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U.S. House approves Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act

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Happy birthday to Abigail Elizabeth Mikus!

<p>HANOVER TOWNSHIP &#8212; When a pony named Romeo and a horse named Oreo arrived at Dundee Gardens on Sunday afternoon, they appeared to be having a bad hair day.</p><p>But that was just because their &#8220;momma,&#8221; Stacy Rideout, hadn&#8217;t groomed them before she brought them to the gardening center.</p><p>She wanted to let some youngsters, ages kindergarten through eighth-grade, share that bonding experience, and see up close how a curry comb or shedding blade can smooth out an animal&#8217;s coat.</p><p>&#8220;Who wants a turn?&#8221; Rideout asked the 20 children who had signed up for a &#8220;Horsing Around&#8221; seminar.</p><p>Small hands shot into the air, and soon Romeo and Oreo were getting attention on all sides.</p><p>&#8220;What you want to do is go in circles all over their body,&#8221; Rideout said, describing how a person should use a curry comb.</p><p>As she worked to untangle a tricky knot in Romeo&#8217;s mane, Rideout told her audience that, according to folklore, mysterious knots would sometimes appear in a mane because &#8220;gypsies came in the night and rode the horse so fast.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Were the gypsies robbers?&#8221; 7-year-old Judah Donnelly of Clarks Summit asked earnestly.</p><p>No, Rideout told him. &#8220;The horses were always back in the morning.&#8221;</p><p>Six-year-old Cecilia Pons of Kingston, who sported a cowgirl hat to the event, said she wouldn&#8217;t mind grooming a horse every day. &#8220;It would be fun,&#8221; she said.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re cute,&#8221; said Ayla Krieger, 8, of Pittston Township.</p><p>They&#8217;re also unpredictable, Rideout said as she showed the children the proper way to hold a lead rope and emphasized they should never wrap it around their hand or fingers. If the horse got scared and ran away, she said, &#8220;That&#8217;s 1,200 pounds taking your fingers with him.&#8221;</p><p>Heeding her warning, the children held the rope loosely as they each took a turn leading the horse or pony a short distance, stopping, and turning to bring him back.</p><p>Later, after a discussion about how horses like to eat hay and corn and apples, and a demonstration of how to put on a saddle and bridle, the lesson culminated in a chance to ride.</p><p>&#8220;We like to give kids hands-on learning experiences,&#8221; Julie Fallon of the Dundee Gardens staff explained.</p><p>Recent children&#8217;s events at Dundee Gardens <ins>https://www.timesleader.com/features/494294/students-at-hanover-townships-dundee-gardens-create-plant-pots-from-eggshells</ins> have involved building bird feeders, learning about snow and ants, and constructing a &#8220;farm&#8221; that offers a view of how a plant&#8217;s roots grow.</p><p>The next seminar for young people is &#8220;Starting Seedlings,&#8221; set for 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 28. Children will learn about planting seeds and will take home a few of their own to begin their own gardens. To sign up for the seminar, see dundeegardens.com. Cost is $20.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Emma Kane, 6, and Charlotte Zembruski, 6, brush Oreo at Dundee Gardens&#8217; Horsing Around seminar on Sunday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL0227horsearound1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Emma Kane, 6, and Charlotte Zembruski, 6, brush Oreo at Dundee Gardens&#8217; Horsing Around seminar on Sunday afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL0227horsearound2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lucas Rideout, 10, son of horse owner Stacy Rideout, cleans the hoof of a pony named Romeo. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL0227horsearound2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Lucas Rideout, 10, son of horse owner Stacy Rideout, cleans the hoof of a pony named Romeo. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL0227horsearound3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Stacy Rideout gives Nick Pokrifka a lesson in cleaning a horse&#8217;s hoof. The hooves grow like a person&#8217;s fingernails, she said. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL0227horsearound3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Stacy Rideout gives Nick Pokrifka a lesson in cleaning a horse&#8217;s hoof. The hooves grow like a person&#8217;s fingernails, she said. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL0227horsearound4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Samantha Burton, 5, of Kingston tries to lead Stacy Rideout&#8217;s horse Oreo at the Dundee Gardens&#8217; Horsing Around event. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_TTL0227horsearound4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Samantha Burton, 5, of Kingston tries to lead Stacy Rideout&#8217;s horse Oreo at the Dundee Gardens&#8217; Horsing Around event. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Children enjoy ‘Horsing Around’ at Dundee Gardens in Hanover Township