Filed under: July 2022 | Tags: farm tour, horse drawn, school children, socialization, Suffolk Horses, Suffolk Punch foal, Suffolk Punch horses
July 7, 2022
This past week has been a blur. We celebrated the birth of our country on Monday after a busy weekend that included a fast trip to Indiana to Horse Progress Days.
On Wednesday, we hosted another group of school children here on the farm. We introduce them to farm animals and give them a glimpse of farm life. Many of these kids are from the “city”. Most have never stepped foot on a farm or interacted with animals other than a few pet cats and dogs.
So, once again, our baby got to meet 20 squealing, wide eyed youngsters. The socialization is good for both the horses and the children. They had a fun couple hours that included petting chickens, goats, a pony, a donkey, cattle and our farm dogs and cats. We give them a horse drawn wagon ride around the farm, pulled by our Suffolk mares Amee and Abby.
This is our third such tour this year. We have more scheduled too. It is my hope that the young people have a favorable experience. Perhaps, I will plant a seed that will start a dream in a young life. I hope that as we share our lifestyle, hearts are opened and God is glorified. I will do my best to teach the little ones and they in turn will help train our animals too. It is a win win, as they say :o)
Filed under: October 2021 | Tags: Community outreach, field trip, learning opportunity, school children, Suffolk Horses
October 25, 2021
Ambassadors Amee and Abby, helped me share our farm with a group of school children last Friday. The little ones learned about farming, animal husbandry and the power and grace of the Suffolk horse. They fed the hogs and chicken, raced and chased, squealed and shrieked as they scrambled from one pen to another.
I talked to them about safety and caring. They were impressed by the large horses, smitten by a crazy cat and amazed at the oinking hogs. The children had a wonderful day and managed to stay dry between rain storms.
We all got real cozy as we squeezed onto my wagon for a horse drawn hayride. Abby and Amee took it all in stride. The noise from the excited kids, the urging from other horses in the pasture didn’t bother them at all. We made several trips around the farm lane. I discovered this was the easiest way to keep them engaged, contained and happy. A few little ones got to “drive” the horses as they pulled the wagon around the farm.
I don’t know if any of these young people will go into a vocation in agriculture, but they had a great experience. They made a few memories and they had a good time. We are blessed to be able to share. I have been given a gift to talk with kids and help them understand the farming cycle. They may never do it themselves, but they will have a little more understanding for those of us who farm. This outreach makes me happy because I believe, with understanding comes tolerance. Hopefully, these youngsters will be patient when they have to follow a combine or slow tractor on the road. They will remember that their food comes from farms and somewhere behind the scenes, there is a farmer just trying to do the right thing.
RicelandMeadows 