Why Let the Kids have all the Fun?

Why let the kids have all the fun?

by Sandy Kucharski

At this camp, the adults got to join right in on the fun and learning.

As a parent, I was always a little envious when my kids came home from camp, filled with stories of the adventures they had, the things they learned and the friends they made. I was glad that they enjoyed themselves...just wished I could have been a part of those memories. This year I had my chance when my daughter and I participated in the Adult/Child camp at The Natural Gait.

The setting was the picturesque retreat known as The Natural Gait. Located near Marquette, Iowa, among the ridges and bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley, the “Gait” sits high on a ridge overlooking the Yellow River. As if the location itself isn’t enough, the facility, which hosts numerous clinics and events throughout the year, is a “full service” horse set-up. With indoor and outdoor arenas, clubhouse/viewing area, a round pen, and stalls for 22 horses, they offer everything instructors and students need for training.

We use the term “camping” lightly, because the camper accommodations were rustic, but they were anything but primitive. We stayed in custom log cabins, with full kitchens, bathrooms, and sleeping lofts. These were not just your basic cabins either, but they were beautifully appointed, with log beds, western design lamps, “tractor seat” stools, and horseshoe toilet paper holders with “The Natural Gait” logo woodburned into them. They don’t have T.V.’s, radios or phones, but they do have books available on a side table, such as GaWaNi Pony Boy’s, “Of Women and Horses,” and Mary Midkiff’s “Fitness, Performance and the Female Equestrian.”

The experience was billed as a horsemanship camp for parent/child combinations, with most of the three days spent on instruction, and some fun “non-horse” activities as well. Lodging, stabling, and instruction by the facility’s resident trainer, Rick Cornwell, were provided. I had seen the camp advertised the year before and thought it sounded like a great idea. This year I held the date open on my calendar and made plans to go. The fact that it was early in the season was attractive because I figured it would get our summer of riding off to a good start. Just getting organized and traveling with the horses would be good for us, and the added bonus of instruction meant that we might come home with some good tips on things we could work get working on. But most of all, “the horse thing” has become my daughter’s and my special shared activity and this seemed an ideal opportunity to get away on our own adventure and “make some memories.” We left dad and the boys home to hold down the fort.

We loaded the truck and trailer, wrapped Rusty and Max and set out on our trip after school on a Thursday afternoon in early June. School went late this year so Lisa would miss a day of school, but I figured this would be worth it. We traveled the farthest to attend ?about 200 miles? and we enjoyed the scenery on our drive across Wisconsin. The landscape went from gently rolling hills to deep valleys and high ridges and we knew we were getting closer.

When we finally made it to the two long bridges that cross the Mississippi River at Prairie Du Chein, we were almost there. The fog was settling in the deep valleys near the river, and it was dark by the time we pulled off the main highway, onto the gravel road leading to The Natural Gait. I was glad that I’d been there once before and knew what to expect, since some of the narrow, winding gravel roads just look like someone’s driveway. We saw the Dead End sign, and finally the familiar wooden gait with wildflowers on either side; the trademark entry to the farm. We were greeted by our cabin mates and the rest of the campers, and shown where the horses would be staying. Their stalls were the portable type made of tube gates, with covers on them, located outdoors. I wasn’t sure how they would handle this, since they are used to box stalls in the barn. They calmly unloaded after their four hour ride, we walked them around a little, and then put them in their stalls. They settled right (with the help of a little hay).

With a few extra hands, we quickly loaded our gear into our log cabin. It was late, but we stayed up for a while, unwinding and getting to know our cabin mates, Lisa Borglum and her daughter Megan. It was a perfect match-up since Megan and my daughter Lisa were both 10 years old. They hit it off almost immediately and we finally had to break up their chat session, reminding them that they had a big day coming up.

When dawn broke the next morning I couldn’t resist hopping up and peeking out at the scenery. The cabins sit on a high ridge. Below the front porch is a steep drop off, all the way down to the Yellow River. The other side gradually slopes down to a higher valley and the heart of the facility; the original farm house and barn, the outdoor and indoor arenas and clubhouse, and a stocked fishing pond. The fog was heavy and I couldn’t see to the bottom of either valley, but I could just make out the horses in their pens, standing and looking around too, quite content in the cool morning mist. Too excited about the day ahead, I laid awake and took in the surroundings.

Eventually I got up and headed out to feed the horses. What a luxury it was to roll out of bed, slip on some sandals, and walk a few feet out to feed. (Actually, the distance is not so different from home, but feeding only two head instead of six, without separate stops for rabbits, dogs or cats, was a nice break.) The fact that they seemed quite content and comfortable really put my mind at ease too. I halfway expected to see one or both of them pacing or at least fretting about bugs.

