About
8-18 Media

This regular feature in Marquette Monthly is produced by kids ages 8 to 18 in the news bureau of 8-18 Media in Marquette.
8-18 Media is a program of the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum. Our mission is to empower youth through journalism. The program is free to any young person age 8 to 18.
Our young journalists report on issues that affect youth and are of interest to people of all ages. In addition to the stories that appear regularly in the Marquette Monthly, the kids produce stories that are broadcast on WMQT/Q107 Radio Fridays at approximately 8:30 a.m. and 6:50 p.m. 8-18 Media recently produced a series of stories for television which aired on Public TV 13.
Our reporters, ages 8 to 13, decide what to cover, do research and conduct interviews.
Our reporters are Emma Althouse, Alissa Benzie, Nicole Cameron, Cassandra Christian, Blake Davies, Kai Davies, Chris Durley, Ana Ebli, Adam Gannon, Pryce Hadley, Maya Hardie, Jessie Herndon, Andrew LaCombe, Rebecca Ley, Sally Lynch, Matt Nyquist, Sarah Perelmutter, Eric Peterson, Clint Remsburg, Craig Sanders, Eric Schafer-Nelson, Hanna Schafer-Nelson, Ariel Shelton, Amy Shirtz, Fiona Smith, Zack Tegge, Danielle Thoune and Matt Tryan.
Our editors, ages 13 to 18, guide reporters' work. They also tape record all interviews and debriefings and put the transcribed material together to form the stories you read in this feature.
Our editors are Anna Aldrich, Helen Amiri, Amanda Barnum, Julia Broadway, Colton Belmore, Samantha Coulter, Dylan Davis, Jay Dickinson, Lisa Dishnow, Nichole Durley, Emily Edwards, Dakota Evans, Chelsea Gelsinger, Heather Gelsinger, Rebecca Goulette, Samantha Gray, Jenny Heise, Anna Johnson, Kate Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Natalie LaCombe, Lance Larson, Charlie Martens, Natalie Novak, Brittany Paquet, Kara Paterson, Morgana Penglase, Gerald Peterson, Molly Phillips, Tony Pruett, Bill Rekshan, Dan Rekshan, Zoe Rudisill, Lindsey Seppanen, Leah Sheridan, Alessa Thomas, Erin Thomas, Josh Thoune, Grace Tillison, Rachael Tillison, Kristie Tonge, Abby Van Bremen, Whitney Weyers, Carrie White and Feng Zhao.
••8-18 Media staff includes Bureau Director Linda Remsburg and Assistant Director Kristina Kraus.
••We welcome story ideas from anyone. If you would like to submit an idea or if you would like to comment on our work, please contact us at:
8-18 Media
123 W. Baraga Ave.
Marquette, MI 49855
Phone: (906)226-7874.
E-mail: 8-18media@chartermi.net.

8-18 Media is a program of the U.P. Children's Museum
For many girls, horses are a dream come true
By 8-18 Media

