Tres Pinos
– Holding up the horse’s foot, Brett Johnson asked a group of
third-graders what they think he would use to trim down the large
hoof.
Tres Pinos – Holding up the horse’s foot, Brett Johnson asked a group of third-graders what they think he would use to trim down the large hoof.
“Can I just go to my drawer and use my nail clippers?” he asked, holding a pair up for the group to see.
“Nooooooooo!” the kids yelled back at him, laughing.
The students getting a lesson Tuesday from Johnson, a Hollister farrier, on the finer points of hoof care were among nearly 1,000 third-graders who took part in Farm Day, the annual event at Bolado Park where local schoolchildren learn about agriculture.
The students heard from farmers and ranchers about agriculture in San Benito County and also got a chance to pet sheep while they are learned where wool comes from, or inspected huge tractors and other farm equipment.
The event is put on San Benito County Agriculture In the Classroom, with help from FFA and 4-H clubs in the area. The event has been put on in San Benito County for the past 14 years to help schoolchildren learn about agriculture and nutrition.
“We’re considered an agricultural community, but a lot of the kids grow up in Hollister, and they have no idea what goes on on a farm,” said Tom Tobias, a Tres Pinos rancher who volunteered at the event. “This is to show the kids what goes on.”
For the children – and even their teachers and parent volunteers – there’s a lot to be learned on Farm Day.
Sara Aira and the rest of her class from Sunnyslope School watched as Johnson talked them through how he prepares the horse’s hoof shoeing and then molds the shoe to fit each horse’s foot.
As he dunked the scalding hot horseshoe into a bucket of water and the water sizzled, the engaged children gasped in unison.
Aira said she was surprised to learn that horses wore shoes.
“The most interesting thing I learned was how to make a horseshoe,” Aira said. “I thought it was really cool.”
Johnson, who has been volunteering at Farm Day for five years, knows how to keep the children interested.
“I think it’s important, as this area becomes more urbanized, that the children realize there’s still people making money the way their fathers and grandfathers did,” Johnson explained.
Besides learning how a horseshoe is made, the students learned about farm equipment and how it works and also got to learn about (and pet) all types of farm animals: Newborn ducklings, chickens, horses, alpaca, cows and sheep were all present for the students to see up close.
Natalie Delgado, a third-grader at Southside School, said she learned a lot at Farm Day. Even though she’d seen plenty of cows before – and even given some thought to where her milk came from while eating her morning cereal – she didn’t know until Tuesday how the cows produced the milk.
“I learned that cows have four stomachs – that’s a lot of stomachs!” Delgado said. Besides learning facts about different animals and equipment, Delgado said she learned to appreciate the importance of farms.
“I think (agriculture) is a good thing because it helps us get food,” said Delgado. “It helps us survive.”
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
