Horses, children fill teacher's time

By Marty Metzger
North Forty News

Sally Eckberg has corralled herds of equine memories down through the years. If she lassoed one at a time, she'd have roped images of students, their parents and all that accompanies teaching youngsters to ride.

Horse fever infected Eckberg at age 7 when she went with sisters Carol, 8, and Margaret, 10, to ride someone's horses. The two older girls got dumped, she recalled with a chuckle. But she had a most wonderful time and rode as often as possible from then on. She eventually discovered an idle horse two doors down from her house that no one rode. With the owner's permission, she soon had a mount nearly hers. Eckberg also worked off riding fees elsewhere. She finally got her own horse after college graduation.

Children and equines shared Eckberg's heart. A licensed teacher with a master's degree in elementary education, she taught preschool, first grade and third grade in New York. Then she, husband John, and her off-track Thoroughbred mare called Jolly made the move to Colorado.

Beginning in 1975, the Eckbergs lived in Lindenwood subdivision (off Lemay) and ran its communal stable. Then along came an opportunity they couldn't pass up. A LaPorte horse property was up for sale and, said Eckberg, "the price was right." In 1984, the couple moved from burb to countryside, christened the land Jolly Ridge Farm in honor of their mare, and set about renovating to suit their needs.

Other creatures joined Jolly in her new digs. Eckberg reckons she gave John his rural Ph.D. "Piled higher and deeper," she explained.

City boy gradually turned country gent, but the transformation became complete thanks to some turkeys the Eckbergs brought home. The bird herd almost immediately escaped and ran across the road with John in hot pursuit. But once he closed in on them he realized he had zero skills as a poultry wrangler. What to do? He made like an avian whisperer- – "Gobble, gobble! Gobble, gobble!" Turkey heads shot up, the critters answered his mimicked calls, and they happily followed him back to the ranch.

In 1985, someone dumped two cats. One was a gorgeous Maine Coon, the other a lovely shorthaired tabby. They not only stayed on but also started a family. The branches of their genetic tree have spread to the present time and their descendants still call Jolly Ridge home.

Two of them, both longhaired females, have claimed one Eckberg each. Missy prefers John, while He-She is partial to Sally. When the couple sits down, the cats display preference for their respective person by plopping onto the proper lap. As an interesting aside, He-She is so-named because John erroneously calls her a "he."

Eckberg first gave riding lessons at Jolly Ridge, and then began taking boarders in 1985. Also added were an indoor arena, two round pens and more stalls. The facility hosted the FREE (Front Range Exceptional Equestrians) program for riders with disabilities for 10 years, plus the equine portion of Special Olympics in 1992.

Off-premise activities included a five-year stint as Santa Claus's local transportation. Eckberg chauffeured old St. Nick around town and then to Oak Street Plaza in a horse-drawn cart duly decorated for Christmas. When Fort Collins got too crowded with traffic and people got rude, Eckberg resigned as Santa's driver.

Summer camp is a particularly pleasant time of year at Jolly Ridge. Limited to 12 youngsters each session, the classes include parts of the horse, a lunging demonstration at all three gaits, a soundness test or observation of farrier work, horse and cart demo, stall maintenance instruction, and up to one hour of riding per day.

A babysitter brought her two older charges to the 2008 camp and, of necessity, their 3-year-old sister, Eva, came along. Eckberg doesn't normally include that age in classes, so the preschooler was to merely hang out. But during a demonstration, little Eva kicked her big sis in her posterior and loudly ordered, "Move over! I want to see!" That evening, the feisty little girl begged her mother to let her go the next day to participate. Mom and Eckberg relented. Adventurous Eva was the first of the group to ride by herself and attended 2009's camp, too.

"I hope she comes for 2010," said Eckberg. "She's a humdinger!"

Eckberg voice trains her horses. This makes perfect sense for the ones she drives and the ones small children ride. In training her young students she stresses know your horse, discipline it, always be consistent and follow through. Before ever putting a child in the saddle, she teaches ground work such as leading, grooming and tacking up.

"It's great fun to combine working with kids and horses because I love them both," said Eckberg.

The feeling is obviously mutual. Some of her past students now bring their own children for lessons or camp. And although she prefers teaching kids, she's taught folks as old as 80 who'd never before been on a horse.

People ask her when she'll retire. "Why, I'm just a tad past girlhood," Eckberg spiritedly decrees. "I'll continue teaching children till I run out of hot air – which means forever!"

And that time frame will suit her admiring students just fine.