ITS TIME TO TAKE INVENTORY Hwlong is it since YDU sopdte consior yoaat pros- e~t Laf suraein relation te', dôur family protection end Ibli*emnt inconse needs? ~febiIy and business circum-. stances change every year. Aý Life Insurance progaS*t uP_ fiyears 'no M'sy b. qit. inadequate today. 'The Manufactuwers Life Financial Planning'Service wli show you how far yçur Pres-, ent Life Insurance and other assets will go in mneeting thsse needs. To: S.K. (Steve) Hanson Suite 501, Bell Tower Oshawa Centre Oshawa, Ontario The Manufacturers Life Insurance Companyj -by Kimn Arnîitage Ati. th nc o year it'.s aiîazii$ :how 'nijjanjy of îh6se- 'very specialI' letters begin, "Dear S auta, ... Piease bring mie a horse of miy very owu." It happens every year. And every year somne parents tlîrow 1 ,n the sponge. 'Okay, l'Il buy you a horse-ýif Santa, says, sO.0f course, by this tirne the image of, Santa Claus has receded leaving the whole glorious hiero play for the parents. Parents, thus coniitted, who know little or nothing abou t,'ho.rsecanl find themn- sel"yes,',in the,awkward posi- tion 'of having promnised tu buy their hoYrse-erazy chîld a horse or pony (not only ut Christrnas tiflie) of hiis own only 10 realize 'they lhaven't t1he faintest idea of how, when, whiere or what k) buy. Probably the greatest mistake parents inake 15 10 go out on their own 10 select a hiorse. The few dollars saved in by- passing the counsel and guid-. ance of the professionial iii- structor or horsemnan can cost a fortune in mioney and i. told aggrevatîion. PLUMBING DiscouN IFIXTURES & SUPPLIES 701 Broc.t. N. Whitby 20% DISCOUNT DIRECT TO YOU1 Hours: 9 O.m. ta 9 Pan. Mon-Fri Sat. 9 a.m. ta 5 ph. 668m6601 BE AN' ANGEL-GIVE HER %eGift She- REALLY Wah~ts. Juwaryn Sal.Prkes NOWl BFORE CHRISTMASIU Voui'l be surprised how littie it costs to make this'Her Happiest Christmas 'Beautifully Gift Wrappod. . Exchangeable 75 KING St. E. - oppoSite Goufa H«te "Oshown's'" Quellty Fer Store In remt years iitercst in riding and ' horse~s lias il,. creased at-aplieioiiueial ratc, part ly'as thfle'resuit ut the ex. tcnsive television exposure equestriain cvents lu Canada,ý die Olympics aind in ternation-, al cunipetitions hiave received. As well, the ascent of the Canadian ,Equestrian Teaim to a position of internationlal pronlience parallels ' lie growti in riding and hiorse- maîîship. Nuw, tlhe prolifération of riding schiools, pony clubs and boarding stables hiavc brought'tlie sport wîhin the reach ot' the majority. Muny middle - class wagc - carners uow uwn riding horses, and that horse-crazy clhild ln the tfnîily docsn'î f*or a mioment consider tlie le t er lu San ta b pie-îni-tlîc-sky' dreaîîîing. I t could couic truce. Buit fOr die parents thie pruiblem s lu find muit how real t lic 'lio)rse- arca which oftèr, qualified, protessional 111sf rLiction lu ridling, jumlipij)ngud dressageý on several- levels is the Colo- niaI SIables, R.R. 1, Bow-- Ma ile. Cooia s somiewhiat un- ique in ils developuient and status. It lias evolvcd 11110 a first rate riding school with- out sacrificiîg ils pleasaut iln'foriiiality, and th-e quiet, rustic churni of ils setting. Mr. anîd Mrs. Freemnan Ashi- ton own Colonial Stables. "It just sort of' happenied," smiles Tercsa Ashton. "My lhusband and 1 have been rid-' ing for a nuniber'of years. At first, long befure we got this place, we Lised to just go out and ren t a horse 10 ride. Then a bunc uoft OS who aIl rode together decided we'd like 10 learn how bo ride properly. We took lessons. Pret ty sôduî Wçsfarted-thilsing hOW nle horses, whiwe evCeucltually did. Thenwe lhad, u ourad our horses at ïa stable, and il was a long drive frumn 1the city. Su, next we started thinking about a placcof'Iour uwn wherc we could keep., hlorses. We looked for about a yeai beibre> we found this place. Frorn there if was boarding friendls' horses, teaching their children tu ride . . . and îhat's lîow we started. Itjust huppencd.", NoW , thé' Aslitons have niue school liorses suiîed to the differen t instruction levels and a crowded schiedule of' lessons, as well as a 'full lîouse' of 22 buardiîîg iorses. Eachi year iliifrovenmeîts, additions-«) buildings, large, modern't bo x stallîs bave been added, .and coniplcted, just -onc year ago was 1the miag- n ificenît indoor riding, a rena. In the wiuîerrnonths' ýwhen ice mnakes footinâ treachcrous for hlrse and rider thec great- est bonus a ridiug stable'can have is an indoor ring. Cdoo- nial's well-lighted urena hias a riding area of 1 20' x 60' with an adjoining 40' x 1 21 viewing rooni, heated and separa.ted fromn the urena proper, by large glass windows. The view- ing roomi is a warni and t'rieîîdly place '*where patient parents can wait and watclî thieir boucinigoff'spring, r id- ers galber for somne horse tulk, and is uscd for lectures Io dlie studen Is. "We hiave courses for cqliitalion aIthlree levels," says - Mrs. Ash ton. (cotzinumed on page~ 12) craie' is. Is tfîis eagerness just a passing tancy or is thîe child îruly îuterested ini the seriuus pursuil ot ricling before you buy the hiorse'? A good way lu start is a session of riding fessons at an appropriate riding sclioul. Somietimies a stable wiîfî de- siruble faciities and trust- wortliy teacliers can bc tound simply by clîecking the dus. sified pages uf'th le leleplionie direcîury'. Additional back- up in forumation is ilvays av- ailable a t Ilie bet ter 5111)plX' IILIuSCs oMtack shops in the area suchi as Bari rngton's of Toronto. The Villager iu Pick- ering and Rut herfords il) Oshiawa. A good exiiîiple of the qualhty' rid img stables ini this FI I "t u ~ ~ r K K 1*~ £ a~ a a £ K .C ~ è~£ 4£ £4 &S££**&A K ~lfl£Jj.~ * ~ ~K~* AML4.K~.t~.a~g,4 ~£ r ~ a-rn.' ~ ~ ~. ~, ' ER 21F 1972, WFIITBY FREE PRESS Pease bring me a horse of my very ewn