] {Spam?} Horseback riding
>
> I rode horses a little bit when I was younger  but since about mid seventys
> I have only bin  on a horses back twice. Once  was in a round pen for about
> an hour. The other time was also in a round pen and the horse was led by its
> owner. That was OK but not really my idea of  horseback riding. I have been
> really wanting to get out and do some riding like a trail ride. I can not
> seem to find anyone around here to take me out riding. All of the pay to
> ride setups are too far away and too expensive.
>
>   
>
> I have a cousin in law that has horses but will not let me ride because I am
> blind. Go figure. Who knows what gets in some otherwise very intelagent
> peoples head and it can not be rooted out. I have never argued the point
> with him simply because they are his horses and he has every right to allow
> or not allow any one to ride them for any  reason or for no reason at all.
> Anyhow I think riding horses is a great activity for the blind as well as
> the sighted.
>
> Robert
>
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