Horsing Around

The girls have been enjoying their horse back riding.  It is even more fun now that it is not cold.  We had some really chilly riding days, but fortunately winter is over.  Allison and Leah go riding on Monday afternoon.  They ride together, and it is just them so they get to do whatever they want.  The lady that does the lessons is VERY laid back, and she lets the kids do what they want to do.  I am okay with that, because the lesson are very cheap and the girls are having a great time.  A couple of weeks ago, she took Allison and Leah trail riding.  She loaded up two horses and their tack and my two girls and took them to a nearby park with horse trails.  This week she let Leah and Allison exercise two of her minature ponies.  The girls had a blast.  The girls are now thinking that they are serious riders and are wanting to get riding helments.  Notice in the pictures below they are wearing bicycle helmets.   

Rachel rides every Thursday afternoon ,and she may be more in love with horse back riding than she was last year.  She talks about it constantly and to anyone who will listen.  If a stranger stops to tell her hello, she starts talking about horses.  It is always the same conversation.  She says, "Horsey," then pauses and waits for you to repaeat it, then she says, "Guke" which is Rachel speak for Duke and is the name of the horse she rides.  She waits for you to repeat that, then she will say, "Trot."  This is a close as she comes to saying a sentence, and she uses it every morning to say goodmorning to her daddy.  Rachel has been so excited this week because she is getting to ride twice.  Tuesday she got to ride to make up for some of the classes we have missed due to rain and cold.  She will ride again this afternoon.  She is now always asking to wear her shirts with the horses on them.  She only has two, so it doesn't happen every day, much to her dismay.  Twice in the last month she has asked to wear her horse shirt to sleep in and then worn it to school.  The girl is loving her horses!!   Oh yeah, she is finally starting to hold the reigns and even trying to turn the horse!  She is looking like such a big girl up on her horse these days.  Below are some pictures of Rachel and Duke.