True Love

Ahhh, little girls and horses. They pretty much go together like milk and cookies. I grew up absolutely smitten with them, and never got over it. Blessedly, Lauren seems to have inherited the equine gene. Truthfully, while I believe that genetics must play a part, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that her love for these gentle creatures may also have been sparked by the sheer number of horse references present throughout our home:









Whatever the source of her passion, it's all well and good. Lauren had been climbing onto our carousel horse constantly lately, so when I learned of a local program for young kid's horseback riding, I jumped (no pun intended) at the chance. She had ridden the ponies at Irvine Park, but had never been on a full size horse. I was told that Vahdi, a 10-year-old full size jumper, was very gentle with children, but didn't know exactly what to expect. Still, we set off for her first lesson with abundant excitement to meet Vahdi and his owner/mommy Kate.

Meeting them immediately upon our arrival at the stables:


Learning how to brush him down before saddling up:


On the mounting block, no fear in sight:


Off they went (yikes, where has our baby gone?):


Stopping to say hello to other horses in their stalls was a highlight of the ride:


At the end of the hour, Vahdi unabashedly showing a little love:


Lauren now very much looks forward to our Sunday mornings at the stables. Now that she's officially "hooked" (ya right, like there was ever any doubt), we'll get her a riding helmet (it will be all I can do to resist the toddler-sized boots and jodhpurs I'm sure!). And following my conversation today with Miss Kate, I may need to invest in a new helmet for myself too . . . . . .