After breakfast we all got together in one of the cabins and talked a little. Rick Cornwell, the instructor and host for the weekend took the opportunity to tell us about himself and his training philosophies and we each had a chance to introduce ourselves, tell about our horses, and talk about what we’d like to work on and what we were hoping to get out of the weekend. It was a nice way for the eight of us (four mother/daughter sets) to get to know about each other as well.

Our first morning session was in the round pen, and after a demonstration by Rick on some basic ground work, including driving the horses at liberty and then getting them to hook on and catching them again, we all took turns trying out what we’d seen. Some of us found it wasn’t as easy as it looked and others found that problems they had while riding surfaced and were addressed here on the ground, as well.

There was even a lesson to be learned as we sat on the fence, waiting for our turn. We were to get our horses to stand calmly behind us on a loose lead rope, perpendicular with fence, and a couple of feet back from it. After the horses understood what we were asking for (and we learned how to ask) they all stood quietly and respectfully, without pawing, nudging, or diving down for grass. We were “lookin’ good.”

For some, it was their first experience in a round pen. Rick’s patience, especially with the kids, was remarkable, and he made it fun for them. He’d walk around the pen with them to show them where to position themselves, and raise and lower their arms like puppets, to help them learn how to be big and small to the horse when you’re trying to get him to “hook on” and follow you. After all the horses had their turn in the round pen it was time to break things up for the day.

After dinner, the kids (four girls and Rick’s son Clay) had fun around the campfire, and they got together on another group effort. Their trademark activity for the weekend became the “shows” they put on for the parents, where they’d sing and and dance to popular songs - totally unsolicited. Parents took the chance to visit with each other or enjoy quiet reading time.

The fog cleared more quickly on day two, to reveal a very hot sun. We opted for arena work under the cover of the indoor. Horses and riders stayed fairly comfortable, despite high midday temperatures because of the arena construction. The clear span arena is one of the newer style fabric covered structures. It was bright and airy to work in and with the sides rolled up, a nice breeze came through making it quite comfortable for horses and humans alike.

We spent the first half of the day with groundwork, learning how to disengage the hindquarters, and move the forehand and the hindquarters separately. He also worked at length with a couple of horses who had close buddies and had a hard time separating from them. This doesn’t sound like a big problem, but it can be quite a nuisance to those who have to deal with it. We even got some tying instruction and by the time we stopped for a break, we were all using the new quick-release knots we’d learned to tie our horses up with. (As a former macrame’ enthusiast, I found this especially interesting.)

After a relaxing lunch and a little midday siesta, we met back at the arena, saddled and ready to ride. We tried out all the things we worked on, on the ground, now mounted as well: (speed control, disengaging the hindquarters, moving the front end and the hindquarters independently. Rick put things into perspective by explaining that this is really all there is to horsemanship. What we work constantly on is perfecting these movements and concepts at various gaits. It’s an ongoing learning curve.

In addition to the eight of us (four moms, four daughters) enrolled in the program, we also rode with two other “students.” Crystal Cornwell, Rick’s teenage daughter, is a very capable young horsewoman, who has benefited well from her father’s instruction. It was a pleasure to watch her and her mare work together and do many of the things we were working on. She was also very helpful in assisting by fielding questions, and offering explanations of what we were doing.

The second student was 22-year-old Anne, from Norway. She was working as an intern at The Natural Gait this summer. Back home, she helps her father with the family business, raising and training Icelandic horses. They currently have about 50 head, and the she plans to apply the horsemanship skills she learns here, back home.

Anne’s project for the summer is “Ozzie” (short for Oslow, the capital of Norway), a 2-year-old Paint gelding who the Cornwell family recently acquired. Rick was invited out to a farm to look at the horse in hopes he’d be interested in buying him. Oz, a stallion at the time, was vicious and unable to be handled, literally nailed into a filthy box stall. Because he felt sorry for the animal and knew that he could reach him with his approach to horsemanship, Rick purchased the black and white Paint. Knowing this animal’s history and Anne’s special circumstances, I found it it inspirational to watch the two of them work together.

We cooled our horses out after our afternoon session and several of us headed to the pond for a swim. The kids enjoyed circulating around the pond in the paddleboat and playing in the water. (This really brought back summer camp memories.) We had hoped to go tubing down the Yellow River, but we discovered that the water was still too cold in early June (but this is a favorite mid-summer activity for visitors at The Natural Gait.)

