Our Featured Horse of the Month is Ben!
Ben is, without a doubt, such an incredibly special horse. He is twelve-years-old and his show name is “Purely Gold”. He lives up to this name every single day. Not only is he a golden palomino colour but he has a heart of gold too. He is one of our favourite horses in the adult and junior beginner courses, beginner summer camp as well as our therapeutic riding program. He performs in our Musical Ride and even competes in horse shows! He is an incredible pony who inspires trust in even the most nervous riders, and he is one of the best teachers for which we could ever ask. The day Ben became a Lancer horse our instructors’ jobs became a little bit easier.
Ben has also been nick-named “Gentle Ben” in the therapeutic riding program and this name describes him perfectly too. He is gentle, patient, and of course, is cute to boot! While he spends most of his time being amazingly patient with beginners, he is still a coveted mount amongst our more experienced riders as well. He is known for being quite slow with beginners (and slow equals safe) but there is a fire in him that awakens at times. A perfect example of this was last summer when he was the Champion in our jumper division at our Downtown Horse Show! He also surprised us with great speed and agility the first time he went to a Prince Philip Games competition with our pony club in the spring. Even at our rural Salmon River sleep-away camp, he is just as reliable on the trails as he is in the ring at home.
Even the most patient animals have their limits and Ben’s include having his ears clipped and getting de-wormed. His objections to these are so strong it’s hard to believe he is the same pony. While we do make sure he gets his deworming as needed, we have decided that he deserves to keep his ears fuzzy. For all his character and daily service, there are many Ben fans out there! Whether you see him outside during turn out or in his stall or have the fortune of riding him, know you are in the company on one special pony! We are thankful to have Ben as part of our Lancer team!
