Horses Helping Students Save Money

Some Oologah students have found a way around high gas prices. News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports they're going old school, to get to school.

School days start early for Casey Dick and friends Chaz, Zach and James. They begin their day when it's dark outside and their classmates are still in bed.

"We get up early anyways, or at least we pretend to," said 17-year-old Casey Dick.

With gas prices setting records nearly every day and diesel even higher, the teens are saddling up for savings.

"I could ride the bus, but I really don't want to," said 8th grader Chaz Brewer.

Instead, they ride their horses to school.

"We've been riding to school about three times a week, sometimes every day and it gets our colts broke too that we ride for other people and saves diesel for us," said Dick.

What started out as something to do just for fun became a regular routine when the teens realized how much money they were saving.

"Twenty bucks here, 20 bucks there, but it all adds up like quick," said 11th grader Zach Thompson.

And it adds up to an interesting commute, that turns the heads of other students.

"Most of them honk at us, see if we have a colt that's a little bit spooky, see if they can't get us dumped, but most of the time it don't happen.  Thank God," said Dick.

Now what would have been just a 10 minute drive to school turns into more than an hour long adventure with the customary stop at the donut shop along the way.

With the price of gas and diesel so high and it being so expensive to drive these days, the students ride their horses to school just about every single day, except when the weather is bad or they have to get to an after school job in a hurry.

But most days it works out just fine and they have fun, save money and make it to school in plenty of time.

At school, the students keep their horses in the Ag barn where there is hay and water. Friends pick up their books and backpacks and bring them to school for them.