Drawing a Healthy Path for Kids
And for Sherman Colins Kids, that might not lead to Princeton University
Apart from crying to come home until I was purple, my fondest memories of summer sleep-away camp are of riding a Palomino horse named Sunshine, the first cousin of my favorite singer of all time.
Aboard Sunshine, I would fly down a dirt trail toward my beloved horseback riding counselor, a man of American-Indian descent, up at the pass, on his mount.
When I reached my counselor, we would look back at the trail, now littered with the bodies of my fellow campers, whose mounts had bolted out from under them to catch up with Sunshine and me.
And all was at peace in the world.
Since then, every time I have been thrown, bitten, kicked, or stomped on by people, I have turned to horses for solace.
Lately, I’ve done some trail riding at the New York Equestrian Center in West Hempstead, NY.
Affiliated with the Cornell University’s Veterinary College, the NYEC has an excellent staff dedicated to the well-being of both horse and rider.
It’s the ideal atmosphere for introducing highly sensitive, anxious and intelligent Sherman Colins kids — ages five and up — to a life-time of self-confidence building for the mind, body and soul.
Here’s some tips from the NYEC’s summer camp head counselor on how to approach a delicate child:
Sunshine, thanks for suggesting this idea from horse heaven.
I can feel you beaming down on me.
And all is at peace in the world.
