It's Pony Partners Season!
This spring will begin another season of 4-H Pony Partners. This program is unique because if offers a chance for youth who have never been exposed to horses or any kind of large animals before to interact with, and have a positive experience with horses, actually miniature horses. This program goes over the basic fundamentals of equine study including grooming, leading, learning and comparing horse and human emotions, body parts of the horse, colors, breeds, and what horses eat and how it relates to our human diets.
Working with horses builds confidence, communication, and problem solving. Students also learn behavioral skills as they recognize that horses respond directly to their behavior and body language. The ability to interact safely with an animal larger than you, for a child, builds great self-assurance, trust, and is a lot of fun!
Pre-scheduled programs include two “Horse Days” with Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. The first program will take place Saturday March 31rst from 9:00 AM to 4:00PM at Camp Tweedale in Oxford, Pennsylvania. The second will take place at the same time on April 28th at Windy Hollow Farm in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. 4-H Pony Partners will also be offered in the 4-H Summer Special Programs and will hold one or two week-long sessions at the 4-H Romano Center this summer. A new program option this year will be model horse painting! This option will be available for afterschool groups or clubs where classroom location can allow for more crafts and time will be allotted accordingly to work with the miniature horses directly.
4-H Pony Partners is presently serving youth in southern and central Chester County. 4-H Pony Partners does require a fee of no more than $30 per student. The fee is based on materials, program length, and how many times horse transportation is required. Scholarships are available to students but are supported by donations from the community.
If you are interested in contributing to Pony Partners Scholarships, please contact Laurie Szoke at 484-716-5714 or Katie Poppiti at 302-893-8735.
