(WSVN) - Some South Florida kids are discovering a love for reading — with a little help from a horse. Heather Walker shows how it works in tonight’s 7Spotlight.
This is the first time many of these kids have ever come face to face with a horse.
GoPro video: “Hi, Jackson!”
First graders from schools in Davie and Cooper City took a field trip to the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds to meet Jackson, Bandit…
GoPro video: “Hi, Bandit!”
…and a few of their friends.
Aasma Khan, Rotary Club member: “So this is when it all comes together. So this is where it feels the most exciting, the most fulfilling.”
The children come here as part of the Nick Coffin Wild Horse Tales Literacy Project. The Davie Cooper City Rotary Club hosts the annual event for elementary school students across South Florida.
Glen Tupler: “And it’s a community service event, and our particular chapter likes literacy for young first graders and young kids.”
Early in the school year, the club gives first graders a book that features a horse as the main character. After they finish the book, they take a trip to meet a real horse.
It’s a first for many of these first-graders.
GoPro Video: “I can see poop!”
Mike Noland: “A lot of these kids have never been near a horse. The only horse they’ve ever seen is on television, and the kids get a chance to go up and pet the horse, talk to the horse. At one of the stations, the Davie Police will be here with their horse mounted unit, and they’re going to talk to their kids about what a horse mounted unit does.”
Officer (to the children): “Instead of being in a police cars, we’re on horseback.”
Not only do the first graders get to meet and pet the horses, but they also get a chance to read to them.
Child reading: “At first glance, you might think Trixie is a pony. She is very small, after all.”
Aasma Khan: “The best part is when I get to listen to the children read to the horses, and especially the way the horses are. They flick their ears forward, and they’re interested in watching the kids read.”
This year, the kids were given a book about a pony called Trixie. They also met a real pony with the same name.
Instructor: “Trixie wants a hug!” (Kid hugs horse)
Rotary Club members say the students become much more interested in reading after the event.
Mike Noland: “If we can get students in the first grade to enjoy reading — not just read, but enjoy reading — and then hopefully that will carry on and make a difference later on.”
A difference that will let them take the reins when it comes to reading.
Heather Walker, 7News.
If you know of a person, place or group that you think we should highlight, email us at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.