Riding horses.

Josh has been riding and caring for horses since he was a small child. His father had several ponies on one acre of land in Tiny Township. Josh’s whole family rode horseback. As a child his favorite pony to ride was named Donster and he helped to train a pony named Sky.  Josh expressed that his father’s knowledge of how to deeply understand horses and ponies was passed down to him. He told us, “If you blow up the horse’s nose and they blow back at you, that means you’ve gained their trust. They trust you”.

Josh now rides once a week in Cookstown at a farm called Kaiser Stud. He rides as well as cares for and grooms a large horse named Sebastien. Josh expressed that Sebastien is wonderful to ride. “It’s therapeutic, it’s very calming. You can forget about all of the things you’re having a problem with during the day, [the things] that are bugging you, it just all goes away.”

Josh primarily rides English Style but also knows how to ride Western. He told us that the difference is that there is no horn on the front of the saddle in English style riding. Instead, he said, “you just hold on to your reigns, your feet in the stirrups, push your heels all the way down as hard as you can, and your feet have to point upwards. That’s English. You don’t have to do that for Western.”

During the pandemic, Josh was unable to visit Sebastien at Kaiser Stud Farm. Instead, Josh cared for Chester, the horse that lives here at the Camphill Village. Josh went to groom Chester every Tuesday. Josh brought him treats called “stud muffins” which are little round treats made of oats, grain, and molasses. He told us that Chester loves the stud muffins and Doug the donkey loved the treats on Tuesdays as well!