Horses for a Change in Esopus New York is located at Frog Hollow Farm. It’s a place for people of all abilities whether you have never ridden or are looking for a place in the competitive dressage world to ride a horse. Also, another great aspect is their therapeutic riding.
Abby has been riding there since the beginning of the summer. It has been an awesome experience on many levels and she has learned a ton.
On the therapeutic side, they have an interactive trail where she looks for things in the woods, puts her hands up to ring bells, tosses a ball into a basket off the horse and so much more. It's great for confidence as well as meeting and exceeding milestones. The program also helps her with anxiety and ability to express herself in a positive way. the great part is there seems to be an almost magical connection between the horse and person.
In the arena, they keep her mostly on a lead line because she is still very young. But, they are working on all the proper techniques including posting. It's great how they make it fun and interesting to hold the attention of the young rider. Just teaching straight technique would be boring. However, they have cute ways of approaching everything.
She jumps over poles on the ground and trotted on her first lesson. She did come into the program with about six months horseback riding experience. They also do great things to help her with her hand, eye coordination and balance, such as lifting the right hand and then lifting the left and then raising both hands in the air.
Some other key points are that, before and after, she is learning responsibility because she helps bring the horse into the barn to get tacked up. She assists with grooming her horse. Heads up, parents don’t usually stay with them during a lesson. It helps build a bond between horse, rider and instructor. But, you will have a chance to see your child ride. They have a wonderful viewing room upstairs that overlooks the arena. I have taken many photos from up there.
It's also important to know that they match a horse, right down to size, to rider. Abby rides an adorable pony named Lolipop. In the past, at other places, she was on a full size horse most of the time. This is not good in many ways for a young rider (almost four). It's always the same horse too. She looks forward from week to week to seeing "her" Lolipop.
After lessons, there are the cutest pair of goats names Milkshake and Oreo. You can go and spend time with them. Just be careful to not let them out as then the only way you are getting them back in is with their food! Here is a little goat interview for you. Oh and don’t forget to say hi to the resident parrot too!
Learn more about what they have to offer at Horses for A Change or you can make a donation! They do offer scholarships because they believe ever person should get an experience to ride.
Adventures of Abby Girl is all things my daughter and I experience in the Hudson Valley and beyond completely as it is. You can read more blogs about Adventures of Abby Girl here. Feel free to follow on Instagram and Facebook or watch videos of all things Abby Girl and Mom life on Youtube. When I'm not writing my blog or shooting crazy videos, I own a local photography business in the Hudson Valley-Erica Higgs Photography. Contact us if your business would like us to visit you! Many services available including social media content, sponsored blog posts, short videos, professional photos and more!
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