Horses

Horsin' Around

By Deborah Shawcross                 
                                          
It’s a windy fall day in Mortlach, which doesn’t seem to bother Tacoma one bit.  The horse is too busy nibbling the grass and enjoying the open space to worry about the changing season. Like the Toyota truck he was named after, Tacoma is strong, big and has enough torque to get the job done. At age 14 he has retired from a life of roping but keeps himself busy by helping teach children at the local riding arena. 
Horses have been a part of Mortlach for a long time so it is seems odd that the Mortlach Riding Arena Association (MRAA) is only three years old. Glen Fafard is one of the founding members of the association and he recalls several attempts that were made to utilize the indoor hockey arena in the summer for horses. It took Greg Haukaas to set the ball rolling. 

“He worked hard with the town forefathers, getting the political momentum and getting the right mentality involved to support it,” said Fafard. 

Haukaas is passionate about horses even though he does not have a ranching background.  The only opportunity to ride as a child was when a local farmer would allow him to ride his horses, Haukaas recalled. 

Glen Fafard, Candis Molde and Al Bakke joined Haukaas in helping children who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to learn and interact with horses. The association also contributes to Mortlach by fixing up the arena and by having an active presence in the community, said Fafard.  

Candis Molde is an instructor and one of the founding members of the MRAA. Her love of horses began at an early age and continues to this day. 

“I’m obsessed, it’s out of control. It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about at night,” she said.  

Molde said many students have a slouchy, shy walk at the beginning of the season. By the end of the lessons, the same children walk straighter with confidence and smiles. Glen Fafard also taught lessons and has also seen the transformation that takes place. Some children were unable to walk with a horse, but in time could go on a ride by themselves. 

“They really felt like they accomplished something,” Fafard said. 

The MRAA first and foremost teaches children safety. The kids, who wear helmets, are taught how to avoid getting kicked and bitten by respecting the horse and understanding its nature. 

“When they get on a horse that weighs 1,200 pounds and they weigh 50 they have to know that that horse will respect that tug on the rein or laying that leg on the rib,” said Molde. 

Beyond safety lessons, the bond between horse and child is the true reward. Molde has seen the horses pull the children out of their shells gently and form the strong bonds that come along with opening up. Like children, horses are honest creatures. If they are angry they bite, she said. This common reactionary mindset could explain why kids and horses work so well together. 

But the MRAA and the town face an uphill battle as the youth population has dwindled. When Molde attended the local school she had 212 classmates, compared to the 77 that currently attend the K-12 Mortlach School. Cassidy Bakke is a high school student and horse enthusiast in Mortlach who doesn’t mind the change. 

“It’s nice to be graduating with five original people that you grew up with; that’s how you imagined it growing up,” Bakke said. 

Bakke has her own horse, Deuce, which she trained and now shows. She has attended the MRAA for lessons but her participation in the near future is limited, as she plans to leave for university. This is the reality the MRAA faces as teenagers leave town and the children who remain are few. But based on the program’s success of the past three years, there will always be kids like Bakke who choose to meet their friends on horseback instead of hopping in a car.
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