Lots of our tamariki have been involved in imaginary play around horses and ponies lately so we thought that it might be fun for them to have a try at riding in a real saddle. The saddle was set up on one of our trestles so it was high enough to ride on but low enough to be easy for every one to get on and off safely. As everybody took turns at hoping on and off and sitting in the saddle Nikki explained how to do some riding exercises like leaning forward to touch the "horses" neck and backwards to touch its tail, trying to lean down to touch our toes and swinging our legs over the saddle and turning our bodies so that we faced first to the side then the back then the other side and back to the front (around the world). These are all things that she teaches to her junior riders at Pony Club. There was also time for lots of imaginary play with our horse. As we were having so much fun we were also developing our balance and confidence in balancing, flexibility and core strength.
No comments:
Post a Comment