Summertime gives young people a chance to learn horsemanship

Acorn Staff Writer


NEARING THE FINISH LINE--Young horseback riders approach the finish line during a recent endurance race. Horses are walked to the finish line to keep the animals' heart rates at a reasonable pulse to qualify. Both riders and horses must be in excellent physical condition.

NEARING THE FINISH LINE–Young horseback riders approach the finish line during a recent endurance race. Horses are walked to the finish line to keep the animals’ heart rates at a reasonable pulse to qualify. Both riders and horses must be in excellent physical condition.

Some youngsters play football or softball, and some sing, play an instrument or dance. But some local children take up horseback riding and compete in races—even against adults.


During a recent 30-mile horseback endurance race through the Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu Creek State Park, Malibou Lake, Peter Strauss Ranch and Paramount Ranch, none of the top finishers was an adult. Kristi Wi, 9, of Agoura Hills came in first place, Mckenna Toston, 11, finished in second, Sarah Vainstein, 13, came in third place and Courtney Reiner, 13, finished fourth.


"These kids put in hard work in training," said equestrian facility teacher and owner Laura Toston of the Malibou Lake Riders horseback riding school. "And (the Malibou Lake Riders) horses have a lot of experience on these trails."


Many horse-riding groups participate in races around the country. Forty-eight horseback riders all over the United States participated in the local race this year, which included 40 adults and eight youngsters. The Malibou Lake Riders sponsored six kids in the recent race.


The AERC (American Endurance Riders Conference) puts on the races. The courses usually involve rolling terrain and not flat straightaways. The races emphasize endurance and the horses don’t run, according to Toston, they mostly match a human-like jog, she said.


Is this kind of workout hard on a horse? Toston answered that horses train all year for endurance races, just like the riders. "They’re definitely in shape for it," she said. And most of the horses are Arabians which can handle cross-country riding.


The Malibou Lake Riders run out of Paramount Ranch. The organization has been around since 1995. Toston started it because she loves horseback riding.


"I’ve been riding all my life and just thought it would be fun," Toston said. "My sister said, ‘You should do lessons,’ and I did."


Toston teaches not only how to ride, but also the responsibilities of horse ownership. Students must keep their horses clean, groomed and fed. And stalls must be kept clean, too.


"I love being on the horse and taking care of them," said 13-year-old rider Brianna Blanchard, a Malibou Lake Riders student since she was 8.


Katie Goeller, 12, won the Malibou race last year and said, "I like going fast."


Toston’s students train all year for the local endurance race. They ride every Sunday for three hours, she said. Some of the practice rides, according to some of the students, are harder than the actual races.


Horseback riding "is really great for the kids," Toston said. "I think it keeps them out of trouble, it teaches them responsibility and it gives them goals." Riders also learn how to work as a team, she said. During rides, horse riders leading the pack must communicate with followers to warn them about sharp turns or low-hanging branches.


For more information about the Malibou Lake Riders and future races, log onto via computer www.malibulakeriders.com or call (818) 889-2245.




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