For some reason, Ava is really interested in horses right now. She has not had experience with horses or know much about them, but really likes all horse type things. She wanted a horse-themed birthday party even. Since there is no way we are getting a horse at our house, I arranged for her to go ride a horse as an early birthday present. We kept it as a surprise and she was soooooo excited when she found out what we were doing! She first learned how to brush the horse with the different brushes and pick its feet before saddling it. She didn't want to use the reins to control the horse herself, so Willa walked her around for a while.
After getting more comfortable on Honey Bee though, Ava decided she did want to try using some reins and loved learning how to control the horse. She learned how to make the horse go, turn and stop. She really liked trotting since she was bouncing in the saddle:). My little girl was on top of the world be able to ride a horse!
Blaine had been busy playing with the other kids and not paying much attention to the horse riding, but I did make sure to ask him if he wanted a ride before putting the horse away. He decided he did, but was totally happy with one quick ride around the pen and was ready to get back to playing. I have a feeling it would be a different story had it been a four wheeler rather than a horse...
I don't think that Ava would have ever gotten off Honey Bee, but we finally stopped and she helped put the horse away. She found out that she had to groom the sweaty horse again after she was done riding. Ava found that riding a horse was more work than just jumping in the saddle and learned a lot about horses. Willa (a 4-H horse member) even taught her about all the different parts of a horse and was a great teacher, showing Ava what to do the whole time. Ava had a wonderful experience, but also realized that horses are a lot of work. She has already asked to be able to ride every year for her birthday:)
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