Cover Story:
Arabian Horse Reading And Literacy Project by KATHY TROXLER
Once upon a time ... there was a boy named Walter Farley who loved horses and books. So strong was his love for both, that while he was still quite young, he wrote a book that would become a best-seller and created characters that children are still reading about today. Seventy-eight years after those first young readers fell in love with The Black Stallion, thousands of children every year still become fans of Alec, his black Arabian stallion, and horses of all shapes and sizes, thanks in no small part to a very ambitious collaboration between Walter Farley’s son, Tim, and Mark Miller of Al-Marah Arabians. Their dream was to not only bring children closer to the world of horses, but to use their powerful presence to ignite a love of reading. Their creation, the Black Stallion Literacy Project (BSLP), ran from 2000 to 2010 and was an undertaking of such scope, that it would have deterred many, but not these two. Thanks to their vision and perseverance, untold thousands of children received their very own copy of the books and had their first contact with a horse. The original Black Stallion Literacy Project is no more, but its spirit does live on, thanks largely to the Arabian Horse Reading and Literacy Project founded by Gary Millar. Evolution and growth notwith-
standing, from the very beginning there was one very important component that has remained the heart and soul of the program today—the meet and greet with real life horses! The initial meet and greet, referred to as “First Touch”, which could take place either at a farm or by transporting horses to the school, is the almost magical first contact between the kids and the horses, and provides the catalyst for sparking a love of reading. Being able to see and touch actual horses provides a rich “real world” connection and context to the words found between the pages of the books. The second component, called “Second Connection”, is a follow-up visit where the kids read aloud to the horses and participate in various activities.
Gary Millar, Millar Venture Arabians, Alberta, Canada Inspired by a BSLP presentation to the AHA Board of Directors, Gary Millar founded the Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project in 2008. Since that time, Gary and his horses have played host to countless children at his ranch in Edmonton and currently has on-going relationships with multiple schools in the area. How did he actually get started? “I just started with one friend who was a principle in a school,” says Gary. “I told him about the project and he started the ball rolling. Once you get the kids in front of the horses, it’s easy. Oddly enough, sometimes it’s the teachers that are initially skeptical. But, in my experience, one visit, and they’re believers and generally leave saying, ‘We’ll be back.’” A recent letter from one of the teachers and a typical response to the program: “Words truly can not express my amazement and joy yesterday at your farm. My students and parents were thrilled that they could be part of such a wonderful experience. I had two extremes on the bus ride back to school; half of my students fell asleep and the other half had permanent smiles. Whether it was Denise actually touching and reading to a horse so close that it touched her head, Ira seeming to always have Tucker (the dog) by her side, or Justin just being so totally engaged and showing his caring heart, it was probably the best teaching experience I have ever had. What you have built is something very special that every child should have the chance to experience.
Getting parent volunteers at our school can be difficult, but this was something the children begged them to be a part of, even filling in Dad’s name on the permission form so that I would speak to them and ask them to come.” In addition to actively running his own literacy program, the Arabian Horse Reading and Literacy Project that Gary created has become a rich resource for anyone else that would like to set up something similar in their area. While Farley’s books are still very much a part of the program, they have expanded the reading list and curriculum to include books about horses by other authors
Trowbridge riding instructor Shannon Ginnetti,
and have created new original content which they have self-published.
joined Trowbridge Arabians in 2015 and is in charge of the Trowbridge Summer Camp. “Pat and Mary have been involved in incorpo-
Mary & Pat Trowbridge, Trowbridge Arabians Ltd., Bridgewater, CT
rating literacy into their horse program for a long time, but for me, this is all
Mary and Pat Trowbridge have long been forces to be reckoned with when it
presently enrolled at Southern Connecticut State University working on a
comes to supporting the horse community, so it’s no surprise that they have
degree in elementary education. I’ve added some literacy activities with my
included a literacy program at Trowbridge Arabians for over 15 years. In the
students enrolled in our summer camp. Getting to witness how these kids are
past, Trowbridge Arabians has partnered with as many as three elementary
taking to reading to the Arabian horse is absolutely incredible and quite hon-
schools to provide the Arabian Horse Reading and Literacy Program for first
estly, the kids don’t want to leave the stalls when their reading is completed!
graders and were the first to ever offer such a program in Connecticut. First
As a future educator, it is so wonderful to see both of my worlds collide and
grade classes from the areas three schools—Burnham School in Bridgewater,
how the horses help children become inspired to read!”
Booth Free School in Roxbury and Washington Elementary, visited the
new,” says Shannon. “I’m a riding instructor at Trowbridge’s, but I am also
are given a tour of the farm, watch demonstrations and are given a copy of
Isaac and Jessie Taylor, Taylor Ranch, Payson, Utah
Little Black, A Pony. During their second visit, as per the plan, the students
Isaac and Jessie Taylor are just beginning their journey with the Arabian
Trowbridge Farm twice each year. On their first visit, the first-grade students
read to the horses!
Horse Reading and Literacy program. Long-time friends with Region 17 Director Tex Kam, it was during one of his visits to Taylor Ranch that Tex shared his experience with the power of the program with Isaac and Jessie. Says Jessie, “We’ve known Tex for a long time, but it was just recently that he mentioned the success they’ve had incorporating the literacy program with the other publicity for the Region 17 Western Canadian Breeders Championship show. It sounded like a fantastic idea and Tex put me in contact with Gary so we could get the ball rolling in Utah. “Gary has spent hours on the phone with me answering all my questions. He’s sent me the images he uses for his activity day and given me so much advice, best practices and do’s and don’ts. Since we were starting in the spring (and not the beginning of a school year), he suggested that we start with our current lesson kids and that’s what I’ve done. I also contacted every school, Boys and Girls Club, etc, in a 30-mile radius to see if they’d like to be a part of the program in the fall. We even took one of our lesson horses to our local library on their ‘Family Night’ to promote the event.” Utilizing Gary’s suggestions and support materials from the program, the Taylors started their program on June 28th. For their first event, they began by combining their current group of riding students and a group of newcomers, inviting all involved to a “First Touch” event. Following the established model, the kids met the Taylor Ranch Arabian horses, received their books and also received a small poster of an Arabian horse to take home to practice reading to. Jessie also taught the kids a little bit about how horses communicate with humans and the history of the Arabian horse. On July 26th, the kids will come back for their Second Connection visit. It’s during this visit that the kids will participate in various horse related activities that all incorporate a reading element assisted by one of the most powerful teaching aides available—an Arabian horse! Long story short … horses plus books is as close to a sure thing as you can get!
For more information, go to the Arabian Horse Reading and Literacy Project website at www.arabianhorsereading.com, or contact Gary Millar at gary@millarcom.com.
For the teachers who make a “Forever Impact.”
TRIFON (1992-2019)
Gary Millar’s Arabian stallion Trifon (Matrifik x On Fyre), made a career later in life visiting schools in Canada with the Arabian Horse Reading Literacy Project. The mission was to “motivate kids to want to read and discover the joys of reading and learning through the magic of contact with live horses and quality books.” For over ten years, Gary and Trifon traveled to schools, gave kids books, and invited over 1,000 kids to visit the farm to learn about horses and read to all of Trifon’s horse friends.
In his memory, students who truly benefit from participating in reading to the horses are selected by their teachers to receive “The Trifon Award”. Recipients of his award receive a $20 gift card from Indigo books and their choice of a “Read to the Horses’ Birthday Party for four friends or a complimentary horseback riding lesson at Millar Venture Arabians Farm. All this work makes Trifon an honorary Arabian Ambassador, and his work will carry on.