Cori LaChance, 15, of Marquette and her horse, Jesse James are best friends. Cori climbed onto the back of a horse for the first time when she was 5 and has been riding ever since. For years, she rode leased horses. When she saved enough money to buy Jesse last summer, it was the fulfillment of a long-time wish.
"I ride because I like the connection between my horse and me," Cori said. "He can read my mind. Now that I have my horse, it's like a dream come true."
Cori is one of many girls in the area who are living their dream of riding and caring for horses.
At Willow Farm, a riding and boarding stable in Harvey, about 20 kids ride regularly. They're all girls. The farm offers instruction in both English and Western-style riding.
Willow Farm owner Julie Frazier says there have only been a couple boys at the farm over the years.
"It's just one of those things," Frazier said. "We girls like to make pets out of our horses, and make buddies, and the guys just think we're crazy."
There are nearly a dozen riding centers in the area. The vast majority of youth who ride at them are girls.
The Superior Pony Club, an organization dedicated to providing a safe environment for youth to learn about horses, has about 25 members from Marquette and Alger Counties. All but two are girls. Luanne Peterson, co-district commissioner of the club says that middle school-aged girls are especially attracted to horses. Boys at that age, she says, seem to have many other "pulls" when it comes to athletics.
Cori, who rides at Grandview Farm in Beaver Grove, has always been intrigued by horses.
"I like their eyes, and I like the way they will tolerate a person getting on their back and telling them what to do and they'll still perform at their best," she said. "I like that they can be 1,500 pounds and they have the power to literally crush us, and yet half the time they're so gentle that they wouldn't want to kill a fly."
Kristi Hawkins, 16, of Negaunee rides at Willow Farm. In the four years she has been riding horses, she has been impressed by their gentle nature and intelligence.
"I think people can learn a lot from horses," Kristi said. "Their personalities are so much more thought out, detailed and complex than other animals. Their personalities are so unique.
"It (the horse) is allowing you on its back and carries you around," Kristi said. "It does all sorts of weird things you ask it to do. It has to change its balance and its body frame or its muscle, and they do all of that with no questions asked."
For Anna Echelbarger, 19, of Negaunee, communication is the key to her relationship with her horse.
"I like the fact that you can communicate with an animal on such a deep level without actually speaking their same language," Anna said. "It's always fun to create a bond and train your horse to do exactly what you want it to do so that you're at the point that you can think for them to do something and they do it.
"One of my most fun times I've had was at the Silverwood Horse Trails in Wisconsin. We were galloping cross-country in pouring down rain. It was slippery. There was thunder and lightning. And he just went, and it was perfect."
Anna has been riding for six years and is an active member of the Superior Pony Club.
"It becomes a habit, kind of an addiction," Anna said of riding, "and you can't go like a week without riding or at least going to the barn. It really grows on you."
The girls explained that along with the "fun" of owning horses comes responsibility and commitment.
"Watching horse shows on TV, you don't see people mucking out stalls or hauling water buckets. All you see is the nice, pretty horses jumping over fences," Cori said. "I have to brush my own horse and tack my
own horse, and I clean his stall. I'm more responsible around the house because my parents are kind enough to allow me to have a horse. So the responsibility is kind of passed on to my chores at home."
Horses take a lot of time and work, according to Anna.
"I used to think that when I got a horse it would be 100 percent fun and nothing would feel like work," said Anna. "Sometimes you drag yourself out to the barn every morning to unload and clean everything, or get up really early to take care of your horse."
"I have my horse and that's what I devote most of my time to pretty much. Our social life is our horses," said Cori.
Horses take a lot of money too.
"The biggest shock is how much it really costs," said Anna. "People think the horse is so expensive, and that's the least expensive thing. It's the board and upkeep. You're dealing with a bigger animal, and with a bigger animal comes bigger responsibilities."
... And bigger risks.
"Riding can be extremely dangerous," Anna said. "It's one of the most dangerous sports in the world. But if you have proper training and proper equipment and a pretty safe horse it also can be extremely safe."
One of the most serious accidents Anna has experienced occurred last summer when she and her horse were jumping.
"We were doing some pretty big jumps. But he had done them two or three times already and we were just going for the last time," she said. "He made a bad judgment and thought he could jump anyway and he caught the pole between his legs and it came tumbling down."
The horse landed with a pole under his feet and he lost his balance.
"I just went right over the top of his head and skidded for a while," Anna said. "He almost flipped over on top of me."
Anna ended up with a broken nose, black eye and a concussion.
Even though accidents happen, there are ways to minimize the risk.
"You wear a helmet and you learn the proper skills," Anna advises. "You ride a mount that's appropriate, and learn how to use good judgment in the horses that you ride."
One of the most important elements of safety is a well-trained horse.
"They're continually learning," Anna said. "Everything you do with a horse, no matter the age or if you're riding or if you're on the ground, is training, because they're learning from it."
"You can train an old horse new tricks," Kristi said.
Because of the strong commitment needed to raise a horse, the riders say they need the support of their families.
"It's a family commitment," said Anna. "It's really hard if it's not. I've been lucky that my whole family likes it."
Even though horses are demanding, the girls say that the bonds they've formed with their animals make their efforts all worthwhile.
"I have a lot of trust in my horse and I haven't found that kind of trust or that kind of bond in any other animal that I've worked with," said Cori. "It's really opened my horizons for accepting things better rather than questioning everything. I have more trust in the world."

