A boy-meets-horse story for Saunderstown grad

A June graduate of Moses Brown School, Saunderstown’s Kevin Jordan recently spent his third summer as a counselor at Faith Hill Farm’s riding camp in East Greenwich. He worked with the young campers, supervising their activities and meals, but for two summers, when the kids mounted their horses, Kevin stayed on the ground. “I was never able to learn to ride,” he admits. “As soon as camp ended, the school year started up, and I couldn’t commit the time. Finally, enough was enough! If I was working at a horse camp, I had to know how to ride.” Moses Brown’s senior project offered Kevin the perfect opportunity: two weeks between the end of seniors’ class time and graduation, devoted to a capstone independent project.

Kevin explored how learning to ride can relieve everyday stress, and studied the business side of a horse farm. Mornings, he worked at Faith Hill Farm, preparing for the upcoming season of summer camp and caring for 28 horses. Afternoons, at a barn in Richmond, he learned to ride Clooney, a chestnut Holsteiner, and cared for the horses: tacking them up to be ridden, mucking their stalls, feeding and cleaning them. “Pursuing this passion made me more knowledgeable in equine affairs, so I could be a more effective counselor this summer,” he says.

After a bumpy start, Kevin and Clooney reached an understanding, man-to-horse. “The biggest surprise for me was how difficult it was to steer the horse around,” Kevin says. “I had a lot of difficulty with that, throughout the process.” In a bruising setback, Kevin learned that “saddle sore” isn’t just an expression. “When I woke up the morning after my first few lessons, I was so sore I had trouble walking!” he laughs. “Still, I'm thankful that I had this opportunity, and look forward to continuing to ride.”