Horseback riding is a team sport for this LI equestrian
Kidsday reporter Lily Scarth is part of the Athletic Equestrian League riding team at Country Farms Equestrian Center in Medford. Credit: Linda Scarth
Are you a person who loves horses but is too young to join a riding team? The Athletic Equestrian League is an organization for fourth- to 12th-graders who compete in practical horsemanship. It is also my horseback riding team, and I have practice every other Sunday at Country Farms Equestrian Center in Medford.
In AEL we have two riding groups that ride separately. The first group grooms the horses and puts on the saddle pads, which protect the horses’ backs, and the saddles. We wait until one of our coaches, Sara, says to put on our helmets and put on the horses’ bridles. We then wait until everyone is ready, and we head to the indoor arena.
The indoor arena is marked with letters to designate certain spots in the ring. AEL is a very good experience to have for riders. I enjoy learning to ride better on different horses and to learn different things about horses.
When you’re ready, you get to compete. For the competition scores, there are three sections: the flat class, the riding test and the practicum, which is a verbal test on horse knowledge. The highest score for the flat class (walk, trot, canter) is 40 points. The highest score for the riding test (including poles or fences) is 40 points, and the highest score for the practicum is 20 points. At the end of a competition there are ribbons and bronze, silver or gold medals.
To bring the Athletic Equestrian League to your barn, talk to your coach about it. If you bring AEL to your barn, maybe we’ll see each other sometime.
Brian Harvey’s sixth-grade class, Minnesauke Elementary School, East Setauket
