Giddy Up!

My girls love horses.  This is not by accident.  Their infatuation is the result of yet another highly orchestrated plan on my part for them to share the same hobbies and interests as me.  I am open for other interests, of course, but I do a little steering toward my intended directions as well.  

The girls have ridden on the pony ride at the fair a couple of times, but that's about the extent of their horse riding experiences. I take that back.  My sister, Ayron, queen of all party entertaining, hired a gal to bring a pony and a donkey to her hubby's birthday party one year.  Cubby rode that pony for about an hour straight.  Since she and E were the main riders, they got all the chances they wanted, and Cubby felt quite at home atop that tiny saddle.  Watching her up there, I was in heaven.  

So, when we changed our plans to a vacation in the mountains, I immediately called the local stables.  One stable provided a trail ride for kids.  The small horses are led by hand through shady, winding trails, while the kids hang on and enjoy the scenery.  

I located the stables, made the appointment, and we were off.  Minus the proper riding gear.  Oh well.  I didn't bring jeans or boots (since I don't own any boots for the kids) to summer vacation!

The girls seemed to feel a little unsure at first.  

But once on top of the horse, they did just fine.  E's horse was named Angel, which made E very happy.

Cubby's horse was a little Arabian named Medallion.  I made Cubby say that name a thousand times, she said it so dang cute!

Once the girls felt comfortable, it was time to start the trail ride.  I tagged along on foot to make sure they were OK, plus somebody had to take pictures!  

It started to feel a lot longer than a 30 minute trail ride.

I sort of fell behind at one point.  

Then I caught up to take this picturesque shot.  

E was very happy riding Angel.  She told me later that she was pretending to be a princess taking a ride through the forest.  Somehow, I already knew that.

At last we made it back to the stables.  E had a great ride.  She confidently rode Angel, asked questions of the owner, and gripped that saddle horn with a vengeance!  Once she had dismounted she informed me that her new hobby is horseback riding.  As soon as she said that, my heart did a little pitter-patter.  Imagine that!  

Cubby didn't want to dismount.  Ever.  She felt completely at home and comfortable with Medallion.  She could have ridden off into the sunset if it hadn't been for her pesky mom dragging her off the saddle.  

My two junior horsewomen proved brave enough to ride on horseback for close to an hour.  I heard no complaints, whines, or cries.  As we left, I asked the owner if she had any horses for sale.  To Danny's relief, she didn't, but I've got my feelers out there for a sweet, kid friendly horse for my girls to get started on a lifelong love of horses.   Giddy Up!!