I cannot teach my children Science. Or Maths, but that will be for another post another day.

Last weekend, we decided to go to the Bukit Timah Saddle Club, have breakfast at Riders Cafe and look at horses. I wanted to open Ben’s eyes to the equestrian world.

I’ve always been fascinated with the art of horse riding. I’ve never been on a horse and it has been my dream to. As a little girl, many a nights have been spent dreaming of riding a black handsome stallion and being able to steeplechase and play polo. But I soon learnt, as I grew up, that the equestrian world is a rich world only for the elite few, and my hopes of donning a sexy pair of jodhpurs and leather riding boots and reining a horse soon melted like butter on a hot day.

But still, I love horses. And I’d thought this would be a great chance to teach Ben something about them. And get him to sit on the saddle, riding a real one, instead of putting a one-dollar coin each time we see a horsey kiddy ride.

So we walked around the stables and I taught him that domesticated horses are those we can ride; that horses have hooves and manes; that a baby horse is called a foal; that they graze by biting off grass and other vegetation.

I would have loved to tell him more: that these majestic creatures move with four basic gaits (and the coolest is the gallop!); that they are intelligent mammals with excellent spatial discrimination abilities; that the Bedouins were the first people who bred extensive pedigrees of Arabian horses. But I will save that for a later time.

He got quite excited when I told him he’d get to ride a pony. All I needed to do was to pay ten bucks. And then he asked, “What’s a pony, Mama?”

And I replied, “It’s a baby horse.”

Stop it, I know you’re laughing at me right now. Because I’ve been an ignorant fool who probably slept through all the science lessons in primary school. I didn’t even know I had taught my son the wrong stuff. And he went round yelling “I’m gonna ride a baby horse!” all through breakfast at Riders Cafe.

Until fatherkao came to my rescue and told him that a pony is a small horse, alright; but not a baby horse. A horse is a horse because of its height. A pony is under an approximate height at the withers (the tallest point of the body of a four-legged mammal), and like a horse, there are many different breeds of ponies. It is certainly not a foal. And it is not another horse breed.

He also told me in the car I had better not teach Ben science-related stuff when he goes to primary school.

Agree totally.

More details:

• Pony rides at Bukit Timah Saddle Club on Sundays (10am – 1pm) for $10. The BTSC website says Saturdays and Sundays but we chatted with the people there and they said they won’t be doing this on Saturdays anymore, starting this month.
• Breakfast at Riders Cafe: Be prepared to wait 30 – 45 minutes for a table if you’re walking in. I couldn’t get a reservation for a month! And I tried booking through CHOPE and there seems to be no way to get a table online for breakfast for the next few months. Breakfast there was great, but not worth the wait if you find the weather a little too humid.
• The other restaurant to try is The Marmalade Pantry. I hear their cupcakes are fantastic. Will be trying the next time we’re there.