Children have been a part of my Hackney horse's lives since I first became involved with this breed.  My young horses become accustomed to (or should I say mauled by) children almost right from the start.  It brings great joy to watch the look of wonder and delight on a little girl's face as she watches the foal take it's first breath, learn to stand and nurse from it's dam.  As the days go by, these children become an integral part of the foals daily life.

My mature Hackney horses have all been ridden and shown by children.  Those who have expressed an interest in driving have learned to drive with the greatest schoolmaster of all - Gladiator.  Now that Gladdy is officially retired (except for the occasional longlining lesson), Phantom is being groomed to take his place.  My horses have proven to me time and again that they can and are safe for children to handle.

These pages are dedicated to my horses and the children who love them.  Check back often as the images will be updated/rotated as I go through a virtual mountain of photographs.

  Phantom giving a ground driving lesson through a series of progressively more difficult obstacles/maneuvers.

                                                     Gladdy and his 8 yr old student heading out on the open road for the very first time.

Native Donna Beverly giving a riding lesson.                                               Maple Hill's Foolish Girl and Maple Hill's Novelty                                                                                                                  shown by 2 young ladies in hunt seat pleasure.                                                                                                                   The rider on the left is a novice at her first show.

Young ladies tacking up (from left) Maple Hill's Phantom, Wethersfield Cadence and Maple Hill's Foolish Girl for a ride on our beautiful trail system.