Re: making decisions
[email protected]
In a message dated 10/4/2002 6:39:34 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
about joining or not joining a 4-H Horse Group. My daughter (11 1/2) is
already taking horseback riding lessons - has been for 2 years. She goes once
a week to a quiet peaceful equestrian center and has a private lesson with a
sweet teacher and it is all very very relaxed and easy (she even often rides
a horse named, "Easy") and she loves it. I'm thinking it is enough
"horsiness" for her - she's happy, it is convenient (it is expensive - but
we've adjusted to the expense by now, so it isn't killing us anymore).
4-H is much much more consciously intentionally "educational" - they meet
weekly for 2 hours as a group - up to 8 kids all in the same level (of five
levels). They study horses - anatomy, health, feed, care, genetics, tack,
etc. -- everything to do with horses. As they learn, they have all those
typical 4-H opportunities to put together presentations for "demo days" and
county fairs and so on. There is a large amount of recordkeeping.
At her level, they also get to go to the stables and take a horse out and
just ride - during specific times - of which there are a lot. They are
required to go to the stables at least one time per week in addition to their
lesson, to practice and to help with care of the club's horses.
There are lots of shows, too. Like one a month or more. My daughter has no
interest in competing, but the leader says that even those who don't compete
can come to the get-ready day - which is about 10 hours the day before a show
- washing and shaving horses and packing up tack, etc., and they can go to
the show as handlers - helping groom, etc., and cheer on their teammates. So
- shows are 3 days - really - of full involvement. And they cost usually
around $50 to compete - including transportation and feed for horses, etc.
So - for the money (which is approximately the same as I pay right now for
private weekly lessons) she gets much more horse-time and more
horse-education and opportunities for showing and competing and demonstrating
and just handling horses.
The big glitch - she doesn't really want to give up her current lessons and
there is no WAY we can pay for both private lessons and the 4-H program.
So - this is a difficult decision for her. Any thought-provoking insight or
ideas or comments or whatever -- would be appreciated.
She's active in other things - she's in Girl Scouts, she's on a soccer team
which she LOVES!!! She's on a Destination Imagination team - which she loves.
I could influence her one way or the other, at this point, because she's so
torn. My considerations include my own convenience - the extra driving and
hanging around stables a lot (which doesn't interest me very much - although
I have learned to enjoy the horses more - to appreciate them as the amazing
creatures that they are).
--pam
National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected] writes:
> We don't need to buy them every gameWe are right NOW in the midst of an ongoing and really difficult discussion
> they ask for, as Pam said someone assumed. But we can help them figure out
> ways they can get what they'd like. (And the discussion might help them to
> decide they don't really want it after all.)
about joining or not joining a 4-H Horse Group. My daughter (11 1/2) is
already taking horseback riding lessons - has been for 2 years. She goes once
a week to a quiet peaceful equestrian center and has a private lesson with a
sweet teacher and it is all very very relaxed and easy (she even often rides
a horse named, "Easy") and she loves it. I'm thinking it is enough
"horsiness" for her - she's happy, it is convenient (it is expensive - but
we've adjusted to the expense by now, so it isn't killing us anymore).
4-H is much much more consciously intentionally "educational" - they meet
weekly for 2 hours as a group - up to 8 kids all in the same level (of five
levels). They study horses - anatomy, health, feed, care, genetics, tack,
etc. -- everything to do with horses. As they learn, they have all those
typical 4-H opportunities to put together presentations for "demo days" and
county fairs and so on. There is a large amount of recordkeeping.
At her level, they also get to go to the stables and take a horse out and
just ride - during specific times - of which there are a lot. They are
required to go to the stables at least one time per week in addition to their
lesson, to practice and to help with care of the club's horses.
There are lots of shows, too. Like one a month or more. My daughter has no
interest in competing, but the leader says that even those who don't compete
can come to the get-ready day - which is about 10 hours the day before a show
- washing and shaving horses and packing up tack, etc., and they can go to
the show as handlers - helping groom, etc., and cheer on their teammates. So
- shows are 3 days - really - of full involvement. And they cost usually
around $50 to compete - including transportation and feed for horses, etc.
