Today I was really not feeling well, but it was not about me today. It was all about Zaira living the dream that all little girls seem to enjoy! She was going to get to ride a horse today! She had been counting down the days for over a month and the day had finally arrived! She was so excited she even slept in her boots the night before!
I was determined to be there for this special day. So we got into the car and took the 60-minute drive to the horse ranch. Thankfully, after breathing in the fresh country’s economy air, I was able to enjoy the giggles and ear-to-ear grins throughout the morning lessons.
Little Miss was so happy to learn about horses and the equipment. Then it was on to grooming the horse to prep for the ride. I think she would have done just about anything to ride that horse! She was paired with a sweet horse named Riley. A teen assistant helped make sure Little Miss was learning all the skills to care for a horse.
Then they put the bareback padding on Riley along with the bridle. The director came to check on all the riders. When asked if Little Miss had put in the equipment by herself the teen said no. All of it had to come back off for Little Miss to do by herself. I was glad to see this because when we worked with horse therapy in the past, this was always the rule. Little Miss had learned quickly and had no problem with the task.
Little Miss was leading Riley out of the stall in no time. She was so eager to hop on Riley and take a ride. Slow down missy! All the girls were doing this together! So Little Miss had to wait for everyone to be ready.
It did not take long to have them up on their horses and ready to try the first round with their hands on the horn led by their assistant. You could tell Little Miss was getting impatient because as soon as the leader asked if they were ready, her hands were up in the air and ready to take the bridle!
She did a great job leading Riley through the obstacles! Of course, the time went by too quickly. She was convinced the leader invited them back the next day. It turned the older girls in the troop were camping that night and had a planned trail ride the next morning. Oh how disappointing for our Little Miss!
I promised to look for a place more local and see if she could go more often. I am so glad it was fun for her. A beautiful day and beautiful memories!
This is wonderful! Our girls loved riding when they were younger.. I hope it's something you are able to let her do more of. I wish K hadn't become scared of riding a few years ago when she took a tumble. That's what happens when you don't do things right or often enough, though. :)
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