By Luiz Arduini | Observer Contributor
The air is a bit cool and the skies are clear, it’s a sunny fall afternoon at Crimson Acres Equestrian Center in Orange, Massachusetts. Known for its various services in the field of horseback riding, the place welcomes many visitors daily, from riders to horse owners and enthusiasts.
Ben Buckland, a student at Mount Wachusett Community College, has a horse trainer’s apprentice at Crimson Acres for three years. His past at Crimson Acres stretch back to when he was only twelve years old.
Growing up, Ben, one of five boys, was highly active in sports. Horses, however, for some reason always intrigued Ben. For his twelfth birthday, Ben’s mother sent him to a weekend camp at Crimson Acre.
From that weekend on, Ben’s fascination with horses slowly turned into his passion. A year later he had saved enough money to buy his own horse, which cost him $2,000.
Since he bought the horse from Peter Whitmore, Owner and trainer at Crimson Acres, part of the deal was that Ben would work a few hundred dollars off at the stable. He’s been working there ever since.
“His enthusiasm and passion, along with is past experience working with us, certainly makes him a great asset to our center. He’s here everyday on time, and when he can’t make it, he always calls in advance,” said Whitmore.
When referring back to when he first bought his horse, Ben chuckled and said, “It was a disaster. I fell off my horse countless times, but I kept getting up. It took a while, but eventually we kind of clicked. I did not realize at the time that this bond with my horse would serve as a foundation for future training.”
Ben’s main responsibility as an apprentice is to patiently go through a strict routine with each individual horse in for training. Though most of the routine consists of physically preparing the horse for riding, each precise step serves as way to communicate with the horse.
For example, “proper grooming before workouts is very important. It not only keeps the horse clean and comfortable, but, most importantly the act itself prepares the horse’s mind for the work out,” said Buckland.
After properly grooming the horse, Ben then uses a concept inherited from Whitmore, which, with a lasso, he commands the horse to ride around a corral. This is a simple exercise that conditions the horse to be cooperative and respectful.
The next step, which consists of properly saddling the horse, requires extreme attention to one particular part. If the saddle cinch is too tight, while riding, the horse might think that it can’t breathe, responding by bucking off the rider.
When saddled, Ben usually does “ring work” with the horse, where he simply rides in various speeds around the arena. Then he rides around the stable, pushing the horse through various obstacles to improve the horse’s confidence.
The obstacles vary, but one that Ben usually does with every horse is riding through a tarp hanging from a beam. To horses, the tarp is a wall and cannot be pushed through, but by repetition and patience, Ben is able to ride the horse through. This not only boosts the horse’s confidence but also teaches the horse to trust the rider’s command.
Ben then refers to Whitmore to see what specific exercise the horse needs. One of the main services provided by the stable is that they can fix just about any problem a horse has. The problems commonly dealt with range from behavioral issues to fears, like jumping or trail riding.
Depending on what the problem is, Ben usually works on the horse for up to an hour. Totaling the preparation work and actual training, Ben can spend up to two hours on a single horse every day. It can take a week or sometimes months to fix a problem.
“Patience,” said Buckland “is something you must have to train horses. They need a lot of time to connect with the rider and then to remember positive behavior. It’s a repetitious and often a long process, but it’s something you must grasp and learn to appreciate as a horse trainer.”
Ben repeats this meticulous process two to three times a day. Though he spends most of his time working as trainer, Ben does a little riding himself. Just last year he placed 8th for horse showing and 1st place for sportsmanship at a national competition.
His success in horseback riding along with his dedication and passion has earned a very humble and interesting job. In two more years Ben thinks that he’ll be knowledgeable enough to train a horse by himself. As of now, Ben is just taking life step by step. Though he’s undecided on what to major in, Ben’s primary focus is to attain his associates’ degree in Liberal Arts. Between college in the morning and working the afternoon, the next two years will certainly be challenging for Ben. Only patience and determination will get him through the day. It’s obvious that he doesn’t lack either of the two.
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