That evening at the campfire, the kids entertained us once more with a musical variety show.

Day Three...

It was Sunday already and hard to believe it would be time to pack up and head out late that afternoon. Without thinking too much about that, we all enjoyed a ranch breakfast of apple/mushroom sausage and eggs, served at the “big cabin.” When he’s not training horses, Rick is a fireman near his home in Cedar Falls, IA, and firemen are known for their ability to cook well - especially breakfasts. He didn’t let us down.

We saddled and headed to the arena for a little more mounted work and then set off on what was to be a “mini” trail ride. Not fully knowing the capabilities of the group, or what to expect once we got out of the safe confines of the arena, we were going to take it slow and easy, and maybe just venture a little ways into the woods and down a couple of trails. Things were going smoothly, and all the horses and ponies were cooperating, so we decided to go a little farther. The trail we were on wound it’s way down from the ridge to the river below.

At the halfway point, we decided that things were going well enough that we would continue our decent. The dirt was soft and easy on the horse’s feet, and we even scared up a wild turkey. When we got down to the valley, Rick made the decision that we could try for a river crossing. This was nothing for seasoned trail horses, but for some of the novice riders, it was their first water crossing.

It was all smiles as our group of 11 horses splashed into the knee-high water. I was surprised at the speed of the current and the optical illusion it presented as we walked upstream. (It looked like we were standing still, even when moving. I had to look at the shoreline to get my bearings.) Everyone made it across in good order.

We came out of the river at the home of the owners of The Natural Gait, Howard and Donna Bright. We rode past the Ion Inn, a large log cabin that they rent out for quiet getaways. We also passed their lovely log cabin home and cozy log barn with rustic pine round rail fencing. This valley is also home to their other business, The Ion Exchange, where they grow, harvest and ship seeds for hundreds of varieties of wildflowers and native grasses. While the horses took a little breather, we enjoyed watching their new foal play around his mother.

Since we’d come this far and done so well, we decided to go another mile down the quiet gravel road to the “horse playground.” While the horse’s idea of play would most likely have been to roll and graze in the grassy meadow, we took our human spin on it and guided them through a variety of obstacles gathered in this clearing in the valley. There were wooden bridges to cross, rocks to climb on, logs to walk and jump over and even an outhouse for practicing quietly waiting on a rope or rein. I know us riders had a good time, and I think that some of the horses secretly enjoyed it too.
W e decided that since this had become our long ride, that once we got back up to the top, we’d be finished for the day. After hosing all the animals down, the kids headed for the pond to cool off and the moms headed for the main cabin to relax and visit one last time. As a group, we discussed how things went and what could be improved on. I really appreciated the communication and the chance to sit down and talk about what we did each day, and what we would like to do next time.

Even though we had a combination of adults and kids participating in the same sessions, we all came away learning things, or improving on skills we may have already had. Sharing the instruction sessions with my daughter was helpful because now we can take what we learned home and help each other. Even more than that, though, we can take the experience we had home and always have it as a special memory of the time we shared.

Before we left, the kids gave us an encore performance of the songs they’d done over the weekend, and they all traded addresses. We loaded up my horse, Max, and Lisa’s pony, Rusty, said our goodbyes and headed down the winding gravel road, singing those same songs we heard all weekend, and talking about when we’d be back next.

About the Trainer: Rick Cornwell of Janesville, IA, is the resident clinician at The Natural Gait and has been with them since the facilities inception; they are now in their third year of business. His methods of training have been influenced greatly by some of the foremost trainers of what many refer to as “natural horsemanship.” Cornwell met Ray Hunt in 1989, Pat Parelli in 1991, and Lee Smith in 1992. He explains that, “These people, along with others, have helped shape my belief that good horsemanship is developed and not something you are born with. It is a about changing yourself; the horse just comes along for the ride.”

A lifetime of knocking around cattle and horse ranches have brought Cornwell to the conclusion that to be effective with horses, “We must first start on the ground with mutual respect as a common goal.” He further adds that, “Respect, once earned, will help prevent communication problems, injury and frustration when we get on our horse’s back.” During our clinic sessions, he often repeated his motto, “Don’t be ordinary - be extraordinary.”

In watching him, it is evident he lives by this, applying it to his teaching methods as well as his horses.

Rick Cornwell teaches several workshops at The Natural Gait throughout the season, and he will be a featured clinician at the 2002 Midwest Horse Fair next April. For more information about upcoming events at The Natural Gait, call 877/776-2208.