DefinitelyDressage.com

Please note. I am not making fun of these girls.

I skived off work yesterday afternoon and went to the barn. Went into the arena with Miss A., and 4 Girl Scouts are on school horse working on their horse badge. Every girl was crying, and one got so hysterical she was screaming. The screaming girl was helped off, and her mother took her place. I didn't do more than walk with Miss A. because I didn't want the girls to get more scared. After I was done, I walked Miss A. up to the screaming girl (who had quieted down) and asked her if she wanted to pet my horse. She did and I talked to her about having to brush Miss A. because she had rolled in the mud.

I was thinking that when I was 9 or 10 and had the opportunity to ride a horse, I would have been over the moon. I was so startled that they were crying. I understand being afraid, but each girl had a ground helper and the horses were just standing.

That does sound odd. I was a girl scout until part way through my first year of cadets (my long time leader had gotten married and our troop was distributed to new ones). I went to girl scout summer camp for a week when I was 10, 11 & 12 especially because one of the offered activities at camp was horseback riding. Camp was where I earned my horse badge and I loved it so much I begged my parents to let me do the program the next year and the next. I cannot imagine crying or being afraid of a horse at that age.

Definitely not in my DNA. I went to a horse centered girl scout camp for 2 summers. The horses were kept about a 1/2 mile hike through the woods from where the camp center was located. You spent the first 2 days getting oriented, etc. before meeting the horses. I confess to waking up at about 3:30 the first morning I was there and sneaking down the trail to gaze in gob smacked wonder at those horses in the early dawn light. And did it again the next year.

My horse's name was Easter, a bay mare. That was 55 years ago.

that is very strange, is this a group with normal cognitive function?

I agree, very strange. I guess I can understand one of them being afraid to the point of crying, but all four? Strange, indeed.

Did the teacher/leader do something before you got there to make them upset? did someone fall off or something similar?

Normal cognitive functioning. No falls, no accidents. I don't know what lady was the leader, but the barn employee working with the girls is very laid back and quiet. One of the girls started carrying on when a horse twitched his leg, and barn employee said "you know how you don't like standing in one place? Neither do horses; he's just moving his leg around."

I think it was mass hysteria. One girl started crying so the rest of them followed suit. They were fine once the horses were back in their stalls. They were then instructed on how to groom, and loved that.

PaulaO wrote:Normal cognitive functioning. No falls, no accidents. I don't know what lady was the leader, but the barn employee working with the girls is very laid back and quiet. One of the girls started carrying on when a horse twitched his leg, and barn employee said "you know how you don't like standing in one place? Neither do horses; he's just moving his leg around."

I think it was mass hysteria. One girl started crying so the rest of them followed suit. They were fine once the horses were back in their stalls. They were then instructed on how to groom, and loved that.

hmmmmm I don't know what to say then. They probably just weren't really into the experience ..... not everyone has to become us I guess those crazy ones!

When my grand daughter (7) came to visit last month, she was all excited about meeting the horses, which got my hopes up rather. We got out to the barn, which was pretty clean, and she was all "eeew, dirt, poop!"

Sorry kid. That's part of the package and if you can't be oblivious to it in the joy of the horse, I'm probably not going to be able to make a horsewoman out of you.

Then dear sweet Lucky (35, mild mannered and gentle old man) nuzzled her very politely for a carrot and she nearly had a heart attack.

Oh well. There are 3 other grand daughters to try.

Well those little girls clearly do not have the horse gene. I was obsessed as a very young child AND fearless. Why do they need to get that badge when they are so fearful and not interested? I wonder what the leader and parent think of this situation?

Some years ago, I went into a local tack shop with my over-sized pomeranian who loved everyone. I was checking out the dog collars and a mother and her little boy were in the store. The boy was around 4-5 years old and completely freaked out screaming and crying at the sight of my dog. We were some distance away so no contact. The mother ignored him and told me she has no idea why he is so fearful as he never had a bad experience with a dog. I got the impression she was getting really tired of this behavior as it is pretty hard to avoid dogs. This kid was flipping out just by seeing a dog.

Moutaineer wrote:Then dear sweet Lucky (35, mild mannered and gentle old man) nuzzled her very politely for a carrot and she nearly had a heart attack.

My girl friend's eldest kid was on me about seeing Anzia again and meeting Maia ...
Me: you were TERRIFIED last time
Her: I love horses!

She was petrified of my mild-mannered (on the ground), sweetheart of an Anzia, and she wouldn't even go within touching distance of Maia.

I agree with Josette, what were those parents thinking?? As a parent, I've seen lots of parents be too involved with their kids and push too hard. I'm wondering if these girls wanted to be there, or wanted their horse badge. Was this the parents idea or the girls? Maybe the girls are spoiled rotten, or maybe it was really not something they were comfortable with and were being pushed to do. And in a way that didn't help matters. Not all people are horse people.

My son was in cub scouts then boy scouts for 1 year. He hated boy scouts. He went to camp one summer and couldn't do the activities he wanted because his pack insisted all the boys do the same things. He was the only one who could swim which was a requirement for kayaking so he wasn't allowed to do it as the rest of the boys couldn't do it. Maybe a similar mentality here, one mom was pushing it so a group had to go with her and that group really didn't want to? Who knows.

How did the parents OR the girls know they would be scared without trying. It helps to have one confident excited kid to emulate. Obviously the crying kid was the emotional leader.

My son fell off once. He howled and howled, I checked him out and nothing seemed injured. He is on the ASD, sometimes it was a guessing game about what was going on. I finally put him back on the horse thinking that I did not want the fall to be how he completed his ride. The moment he was on again he stopped crying. Turns out he wanted back on. Lol