Oh how my girls love horses! They had a special afternoon riding thanks to a neighbors generous loan of her horse. I heard squeals of delight announcing the arrival of the horse escorted via four wheeler. Addie was in 7th heaven.
The girls rotated through each one taking turns and then as soon as their feet hit the ground again demanding they get another turn.
Anna was confident enough to ride alone. It was a gorgeous day.
The boys were finally able to make some snow structures. And a lot of snowballs.
It's funny the ways memories and knowledge are brought to the forefront of conscious thought. The rich smell of horses rushed forgotten memories and lessons learned from my grandparents back to my mind. The girls were using my saddle purchased in my youth near the end of my horse riding excursions. My grandma would come pick me up weekly when I was in middle school. We would go ride a few miles, talk about life, and how to handle it. Those were some choice hours of my growing up. The horse owning neighbor is a long lost cousin on my side. It's interesting that we are now reunited and in such close proximity. Getting acquainted has been a choice experience as well.
The horse got spooked while Addie was on and started running. Addie panicked and bailed off. She was ok but scared. Having experienced a similar episode I knew she had to try again soon or would be scared for life. The horse had ran for home so Anna and Addie headed after. Addie came back some time later astride the horse with the owner/cousin leading her. Anna traded Addie spots and took the horse back. All the girls have a whetted appetite for horse time now. But more important are learning skills and gaining confidence interacting with new people, and doing hard things. This is going to be another good year.
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