By Harley Smith
Hi! My name is Harley, Kidz Corner column writer for this exceptional newspaper every month. This article’s topic is Avalon Stables’ exciting summer camp.
Avalon Stables is a high-quality horseback riding stable in Lutz with huge amenities and happy horses. It’s tucked away in a little neighborhood called Reflections. It’s amazing how you can play in their pool with horses trotting down a trail right next to you! The horses are so calm and adorable, and that’s good because there are a lot of them! They offer many day camps during the summer. I attended one of them and it was so enjoyable! Grooming the horses and riding them was spectacular, and we rode on trails and played so many games! The counselors made sure we had a blast.
There is a tadpole pond near the stable, and watching the tadpoles swim was so fun. The kids switched their water once, and it took a while. First, we had to scoop the murky water into buckets, then catch the tadpoles, and put them into one bucket. Then we filled up the pool with clean water, and finally, let the tadpoles back in.
We played manhunt one day. It was so awesome, especially with so many places to hide. I was laughing so much. We also played Musical Buckets, which is Musical Chairs, but instead of walking around chairs, we rode horses around buckets. I would totally go back next year.
Some of the main reasons to go back are the personalities of all the horses. Here’s a breakdown of many of them:
• One of my favorite horses from the lesson barn was Larry. He’s the miniature horse in the picture with me. He’s getting old, sadly. Larry doesn’t like to be ridden, so he vibes in the pasture, hangs with Domino, the other mini (who doesn’t enjoy having his hooves cleaned), or sits in the barn being brushed by adoring girls. He’s the smallest horse and mostly agreeable. He won’t go anywhere without Domino.
• Domino, on the other hand, is independent and will not be groomed without a small argument.
• On the other end of the spectrum, Stella, a dark bay mare standing at six foot three, is the largest horse at Avalon and she knows it. She’s nice, but a bit awkward to take on trails because her legs are so long. One of the counselors always has to help groom Stella because none of the kids can reach her back.
• Noodle is a beautiful chestnut horse with a white star on its forehead and an enormous appetite. Noodle’s parents were a big deal in the racing community.
• Ametza is a white flea-bitten (which refers to the markings, not actual flea bites) mare. She enjoys attention from the kids and has a love life with George, a dark brown gelding from the next stall over. While in her stall, she stares out the window and watches the commotion in the barn.
• Hiccup is a small white and chestnut stallion with a lot of poof and feathers on his hooves. He walks very slowly, but that’s mostly his personality.
• Tinker Bell is an adorable white pony mare with a cheerful attitude and beautiful hair.
• Midnight is a stubborn gelding that hates being groomed. He used to be black, like Percy, a kind, dark stallion but has faded to a coffee brown.
• Taz is a light brown horse with a missing eye.
• Dante is white with brown speckles and very large.
• Falyn is a light brown horse, who once got a nail in the wrong spot of her hoof.
• Lieutenant Dan is a small, brown, adorable gelding. He competes in shows.
• Misty is a nicely filled-out yellowish-white mare. She’s a joy to groom.
But Larry’s still my favorite horse.
Even as majestic and beautiful as horses are, they aren’t made in God’s image. We are all made in God’s image. God created us to be like Him. Sometimes it seems like we can’t really know God, but we just have to look at ourselves. Some humans are horse lovers, and God created horses. He must love them. God is creative, loving, and many of His good qualities can be found in people. But He is so much more. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, just, and perfect. We can look at it like this: dolls are made like humans. They’re cute, have eyes, and all that, but they’re not alive, smart, or anything else. For more on God and humans, go to GotQuestions.org.
Goodbye for now! Looking forward to conversing with you again next month!
Harley Isabel Smith is a 4th grader who has been featured on TV as a philanthropist, has a heart for evangelism, and writes monthly for the Gazette’s Kid’s Corner. Visit https://harleyisabelsmith.com.
com where she is constantly adding written and video content to entertain and educate children. Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”