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Here is a 'Coventry Kid' figuring out how to put the halter on -- it
is like a puzzle.
Coventry Kids go with the instructor to get the horse and, of course, the instructor helps until the
student can figure it out or even reach to put the halter on. All young riders help to get their own horses groomed and tacked
and put away. This is part of the horsemanship taught at Coventry.
Our lessons are all one-on-one / private, until the rider is independent
enough to ride with another and/ or get their own horse ready. All riders begin on the lunge line where they are safe and
learn their balance in order to control the horse.
After tacking the horse up, we have a very nice rider on a happy, fat
and well kept horse.
Kristin is teaching a young rider (age 9 on her Arabian) how to bend,
and /or position her horse onto the arc of the circle.
Our riders actually learn how to ride! Teaching riders how to position
their horse also gets them to have elastic elbows - elbows that move with the horse. At Coventry, the elbows are called "the
key stone to ‘on the bit.’ "
This same horse and rider combination compete in hunter shows and below we have
pictures of them in competition.
The three photos of Zoe shown below were taken by John Kuhn of Kuhn's Photography. Click on the link, or on any of the three photos below, to go to
his website!
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| Picture courtesy of Kuhn's Photography |
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Madame Sweetness... an Arabian mare hosting an 8 year old rider
- totally confident
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| Picture courtesy of Kuhn's Photography |
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Madame Sweetness, an Arabian, cannot help but jump with enthusiatic
Arabian style. She is obviously happily doing her job for her young rider. This is their second hunter show.
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| Picture courtesy of Kuhn's Photography |
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Is this photo not enough to make you want to go out and buy
a horse....!!!
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This is Spirit the day he arrived at Coventry with his new owner. A
happy and nervous pair! Little did Spirit know he was going to get fat and be trained in dressage and jumping.
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This is Spirit's first hunter show with his
owner. Both are highly attentive - concentrating very much! Note the rider's good leg and hand position. At their
first hunter show with more than 15 in each class Spirit won two seconds, two thirds and a sixth. Spirit also competed
in dressage with his leaser and scored an average of 61.645% at Training Level showing at recognized (USEF) horse shows
in 2005.
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This is one of Coventry’s young riders (age 14) who leases
Spirit and is competing at a recognized dressage show. Note the beautiful lattice braid. This horse competes both
in dressage and in hunter shows. He turned 21 in 2005, and is a versatile Quarter horse who does it all. In 2004
this pair was WPDA Training Level and Walk Trot Champions. In 2005, Spirit competed successfully at First
Level. His owner is jumping him (left, above) at a local
hunter show.
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Here is a happy "Coventry Kid" riding an awesome pony named Minime in the Upper St. Clair Parade!
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