Isabel had her first real horse-riding lessons this past week and let me tell ya it was quite something to behold.
I was not at all surprised by her enthusiasm since Isabel lives most of her life with gusto, but I was so impressed by the comfort and ease she had while were were there. I thought she might be a little timid being around new people and gigantic animals (several of the horse were draught horse breeds) but she walked right into the barn like an old cowhand and struck up a conversation with the assistant. Go figure.
The assistant showed her how to brush her horse (Chico) to remove the dirt from his coat. After a few minutes of making sure his coat was clean and shiny, they plopped a helmet on Isabel's head, saddled up Chico and set off for the riding ring.
First, they walked him a bit.
Then, it was time to hop on and do some riding.
They started off with a nice slow walk.
And quickly moved on to learning how to move up and down in the saddle while the horse was in a trot.
It took Isabel some time to wrap her head around the movement, but eventually she found a rhythm that worked for her. I don't think she expected riding to involved so much work. Her little legs were tired by the end.
We can't thank Grandpa Doug enough for making these riding lessons happen. Isabel had such a good time and I had a wonderful time watching. It was a great experience and I'm certain more riding will be in our future.
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