Horses Can Inspire Reading

K I S S I M M E E, Fla., March 31, 2002 -- You can lead kids to words, but can you make them read? It's an old question that two men in Florida are answering "Yes" to, especially if you've got a horse — a black stallion specifically.

The Black Stallion Literacy Project uses real horses to catch a child's interest — and then introduces them to the classic The Black Stallion children's books.

"I just see it benefiting the children so much," said Cathy Landry, a fourth-grade teacher at Reedy Creek Elementary School in Kissimmee, Fla.

Before the children read the books, they first meet the characters. The program brings a black pony ("Little Black") and chestnut horse ("Big Red") to their elementary school campus.

One at a time, the children approach the large animal and give it a pat. Before they head back in line, each first grader is given a hard cover copy of Little Black, A Pony, by Walter Farley. Each fourth grader receives a copy of the classic The Black Stallion.

Then, a deal is struck. The first graders are told that when they have learned to read the book, they will earn a trip to a horse farm. The incentive in place, they are motivated to read.

Once at the horse farm, they read favorite passages of Little Black, A Pony, to a horse handler, and then they receive a second Walter Farley book, Little Black Goes to the Circus to keep.

For the fourth graders, the goal is to get them to read a chapter book, increase their comprehension and encourage writing. Each fourth grader is told to read at least the first one-third of The Black Stallion, watch the Francis Ford Coppola film (which departs from the book), and complete a work book. The prize is a live performance of The Black Stallion at the Arabian Nights theater.

"It's exciting," said Teresa Quirindondo, 9, "because the little boy was saved by the horse and I've never seen a horse save a boy."

The Animals Capture Imagination

Teachers and principals report that virtually all of their first-grade students are motivated to read by this program and that the fourth graders are reading and writing more as a result.

The horses, teachers say, capture the children's imagination. And from there, it is easy to get even the most reluctant reader to start reading the The Black Stallion — especially when they get to read a horse story to an actual horse

"When they touch that horse, they have a connection now, a real connection with what they are reading about," said Tim Farley, whose father, the late Walter Farley, wrote The Black Stallion more than 60 years ago.

Tim Farley and his childhood pal, Mark Miller, dreamed up the project over a pizza several years ago. Miller owns the Arabian Nights Horse Theatre in Kissimmee. "He knows the magic of the books probably greater than I do," said Miller, "but I know the magic of the horse maybe a little better than he does."

Miller didn't get interested in reading until a high school teacher introduced him to Zane Grey's horse books. "Learning can be fun and it should be fun," said Miller. "That's what the whole point of it is: that it is fun."

The program has already motivated 70,000 children in 10 states across the country. They expect to reach 75,000 more this year, and set them on the path to reading ... by way of a horse.