Equestrians Taking The Shore

Equestrians

Take the

Shore byLEAPS &

WRITTEN BY: Jocelyn Hunt, Richard Kimball, and Sunrae Sturmer

Did you know that on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, one of the biggest sports involves both children and adults of all ages? It requires the individual to not only strive to be their absolute best, but, be willing to work in a team environment as well. The sport of horseback riding challenges a person both physically and mentally. The best part of all, is that horseback riding is a sport that you can participate in year-round and for your entire life.

Many people have the perception that, “you just sit there, and the horse does all the work for you,” This is far from the truth. Horseback riding is one of the most difficult sports for the athlete. You must be physically fit in order to hold yourself up on top of the horse and be conscious of what your body is telling the horse to do. You must be mentally prepared and be able to multitask. You must be able to communicate with a 1,000-pound animal that has a mind and language of its own. Once you have a connection with a horse, you will be amazed at the things you can accomplish from walking, trotting, cantering, and many other things!

Riding horses is beneficial to your mental and physical health. Horses are sensitive to their surroundings and can pick up on our energy and emotions. As such, there has been a recent increase in equine therapy of different kinds over the years, such as Hippotherapy, and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. It has been shown that just simply hanging around these animals can help decrease stress and improve your overall mood. There was recently a study that showed horses have had a positive effect

on military members and others that suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Horses have had a long place in Maryland’s history. As most of you know, one of America’s biggest races, the Preakness, is held annually in Baltimore and there are currently over 500 horse farms in the state. On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, there are several horse farms, many of these train harness and thoroughbred racing horses and many of them offer riding lessons to the residents of the shore. Maryland’s horse industry brings in over $1 billion in revenue yearly. This comes from many sources including the training and competing of racehorses, breeding of horses, horse lessons, gambling, and other activities including trail rides where you can take your horses for a stroll on the beach or take a swim in a local river.

The shore is the proud location of the Chesapeake Bay Horse Show Association, where many of the local barns compete in hunter and equitation competitions throughout the year. There are also other disciplines available including the western discipline, where you can learn to compete in rodeo events, race around barrels and do trick riding. There are several organizations you can join that promote many of these activities. One such organization is the Tidewater Pony Club. The Tidewater Pony Club not only offers the opportunity to compete locally, but, on the regional and national levels. The Tidewater Pony Club is a member of the Delmarva Region of the United States Pony Club. The TWPC develops character, respect,

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organization, leadership, confidence, teamwork, time management, and a sense of community in youth and adults through a program that teaches the care of horses and ponies as well as riding and mounted sports.

Horseback riding is one of the best sports for teaching kids and young adults life lessons. It teaches them you have to put in the work in order to reap the awards. A typical day at the barn includes grooming, cleaning and preparing your horse for the day’s lesson. Once they have completed their lesson, they have to once again clean their horses and the tack, then make sure that everything is placed away. When you are a member of the barn family, you also help with the daily chores around the barn including the cleaning of the tack area, horse pens and other areas as needed. As a family, you also help your barn mates. Almost every day you see the older riders helping the younger riders tack up their horses and assisting with getting them ready for the day. This is another way that horseback riding promotes teamwork and lifelong friendships.

" HORSEBACK RIDING IS ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS FOR TEACHING KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS LIFE LESSONS"

Many of the riders on the shore have competed at local, regional and national events including the Washington International Horse Show, The Kentucky Horse Park, The Devon Horse Show, and many others.

If you are interested in getting more information on the opportunities available, please visit the Tidewater Pony Club website at tidewater.ponyclub.org

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