HORSEMANSHIP
DIY stuff for your horse-mad kids
I
f you keep horses on your
plot for your children
there are some constructions that you can do that will
make their riding a whole lot
more enjoyable, and at the
same time benefit them in
particular ways.
The first thing, after having
provided a stable or stables, a
feed room and a secure,
lockable tack room, is to give
them somewhere flat and
with a soft, grippable surface,
on which to exercise.
For a rank beginner a circular
ring, 20m in diameter,
surrounded by a chest-high
post and rail fence, with a
surface of river sand, will
prove sufficient. The child's
instructor remains in easy
shouting distance and will
exercise the child in both
directions, round and round,
while the child does not have
to worry unduly about
steering the pony, but can
concentrate on what he or
she is being taught, eg how to
perform a rising trot, how to
hold the reins without
snagging the pony's mouth,
balance, foot position etc.
A 20m diameter circular ring
will also enable the pony or
horse to be lunged for
exercise on days when the
child is unable to exercise the
animal itself.
More ambitious, but necessary for any rider beyond a
beginner, is a rectangular area
measuring at least 20m x
40m, for this is the size of a
small (eg, used for children
and beginners) dressage
arena, also called a “manege”.
Although you can build it
with high sides, eg post and
rail fence, it is actually better
to do so with a low wall of
some sort, high enough only
to contain the filling which,
again, is commonly river
sand.
Suitable material for the
retaining wall are lengths of
scrap rubber conveyor
belting, the lower end of
which is buried about 20cm
into the ground to provide a
flexible vertical wall.
VEGETABLES
From page 31
Continued on page 33
and attract beneficial insects.
Some vegetables or herbs
rather plant cucumbers,
that that you might consider
beans or peas against the
planting in the shadow of
trellis.
your tomatoes include
Also think about the crops
asparagus, basil, borage,
that you plant near the
tomatoes. Practicing compan- carrots, cucumber, onions
and chives, spinach, lettuce,
ion planting can increase
nasturtiums and marigolds.
yields and help deter pests
32
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