Having horses at home is worth all the work

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a pitchfork in my hand. By the time I was 6, I was able to clean a stall by myself. Growing up with horses has been an amazing experience for which I am so grateful.

My love for horses came from my mother. She got her first horse when she was 18. The horse was a thoroughbred mare from a racetrack. Her name was Peaceful Native. My mother rescued her after she became injured while racing. When I was born, Peaceful Native became my first horse, too. We then got a pony named Valentine, a horse named Peony and then came Destiny. He is enormous.

While the three horses that live on our property take a lot of work, they are so worth it. Did you know that each horse has its own personality? Just like people, they have their own habits, food preferences and best friends.

Every morning and evening — in rain, snow, sleet or heat — we have to go feed, muck, clean water buckets and sweep the barn. It is a lot to do. It can get tiring, but it is all so much fun. After we clean the barn, that’s when we can groom and ride the horses. They love the attention. We have a tack trunk filled with different types of brushes. They each have a different purpose. We also have a wash stall. It is almost like a car wash for horses. They especially love a bath on a hot day.

After a bath, their favorite thing to do is to eat grass. Each of us takes a horse and brings them out on our lawn and lets them graze. My dad always worries that Destiny will ruin the lawn with his big feet. We laugh because he leaves behind big hoof prints.

My favorite time is when we go out to say good night. The barn is peaceful, and many times the horses are lying down outside sleeping. I quietly blow them kisses so I don’t wake them and I whisper, “I love you.”

Jennifer Guerriero’s fifth-grade class, St. Patrick School, Smithtown