Horseback transportation isn’t what it seems in the western movies. There’s lots to learn and plenty of hard work involved in riding and caring for a horse — lessons not lost on of a group of 19 Greenfield Middle School sixth-graders who spent part of their school day all year at the private Stoneleigh-Burnham School learning about equine care and horseback riding.
The students were bused to the Stoneleigh stables to learn for about 90 minutes a day as part of a unique partnership between the two schools organized by middle school Associate Principal Angela Ruggeri, Greenfield Public Schools Superintendent Jordana Harper and George Halkett, the equestrian director at the girl’s prep school known for its riding program.
“Last summer, I began thinking about what we could offer the Greenfield students that they weren’t already getting,” Harper explained at a recent “graduation” event at Stoneleigh. “We were able to come up with a proposal that was thrilling and unique.”
Harper saw students go “from timid to tremendously confident,” which is a transformation that you don’t always see in traditional academic classes but that teachers always hope to see.
Each day, GMS staff member Tarsis Theofanidis brought the students to Stoneleigh, where they learned to handle, groom, feed, tack and care for horses and ponies. They also learned to ride at a walk, trot and canter, and developed a strong understanding of stable management.
“It was a great experience,” said Kim French, whose daughter Heather French participated in the program. “Her confidence definitely grew.”
“I thought it would be easy because it looked easy in the movies,” middle schooler Felicia Gallison said. “It was a lot of hard work … but I had a great year,” she added.
“(The program) should be for all grades, for sure,” said Christina Gallison, Felicia mother. “It teaches kids discipline in the ring and at home.”
One parent said the riding program improved his daughter’s academic performance.
“I really did see a huge improvement in my daughter’s grades and her confidence in school, which was amazing,” said Jeremy Remillard of his daughter Lilly Remillard.
The program, funded in large part by an Expanded Learning Time grant, will continue in the new school year, a bit of great end-of-academic-year news. Learning in middle school isn’t just about books and study plans but should also encourage discipline and organization, efficient use of time and responsibility — all important life skills that this equestrian experience apparently brought out in the lucky 19.
We’d love to see more of this kind of opportunity created for Greenfield’s public school students and were thrilled to see this program blossom through the cooperation arranged this year by the middle school and Stoneleigh.