2007-01-06 Horseback Riding

It has been a warm and relatively snow-less winter this year, so the normal winter activities of sledding, building snowmen and ice skating have been few and far between. The local tubing hill has not been open, and the outdoor rinks have also stayed closed. It has been nice not having to do a lot of shoveling of snow, but changes what you think of for winter outdoor activities.

Hailey decided to try taking horseback riding lessons with a friend of hers. Hailey has been riding before on trail rides, but the size of the horses has always made here a little uncomfortable. By taking some lessons, she can become more comfortable with the horses and enjoy trail rides.

She had her first lesson on Saturday. Before the actual riding, she learned about the care and grooming of a horse. She brushed and cleaned the horse she would be riding, then put the saddle and bridle on.

She was able to learn how to mount the horse, and was able to do so without using any booster or stool. That is long way up for a small girl.

Most of the riding was tethered to start out with, but eventually was able to start trotting with the horse. The hardest part was learning not use the saddle horn for hanging on, but to balance and use her feet and the stirrups.

After the riding, she took the gear off the horse and cleaned it up again. This time, she even had to lift its feet up and clean out its hoofs.

All in all, she had a good time and is looking forward to her next lesson.