Leah Sheridan, 14, was editor for this story. Lindsey Seppanen, 17, was assistant editor. Reporters were Natalie LaCombe, 14, Andrew LaCombe, 12, and Zack Tegge, 12.
Special-needs youth benefit physically and emotionally from horseback riding program
By 8-18 Media

Amanda Sheridan, 18, of Ishpeming, has loved horses since she was a little kid. Last year, Amanda who has Down Syndrome, had the opportunity to work with horses in the Willow Farms Therapeutic Riding Program for young people with special needs.
"It's fun," Amanda said of the program. "They are fun to ride."
Riding, brushing, and taking care of the horses are Amanda's favorite parts of the program.
"We learn to trot, and say ‘whoa back' to stop," she said. "To go, we say ‘walk on.'
"You're really tall when you get on a horse. It's fun."
She adds that the people that work in the program are really nice and helpful.
Julie Frazier, owner and barn manager of Willow Farm in Harvey, is one of the coordinators of the therapeutic riding program. She helps supervise the program along with Linda Mallon, program director, and Luanne Peterson, co-coordinator. Frazier's daughter Annie Higley, 21, a licensed therapeutic riding instructor, also works with the program.
The program started in the 1970s as a joint effort between Willow Farm and the Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District. Frazier and MAISD administrators got together because they thought it would be a wonderful program for kids with disabilities. They looked into the same type of riding program in Battle Creek and soon their own program was up and running. The program ran until 1979 when one of the barns used for the program collapsed under an unusually heavy snowfall. The program was revived three years ago by Frazier, Mallon and Peterson.
Professional medical organizations such as the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association have recognized the therapeutic qualities of horseback riding.
Kids learn not only to ride in the program, they also learn about basic horse anatomy and how to care for horses.
The horseback riding helps riders with physical disabilities improve in flexibility, balance, muscle strength, and coordination.
"A kid may not be able to walk, and six months later they're almost walking by themselves," Higley said. "They may have been half-time wheelchair and now they're most of the time on crutches. A horse facilitates all of that growing. A horse has the same type of pelvis that we do. It's laterally rotating and then anterior and posterior and because that's the same way we walk, a person's body gets that function and that feeling when they are on a horse. That's why they may be able to walk within six months.
"They (the horses) seem to have a sense that they know this is a person that they need to be a bit more gentle with. So they do a pretty good job of making sure that their rider is in the position they need to be."
In addition to the physical benefits there are emotional benefits for the riders.
"It's all about the smiles," Higley said. "There's just something that really is special that brings it out of them. They (the kids) get to look down at us when everybody is usually looking down at them."
"They may approach it (the program) the first time like they're really afraid of the horse because he's so big," Frazier said. "But they seem smaller to the kids afterwards because they get to know them and they really do form a relationship with them."
Volunteers are important to the success of the program. Volunteers must be14 years old to work with the kids and horses directly, but younger volunteers can help around the barn.
Volunteers are trained to assist program coordinators in a number of ways: to lead or walk at the side of horses, as horse management teachers or as greeters.
"Everyone you talk to, all the volunteers, all the teachers, and I think the horses probably too, would say that they get more than the kids do, because we just have a blast," Frazier said. "There's only so much you can do on a horse yourself, but if you can pass that on to someone who wouldn't ordinarily be able to ride, that's what's really fun."
The Therapeutic Riding Program is offered from mid-May to October. There is a fee to participate as a rider, but financial aid is available. To register a rider or to volunteer call Linda Mallon at 228-4666.

Leah Sheridan, 14, was editor for this story. Lindsey Seppanen, 17, was assistant editor. Reporters were Natalie LaCombe, 14, Andrew LaCombe, 12, and Zack Tegge, 12.

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