Schoolchildren Read "The Black Stallion" to Arabian Horses

Mark Me Famous tries to get a closer look at the book, The Black Stallion, as 4th graders from Kellogg Elementary School read to horses.

Thirty-two local schoolchildren visited the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center on Wednesday, May 18, to read their favorite parts of “The Black Stallion” to the Arabians.

The fourth-grade students from Kellogg Elementary School in the Pomona Unified School District also got a tour of the center, groomed horses and watched a special horse show put on by Cal Poly Pomona students.

The field trip was part of a pilot program called “Arabian Horse Tales” that was a collaboration between the university’s Department of Animal & Veterinary Science and the Arabian Horse Center. The program encourages schoolchildren to read for pleasure, while also giving Cal Poly Pomona students an opportunity to work with the horses.

Studies by the Scholastic publishing company show that the percentage of children reading for pleasure drops around the fourth grade. Forty-six percent of children who were between the ages of 9 and 11 read for pleasure, which is significant drop from the 62 percent between the ages of 6 and 8, according to the most recent Scholastic study.

The schoolchildren read “The Black Stallion” as part of their classroom curriculum and then visited the center to see the horses, learn about them and read to them.

The program was funded through a “mini-grant” for Cal Poly Pomona faculty, helping to cover the cost of the books, transportation and other expenses.

Jéanne Brooks Abernathy, the center’s directory, Assistant Professor Joanne Sohn, and research technician Holly Greene worked to obtain the grant funding and lay the groundwork for the program.

Kate Smith and Marissa Shotwell-Tabke at the Arabian Horse Center coordinated the event along with a host of student volunteers who provided horse safety and handling during the schoolchildren’s visit.