On April 26, 2009, Three Girl Scout troops came to the Golden Carrot to help the horses, and have some fun - and boy did we! Troop 392 (Leader Jean Kravitz); Troop 1195 (Leader: Lisa Brozek); and Troop 1648 (Leader: Rita Hooper), all 5th and 6th graders hailing from Mission Viejo (Saddleback 6 Service Unit), were 15 girls strong, and worked hard all day. They cleared my arena of rocks; groomed not only the 7 TGC horses they rode, but many more in the main paddock; fed hundreds of pounds of carrots by hand; and helped to distribute the final meals and carrots to all the Golden Carrot residents. They listened quietly and respectfully when the SCTR staff gave them a talk about the type of rescue that they do, as opposed to the type TGC does, and all in all were wonderful guests. Here are some pics to give you an idea of the day:
The girls greet the horses, who know carrots are coming!
The girls start grooming their horses for a ride
The sweet Golden Carrot horses, most simply thrown away by former owners, show that even at their advanced ages, they are very useful, providing a wonderful experience for beginning riders...
Debbie.... mid-30s
Falcon.... early 30s
Peanut.... late 20s
Buck.... - late 20s and full of arthritis
After a bad horse experience many years ago, Lauren's fascination with horses brought her back - and I think Buck was the good-will ambassador for horses, judging by the picture below!
Prophet...late 20s, early 30s, and still going strong
Topper carries a bareback rider...in her late 20s-early 30s
and finally, the ever bellowing Jeepers - led by the patient Kathy..... Jeeps is only about 17, but with ringbone and a little overweight with lack of exercise, he needed this!
Falcon stands calmly while his rider "feels him up" - in an exercise to show a rider it's not necessary to curl up like a monkey!
Some of the girls have lunch on the rock formations;
and their moms snack while the girls rock-pick in the arena!
We had a little trouble with spacing at first .... I'm waiting for some other pics which were taken, and I hope they will include a shot of how well they spaced after only a few laps!
Caroline starts her talk on SCTR's mission statement, and the difference of that rescue organization from TGC...
The girls listen while Jackie and Megan talk about their work at SCTR,
The girls watched Jackie work Belle a little, and then reached out to pat her gleaming sides as they listened to Jackie...
Here are links to slideshows and videos of the day, taken by John Chun of SCTR:
SCTR Speaks at the Golden Carrot - Part 1
SCTR Speaks at the Golden Carrot - Part 2
Cascade Mtn at the Golden Carrot
Girl Scouts at the Golden Carrot
More Pictures of the day -
This sweet mare was on her way to slaughter - look how calmly she stands for a crew of girls. She is extremely well bred and perfectly sound....
The official photographer and board member of SCTR, John Chun, gives Red some love
