Horse Sense : Children Absorb Equestrian Lore at Rocking T Ranch

As fast as the instructor at Rocking T Ranch fired questions about horses, her young students shot back answers.

What is a reddish-brown horse with a black mane and tail? “Bay.” How much does a horse weigh? “About 1,000 pounds.” What is the temperature of a horse? “100.5 degrees.”

For a week this summer, these 7- to 15-year-olds had abandoned their skateboards and video games to attend a day camp at the Rocking T, which is devoted entirely to equestrian education. Here, the students quickly learn that riding a horse is much more than getting on the saddle and galloping off.

During the three-hour morning sessions, students are taught how to groom, saddle up, polish hoofs and bathe a horse.

“It is important they get started in the sport correctly,” said Jim Tice, who owns the 10-acre ranch along with his wife, Carol. “For most of the kids, this is their first encounter. . . . Not everyone gets this. We’ve even had parents say to us, ‘I had a horse run away from me,’ or ‘I was stepped on.’ ”

About 120 children will go through the program this year, earning certificates and buttons with photos of themselves on one of the ranch’s 20 horses.

“There’s not really anywhere they can come and get an introduction to horses,” Tice said.

Each morning, the children grab a bucket of brushes, combs and picks and begin grooming the horses. As they do, instructors guide them and teach horse vocabulary.

“They know every part of the horse by the end of the week because we’re always quizzing them on it,” Tice said.

The children remember what they learn by drawing in a coloring book, which describes everything from saddles and harnesses to the water and food consumption of a horse.

By the end of the week, 8-year-old Jessica Mantifel of Yorba Linda knew what made her favorite horse, Speedy, different from all the others.

“Speedy was the funniest horse to ride,” she said. “She trots smoothly and she listens good. . . . I can draw Speedy. Speedy’s different on her back. She has little bumps.”

The ranch has evolved into an educational center since 1971, when Tice converted it from his family’s avocado groves to a collection of stables, barns and arenas. For the past 12 years, Tice and a team of instructors have taught private lessons at the ranch, located among oil fields on Lakeview Avenue. The day camp was launched last summer. Tuition is $100 for the week.

With the success of recent movies such as “Dances with Wolves” and “City Slickers,” Tice said that horse training and ranching is enjoying a resurgence among youngsters. Some of the students buy designer boots, making sure that even when they saddle up they remain in vogue.

“You never had the boys in this area riding,” Tice said. “They were always skateboarding or biking. You never had an interest in the past 10 or 15 years. It wasn’t cool.”

Nine-year-old Sam Lloyd of Brea said he wasn’t afraid to do something that his friends weren’t doing.

“I just felt like being different from them,” he said. “Some of them ride bikes, play basketball. That’s the kind of sports they’re interested in. . . . In a way, this can be fun.”

By week’s end, Sam was fast on his way to becoming an expert at the equestrian equivalent of driver’s training, including maneuvers through an obstacle course and trots around an arena.

“At first I thought they would be big horses and they would bite,” Sam said. “But I came here, and they were real gentle.”

As Sam made his way around the arena, instructor Wendy Pregler watched closely to make sure he was doing everything correctly.

“Try not to rest your hands on the saddle horn,” she told Sam. “Grab the mane so you will be sure to stay on.”

Later, Sam and his horse moved toward three logs arranged in rows. The horse stopped at the first log and peered down at it. “Keep going, let your reins go,” Pregler told Sam. “Forward. Perfect.”

Sam smiled. He was getting used to steering the horse, a move that requires tapping on the horse’s leg for movement and regulating the speed with the harness.

“He’s so enthusiastic about it,” Tice said. “A lot of the kids think that the horses will just do it, and they don’t. If you don’t do anything, they’ll just stay there.”

Nearby, Karen Lloyd, videotaped her children. Sam and his 7-year-old sister, Rachel, say they want to take follow-up lessons.

“This is a new thing for them,” said Karen Lloyd, 36. “It’s something different than they do all the time. It’s great for their self-esteem. Now my husband and I are thinking of making this a family activity.”