So - for the money (which is approximately the same as I pay right now for
private weekly lessons) she gets much more horse-time and more
horse-education and opportunities for showing and competing and demonstrating
and just handling horses.
The big glitch - she doesn't really want to give up her current lessons and
there is no WAY we can pay for both private lessons and the 4-H program.
So - this is a difficult decision for her. Any thought-provoking insight or
ideas or comments or whatever -- would be appreciated.
She's active in other things - she's in Girl Scouts, she's on a soccer team
which she LOVES!!! She's on a Destination Imagination team - which she loves.
I could influence her one way or the other, at this point, because she's so
torn. My considerations include my own convenience - the extra driving and
hanging around stables a lot (which doesn't interest me very much - although
I have learned to enjoy the horses more - to appreciate them as the amazing
creatures that they are).
--pam
National Home Education Network
http://www.NHEN.org
Changing the Way the World Sees Homeschooling!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robyn Coburn
<<We are right NOW in the midst of an ongoing and really difficult
discussion about joining or not joining a 4-H Horse Group.>>
Boy this does sound difficult because the two horse activities are
clearly very different experiences. I guess the first thing is to
ascertain what it is your daughter likes about, or hopes to gain from
the 4H. It seems like the issue is more than just time with the horses.
I have two suggestions off the top of my head.
1/ Could she do half the 4H events and half the riding lessons splitting
the money between the two. (This may betray my ignorance of 4H
structure).
2/ Could your daughter volunteer, or even better call it apprentice,
part of the time at her serene riding stable to learn the animal
husbandry aspect from the people there. 4H are not the only groups who
go to horse shows.
As for hanging around the stables, I'm with you on that. Time to catch
up on your reading??
Regards,
Robyn Coburn
discussion about joining or not joining a 4-H Horse Group.>>
Boy this does sound difficult because the two horse activities are
clearly very different experiences. I guess the first thing is to
ascertain what it is your daughter likes about, or hopes to gain from
the 4H. It seems like the issue is more than just time with the horses.
I have two suggestions off the top of my head.
1/ Could she do half the 4H events and half the riding lessons splitting
the money between the two. (This may betray my ignorance of 4H
structure).
2/ Could your daughter volunteer, or even better call it apprentice,
part of the time at her serene riding stable to learn the animal
husbandry aspect from the people there. 4H are not the only groups who
go to horse shows.
As for hanging around the stables, I'm with you on that. Time to catch
up on your reading??
Regards,
Robyn Coburn
Deborah Lewis
Pam, would the stables where she takes lessons now let her work in
exchange? Maybe that wouldn't fit your schedule either, but if she could
clean stables or groom horses in exchange for her lessons, or even to get
a reduced rate maybe that would help. Maybe the teacher she has now
could involve her more in the work at the stables and that could be her
4-H. Private 4-H.
Could you talk to the 4-H leader and see if she could attend for a month
at some agreed upon lower fee to see if it's something she really wants
before giving up the other?
Sorry, that's all I can think of for now.
Deb L
exchange? Maybe that wouldn't fit your schedule either, but if she could
clean stables or groom horses in exchange for her lessons, or even to get
a reduced rate maybe that would help. Maybe the teacher she has now
could involve her more in the work at the stables and that could be her
4-H. Private 4-H.
Could you talk to the 4-H leader and see if she could attend for a month
at some agreed upon lower fee to see if it's something she really wants
before giving up the other?
Sorry, that's all I can think of for now.
Deb L
Alan & Brenda Leonard
> So - this is a difficult decision for her. Any thought-provoking insight orPam,
> ideas or comments or whatever -- would be appreciated.
maybe it's just late at night here and I'm exhausted already, but reading
that list of what 4-H does horse-wise made me tierd. There's some serious
time commitment there.
Sometimes I print out an extra calendar on the computer and put on my usual
stuff and then overlay theatre rehearsals and show times (my big
time-killer) to see if I have time in my life to handle the demands of a
particular show. I'm pretty visual, so I need it there on paper. Sometimes
it's a real eyeopener to see what happens to your time to add something.
For what it's worth.
brenda
ps. what's a destination imagination team? sounds interesting!