Horse Christmas Party!!

Last week we had several cold, nasty days. Thursday was one of the worst! It was the first time since our horse lessons started that I found myself hoping for a cancellation. No such luck.

It was way too cold to ride so the instructors had several indoor activities for the kids to work on.

They also had an outdoor activity for the moms and dads that wasn't quite as fun. The two women that teach these kids to ride, instilling in them a love of horses, also run this farm mostly by themselves. They work hard and probably don't really make enough to make the lessons worth it, but they do it because they love it. So when something unforeseen happens, like a storm blowing over part of a haystack, they either do it themselves or they offer it up as something the rest of us can do while we're waiting. There is no coercing or begging, it's simply, "This is something we could use your help on if anyone is willing to do it." Most of us were more than willing considering all the benefits our children are receiving. It took all of us about 45 minutes to haul the unharmed hay into the barn before it got too wet and the damp hay to the sheep pen for the hungry animals to enjoy.

These guys were very happy to see us:

It was blustery and cold and I had hay in my eyes and up my nose but, all things considered, there are worse things. I think it's a good thing for us to feel like we're a part of this whole operation. That way when I have horses and sheep of my own. . . . . hmmm.

We finally went into the warm loft and watched the kids practice their routine.

This is a showmanship activity where a group of riders are given a set of instructions to follow and they all do it in a sequenced synchronization.

In the spring they'll be doing it on real horses in the arena rather than on these cute little stick animals. When the helper in the middle had to leave midway through the lesson, I took her place and took my routine very seriously!!!

At the end of the lesson, we all gathered together to enjoy the Christmas goodies that everyone brought. We had lots of baked goods and yummy hot cider and hot chocolate.

In the end, I was pretty glad that class didn't get canceled. . .