“Eyes up! Concentrate. Where are your hands?”
The gentle but firm encouragement by Linda Braddy reminded a young rider to focus on her horse and her body language.
“Only part of it is horsemanship,” Braddy said of the pony riding lessons she and partner Laurie Stice, offer at The Pony Lady LLC, an Aurora-based company that teaches children horsemanship.
“Mostly what we do is give confidence to the little kids. And that’s the most important thing we do. When parents can join in, that’s the best way,” said Stice, of the learning process and connection established between horse and rider. Stice operates a barn in Elizabeth.
Braddy and Stice founded the company 11 years ago as a birthday party attraction and now book more than 125 parties annually. But as interest in the operation grew, the women offered lessons and “Pony Camps” to teach riding and animal care while helping to develop children’s “life skills.”
“What really feels awesome is to see a kid who didn’t have or know how to make friends learn self-confidence, how to express herself and problem solving skills. Now you see this popular kid who is making straight A’s,” Braddy added.
In addition to learning riding commands, proper brushing and care of The Pony Lady’s miniature horse and four ponies, Braddy incorporates academic fundamentals into her sessions. Showing children the importance of math skills, for example, she asks them to calculate how much hay she needs to feed the animals.
“The children learn that physical aggression doesn’t work with animals. They have to be resourceful — we ask them ‘out of all your skills, what can you do to solve the problem?’ If things aren’t going your way, now is not the time to whine. Figure out how to fix it.’ … It’s being able to imagine a scenario and a logical conclusion,” Braddy said.
The Pony Lady allows children under the age of eight, which had been “ostracized” by the industry, the opportunity to learn about horses. The patient, gentle -- and small -- Shetlands and miniature work well with small bodies, she said. The ponies average about 40 inches tall while the miniature horse stands between 33 to 36 inches. The animals can carry children up to 75 pounds.
“Our top priority is safety, and since most accidents with horses happen when the human half of the equation fails to think or gets complacent, we want people to learn to think around horses -- and keep their brains turned on,” said Braddy. “Teaching about the pony when we are at parties sets a precedent for thinking when around ponies and horses.”
In the past, most trainers asked adult riders to keep their kids away from the horses and frowned at the idea of training young equestrians, Braddy said.
“Other professionals would say ‘young kids can’t learn plus they are a pain in the butt,’” Braddy scoffed, noting the skills she and Stice teach prepare children to quickly learn advanced horsemanship skills when they reach the age they can ride regular sized horses.
McKenna Dahmer, 7, of Aurora, has been riding Braddy’s ponies for more than a year. After her mother, Sherie Valdetero, booked The Pony Lady for McKenna’s 6th birthday party last year, Dahmer began riding lessons.
“Trail rides are my favorite thing to do,” Dahmer said, noting she also enjoyed brushing and feeding the animals.
And while she has learned to stop, go, step sideways and direct the horse backward – all without a saddle or reins -- Dahmer noted other important lessons she is mastering.
“Sometimes horses make you stronger and make you communicate better,” Dahmer said.
Barbara Coll, Dahmer’s grandmother, credits Braddy’s program for the young girl’s newfound confidence, maturity and responsibility.
“McKenna learned to ride a bike, she’s doing her homework. … She used to be shy and quiet – she’s so outgoing now. She’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes in,” Coll said.
McKenna’s sister, Jaiden, 2, will begin riding next year.
“I know what it feels like to be desperate for horses. As a child I dreamed of horses – I was a total pill, my poor parents were tormented,” Braddy recalled. “It would make my heart sing any time I would get to go riding. I remember that tremendous, pure happiness, and I watch the kids have that now.”
Braddy said the experience with the horses at a young age fosters creativity, effectiveness and reasoned thinking in the child.
“They will come forward into life at a really exceptional level,” she said.
Braddy, who taught her three sons to ride, said one of them recently told her the process instilled in him “the ability to learn and how learning is important.”
“It feels really good to know that’s what these kids are achieving,” Braddy said.
Pony Parties start at $125 for one hour at the customer’s home and can be held at the Colorado Natural Horsemanship Center on West Parker Road or other stables. Pony Camps range from two to three hours per day for a two to four day session. Costs range from $100 to $250 per session.
The Pony Lady also offers clinics and training ranging from $25 to $425 per session at stables in Aurora, Parker and Elizabeth. The cost for children’s weekday lessons using The Pony Lady’s ponies is $35 per hour. They also teach older children and adults, using their own horses, for $45.
For more information, E-mail The Pony Lady at info@theponyladyllc.com, visit their Website atwww.theponyladyllc.com or call 303-699-9698.