By Matt Fredmonsky
Record-Courier staff writer
Larry Hannum is an urban cowboy.
Skin darkened by the sun, the occasional cigarette can be seen smoking between his calloused fingers.
He speaks in a deep, rough voice and can steady horses and young riders with a word on his 100-acre farm on Johnson Road in Franklin Township.
Hannum runs Larry's Riding Stable and conducts five ranch camps each summer in which an average 15 young students spend four hours a day for an entire week learning the ins and outs of equestrian care and riding.
"It entails the whole gamut of things involving horse back riding," Hannum said. "The kids ride approximately an hour a day. Usually, a lot of these kids have had riding experience. That's not mandatory."
A retired school teacher, Hannum spent 30 years in the Stow school district. He was born and reared on the family farm, which has operated since 1956 and is minutes from either downtown Stow or Kent.
Students at the camp learn how to care for, feed and ride on seven of Hannum's gentler horses. The children also learn crafts with leather and horse shoes. Permitted age ranges for kids are six through 12 years old.
Hannum does recommend a few riding classes as a prerequisite to parents before signing their children up for one of four ranch camps held throughout the summer.
Walt Sokira, a Kent State University professor whose 7 year-old daughter, Andrea, is a student of the stables, said Hannum's camp is certainly educational.
"It's a great thing to keep your kids involved in the summer and give them a different experience," Sokira said.
The ranch camp costs $175 for the week and includes a T-shirt, grooming supplies and all craft materials. Hannum employs three instructors, and several area school counselors help supervise voluntarily. Interested riders can contact the farm at (330) 631-5010.
Hannum, who often instructs from the saddle of his own horse, said he has seen positive reactions from the students, who learn a more relaxed Western riding style compared to the proper English style of horseback riding.
"You see the kids on Monday and you see them on Friday, and the fact that they've ridden five hours, the transition is amazing," Hannum said.