Last Friday afternoon, a bluebird day with the sun shining, Brandy Ayala and two of her young friends, Verity Krantz, 9, and Sierra Symington, 16, gathered at Ayala’s arena east of Ronan. The trio was there to work with Sierra’s miniature horses, Brown Sugar and Dollar, and Ayala’s Shetland pony, Black Jack, as well as practice equestrian vaulting.

Both girls are home schooled, so when their lessons are finished, they have time for riding. The more time spent riding and working with horses, the better horsewoman a person becomes.

Ayala said it’s hard to get tack, such as bridles and halters, small enough for the miniature horses. Sierra had a glittery pink bridle for Brown Sugar, though, and Ayala has been cutting leather and adjusting Black Jack’s driving harness to custom fit him.

Ayala, who’s visited the Mission Valley most of her life and lived here for more than a decade, is a life-long horse person — riding, training horses, and involved in dressage, jumping and working with kids in Pony Club.

She watched a video on ski-joring, a fun equine-related sport. Although it has been around for a few hundred years in Scandinavian countries where reindeer pulled people on skis as a way of traveling in winter, it’s taken off at big ski areas like Jackson Hole and in Utah and Montana, where Whitefish hosts an annual competition.

A rider pulls a skier over jumps and up and down hills. Ponies, or even large dogs, can pull the skier also, so Ayala and her girl crew are teaching their ponies to pull them. One thing is lacking — snow.

Last week, Ayala had just received her ski-joring skis and shafts for the ponies so they worked on getting Brown Sugar and Dollar used to the shafts by attaching them to their harnesses and having them pull some weight. Verity led the pony and Sierra hung onto the shafts and dragged her feet before they switched places. Corners were tricky, but the ponies were good-natured, patient and well-petted.

The audience included Ayala’s long-haired calico cat Sarah who wire-walked around the top of the arena fence, and several dogs.

Next, the girls moved to equestrian vaulting, a combination of gymnastics and dance on a horse. Vaulting originated during the Renaissance as a means for knights and noblemen to develop agility on horseback and was demonstrated at the 1984 and 1996 Summer Olympics. In its top form, people vault on a loping horse longeing in a circle.

When Ayala lived in Virginia, she coached a girls’ vaulting team that travelled to competitions so she knows her stuff. Sierra and Verity probably won’t compete in vaulting, she says, but it makes them stronger and it’s fun.

Samson, a big bay and white paint horse, wore a surcingle with two hand holds, one on each side of his withers, and strapped to his back with a cinch. It resembles rigging for a bareback bronc with an extra handle.

During last week’s session, Ayala longed Samson while the girls took turns. The trainer is starting the youngsters on moves such as “around the world,” with each girl turning 360 degrees, ideally using just their hands and arms to hold them up and moving their legs above their equine partner.

The half-Percheron, half-quarter horse giant walked steadily on Ayala’s longe line as first Verity and then Sierra swung around. Then they shucked their boots to practice standing up on Sampson’s broad back.

“This is where I see if my girls’ socks match or if they’re even wearing socks,” Ayala said.

One at a time, the girls squatted, steadied themselves, and then slowly stood up as the horse stood still. Then Sierra tried it with Samson walking, and the two kids tried the maneuver again with both on Samson, Verity in front.

“Don’t stand right on his kidneys,” Ayala cautioned. “Stand more on his butt.”

After practice, the girls could each stand behind their partner with their hands on the partner’s shoulders. The session ended with big smiles and hands out, more practice, and a fun trot on Samson out in the pasture.

    Verity Krantz rides mini-horse Brown Sugar at Brandy Ayala's arena on Friday. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)
  

    Brandy Ayala talks to the girls as they're riding Samson. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)