Sitting on her pony, Deborah had_ suddenly grown ‘tall as tall’. This was the magic of riding. It gave one ‘size’. It gave one ‘wings’, Deborah felt a glow inside as she rode out of the corral, across the field and through the woods. The leaves of the trees brushed against her cheek. Her head was touching the sky. In the open spaces Mollie picked up speed and De- borah felt the wind on her face. In the wooded places, Mollie slowed down and Deborah ducked her head to keep the branches in scratching her. Mollie’s sides were as smooth as velvet and her rough mane felt good to Deborah’s fin- gers. And as for her steamy smell - Deborah thought it was the best smell in the whole world. from A Pony For The Winter by Helen Kay It is hard to estimate how many horses and _ ponies there are in the Lower Main- land. The number reaches well into the thousands. Horseback riding is a sport that is growing more popular all the time. In the yellow pages of the phone book are listings for stables where you can rent horses at an hourly rate from $5 to $8, depending upon what facilities are available. At the Beach Grove Stables in Delta you can ride on an escorted trail ride on the beach for $6 an hour. Al- though it’s a little cold now, in the summer time most horses would be quite willing to take you for a swim in the ocean. All very romantic and fun, and wholesome too. One disadvantage to es- corted rides is that you are often restricted to a sedate walk or jog, because the people from the stables don’t want their horses tired out too quickly, they are trying to make a living from them. If you prefer to ride on your own, you pay a little extra (at Beach Grove you pay $7.60). Dec. 6, 1977 This does not give you free license to ride the horse ‘into the ground’ and if you do, you may not be welcome back again, or you might find yourself leading the horse around for the next half hour to cool him off. Often the horses at a riding stable appear thick skinned and stubborn. This is because they have been ridden by a lot of beginners who have not learned how to tell a horse what they want of it and either treat him rough- ly or not control him at all, which gives him the chance to take advantage of you and do what he pleases. There’s nothing harder in the world for a horse owner to do than let. an inexpe- rienced rider take her horse for ‘‘a spin’? and see the horse get kicked in the stomach and pulled in the mouth. To start with, you don’t pull on the reins to stop a horse, you shorten the reins slightly and squeeze with your knees., And you don’t kick a horse to make a as them go, you squeeze your legs against their sides. A horse has a sensitive mouth (at least to start with) and it is painful to have a metal bit yanked hard. A large part of riding well is sitting still and relaxed in the saddle and using your balance to stay on. Its sort. of like riding a motorcycle. Using your ba- lance means sitting up straight and not hanging onto the neck or mane or saddle horn, for one thing that makes it very hard to steer. Another thing to re- member is not to shout or scream if your horse spooks or acts up. Horses have very goon hearing and also get rightened easily. It is sort of like riding a motorcycle z 3 : 3 : 3 é : i i 3 i : ] If the horse you are riding ever decides to run away with you, and it does hap- pen, hang on tight and don’t yell. That will make him go faster. Pull on the reins, loosen up and pull again. If this doesn’t work take one rein and turn your horse’s head strongly, if you can get him turning into a circle he’ll stop sooner or later. The ability to turn your horse around is your greatest strength when you have to do battle with a ruly and rearing animal who won’t respond to please and thank-you’s. You ~ get the horse into a spin and make him dizzy, then he’ll behave. Riding lessons are expen- sive but well worth the time and money for anyone who rides a lot. For about $7.50 an hour you can take a lesson at one of the many eques- trian centres in the Lower Mainland. There is more to riding that not falling off the horse. It takes a lot of skill to communicate with the horse and the first few strenuous rides leave your legs feeling murderous. Horses are not the most intelligent animals going. Often they rely on _ their riders for understanding all the strange things that they come across. This is import- ant to remember, for horses are extremely sensitive and can tell the moment you are afraid, simply from the way your body tenses up. If you think that your horse will be afraid of a big truck, and you react by tensing up and expecting him to run away, that is what’s going to hap- pen. The trick is to pretend to be relaxed, and whistle a jaunty tune. It looks even higher from up there (stage left) — COVER STORY: For|thellovelof|horses. I’ve owned my own horse for over five years, but I couldn’t tell you how much it costs to keep one. I’m scared to add it all up because that would make me realize just how much I can’t afford her. What’s the point in that? You can pay a lot or a little for a horse. Since you have to feed them all the same you might as well get a_ half decent one, which will cost $300 or more generally. Everything has doubled in price since I first started, so now I’m looking at a few bucks every week year round for grain, plus about five bucks wetkly for hay from October to April. Add $22 every two months for horse- shoes, plus $15 every time you call a vet (this is just to get him there -- medicine can put you in the poorhouse). You will see a fair amount of your vet as the horse needs to be wormed every year and iven a tetanus shot. Heaven elp you if you’ve got a horse that gets into trouble easil like mine who tore hiaweh the neighbour’s fence an? stood on the other side wrapped in barbed wire and gushing blood. A horse has got an awful lot of blood and ‘can lose up to three or four gallons withott undue stress. This is a good thing to repeat to yourself as you hysterically wait for the vet to arrive. Tack is one of the biggest expenses of a horse owner. A saddle can cost you well over $400 new and a good used one is worth half of that. Bridles are expensive too and usually run between $40 and $50. A couple of dollars here for ropes and buckets and a couple of dollars there for grooming brushes and first aid supplies and before you know it you can’t afford to go anywhere or do any- thing besides stay home with your horse. Don’t fret Miss Bottomly, ev first day in the saddle!!!