KIDS GET LESSON ON HORSE SENSE.Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer By the end of the morning, 11-year-old Carlos Quital considered himself an old pro at brushing and bridling the deep-brown Quarterhorse that stood before him. The Newbury Park youth had never before touched a horse, but Tuesday morning it took the newfound rancher and his friends only a few minutes to saddle one, tighten its girth GIRTH., A girth or yard is a measure of length. The word is of Saxon origin, taken from the circumference of the human body. Girth is contracted from girdeth, and signifies as much as girdle. See Ell. and prepare her for a ride. ``I always wanted to know how the ranchers get the horse ready and make the horse behave right,'' said Carlos, one of about 35 kids who spent Tuesday at Two Winds Ranch in Newbury Park. The trip, organized by Many Mansions for families living in affordable housing facilities run by the non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. , gave children like Carlos their first glimpse First Glimpse is a monthly consumer electronics magazine published by Sandhills Publishing Company in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. The magazine was known as CE Lifestyles before a name change in early 2006. of life on a real ranch. Gathered around Chinka, a 22-year-old pale tan Welsh pony Welsh pony, breed of small horse of European origin. First bred primarily in Saxony, it later became localized in Wales. Although the breed is of ancient type, it presently bears traces of the Arabian horse and shows influences of the Thoroughbred horse. , 8-year-old Jennifer Martin Jennifer Martin is an American voice actress who provides the voice of Ms. Sara Bellum, who is the Mayor of Townsville's assistant, in the Cartoon Network animated television series The PowerPuff Girls. and Jackie Montalban took turns brushing the tangled mane on the miniature horse Miniature Horses are found all over the world and come in various colors and coat patterns. The designation of miniature horse is determined by the height of the animal, which, depending on the particular registry involved, is usually less than 34-38 inches (82-91 cm) as measured . Later the girls learned to handle a hooked tool and clean the packed dirt from the horse's hooves. ``It's sticky stuff. It's hard to get it out. But I guess you need to do this to help the horse,'' said Jennifer. ``My favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. part is picking the hoof hoof, horny epidermal casing at the end of the digits of an ungulate (hoofed) mammal. In the even-toed ungulates, such as swine, deer, and cattle, the hoof is cloven; in the odd-toed ungulates, such as the horse and the rhinoceros, it is solid. and brushing the horse,'' said 11-year-old Steven Gardner. ``I rode a horse once when I visited my grandpa's farm in Colorado. But I never brushed a horse.'' From petting a llama llama (lä`mə), South American domesticated ruminant mammal, Lama glama, of the camel family. Genetic studies indicate that it is descended from the guanaco. and sheep in a small petting zoo to learning to ride a horse, the kids were acquainted to the Conejo Valley's more rural character on Tuesday. The trip was one of a series of activities planned by Many Mansions through December, when the children are off from school. ``We try to organize these kinds of activities because many of the parents have to work two or three jobs to pay for the high cost of living here even when these kids are off from school,'' said Daniel Hardy, executive director of Many Mansions. ``Many of these kids are latchkey. If they are not participating in something or are alone, kids can get into trouble,'' Hardy said. With the help of more seasoned riders and ranch hands, the staff at Two Winds Ranch hosted the kids to a full day of activities and provided a barbeque lunch. Missie Margolis, a 14-year-old Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. resident who has ridden horses for more than five years, said she volunteered to help out with the demonstrations and to lead a group. ``When I was really young, I always wanted to visit a ranch. I wanted to help introduce others to this,'' said Margolis, helping a small group of kids saddle Zavar, a Quarterhorse. ``We like to see the kids get a hands-on experience with the animals - petting them, riding them, learning to saddle them,'' said Sally Caddin, a manager at Two Winds Ranch who helped organized the day's activities. ``I think a lot of local families don't realize there's an equestrian facility right here in town,'' she said. For Sofia Games, a parent who accompanied her two children on the trip on her day off from work, visiting the ranch brought back memories of growing up on a farm in Mexico. ``I get so emotional. When I heard they were planning this trip, I wanted my kids to go so they could see the animals and touch them and better understand what life on a ranch is,'' said Games, speaking in her native Spanish. For her 8-year-old son Felix, the experience was more than he expected. ``I thought we would just watch the people riding the horse. But we're having fun learning to clean it. I think we get to ride later,'' he said. CAPTION(S): 4 Photos PHOTO (1--Color in Conejo Edition only) Isaac Aguilar, 11, right, picks a hoof Tuesday during a trip to Two Winds Ranch in Newbury Park. (2--Color in Conejo Edition only) Felipe Gillen, 6, is dwarfed by his mount during a trip to Two Winds Ranch on Tuesday. (3) Youth from Many Mansions, an affordable housing group, run to the finish line in a horse-saddling race at Two Winds Ranch. (4) Nick McNally, 12, shows youngsters from Many Mansions how to saddle a horse. Michael Owen
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