For
more than 20 years, Seattle parents have made a summer ritual of taking
children to ride the ponies at the Woodland Park Zoo. After looking at
exotic animals from around the world, the shaded pony ring gives
children the magic of touching a giant furry beast.
What is not so magical is waiting in a long line, or misjudging the
time and missing your chance. Stacey Cooper is happy to give advice.
She is the administrator in charge of the 13 ponies and the 50 teen
volunteers who operate the rides.
Your best bet to avoid crowds is to come early in the day (especially
on rainy days). Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day in the summer.
Don't come too near quitting time, or your child is likely to be
disappointed. And be aware of age, height and weight limitations before
you promise your child a ride. Children must be at least 2 years old,
less than 48 inches tall, and less than 120 pounds to ride. Each ride
costs $2.
Limits on height and weight actually protect the ponies, just as much
as the child riders. Stacey carefully coordinates the ponies' schedules
to protect them from overuse injuries. You can tell your children that
some ponies are as old as 27 years, and may have given thousands of
rides already in their lifetime at the zoo. Quitting time is sacred.
Many a tearful child and determined parent have tried to argue with the teen
volunteers about quitting time. Teens feel very bad when parents are
rude and dismiss the deadlines with comments like: "Well, I guess you
can't just bend one little rule." Teaching kindness toward the ponies
and their hard-working teen leaders is a great way to educate your
child about respect.
If your older child is interested, the program welcomes teen volunteers
between ages 14-18. Many of the teens currently working at the zoo
began their fascination by standing in line and getting pony rides as a
toddler.
Sally James is a Seattle freelance writer and the mother of two zoo pony volunteers.
