A Horse Lesson. . .

Gloria has loved horses for as long as I can remember. She has ridden a few times over the years and often begs for a horse of her own. I, on the other hand, only like horses when they are on the other side of a fence. I'm scared of horses, I admit it. I had one very minor traumatic experience with a horse when I was in Junior High and I've let that one experience forever taint my interaction with these beautiful beasts. However, when I heard about a home school riding class last week, I jumped at the chance to enroll Gloria. I assumed it was a drop-off-your-kid-and-pick-them-up-in-two-hours kind of a thing so I wasn't sure what to do when the teacher told us mom's to go out in the field and bring in the horses!! Me? Bring in a horse?? Hello?? But, I faced my fear, took the rope in my hand and went out to bring in a horse.

It really wasn't too bad. These horses work with kids all the time so they are very patient. This one knew I was freaking out on the inside, though, and he kept his eye on me. . .

The mom's were also given saddles and bridles and a little bit of instruction. I did OK with lots of help from a more experienced mom but I just refuse to walk around the behind of a horse so I had to admit to my fear. . . Like they couldn't already tell. . .

And there was NO WAY I was going to do this:


I had a little bit of a quandary when everyone filed past these horses to go to the tack room. Again, I refuse to walk around the behind of a horse so I had to just stand there and wait for someone to rescue me. . . hello???? I'm such a wimp. . .

I guess this will be my opportunity to squash my fears and move forward . . .

As for Gloria, she was reveling in every moment. . . soaking up the sights and smells and practically pinching herself to make sure it was all real. . .

She has no fear. Of horses anyway. . .

Once again, the mom's were asked to help out by leading the horses and their young riders around the arena. Unfortunately, I had to help a little girl find her boots so I was unavailable. . .

The class will be every Thursday until March for 2 hours. Besides learning how to ride, the kids will learn how to care for a horse and will even have homework for further research. I don't think I'll have any problem getting Gloria to do her homework!

This will be Gloria's horse for the next 6 months. Her name is Buttons:

In spite of my fears and the chilly weather, I had fun at my first horse lesson. I mean, Gloria's first horse lesson . . .

We even made some new friends. . .

I could also be back in the running for that mother-of-the-year award. . .