She'll take advantage of a mistake but she isn't a bad horse at all.
It is sometimes a little scary to see Grace interact and ride with an animal that is so large and know that she could get hurt, and hurt badly. I trust. I trust her instructor who is a no-nonsense guy, I trust Grace-she is always doing her best and I trust her Guardian Angel.
I also believe that I can't always keep my children from getting hurt. Grace loves horses (beyond the 'all little girls love horses'). They are her passion. I am not going to keep her from what she loves because of my fears.
2 comments:
She looks great!
Sean is my little horse lover. I started him in hippotherapy last spring and he was just a natural on a horse. His instructor wanted to move him to the non-therapeutic classes. I can flex spend the hippotherapy so I kept him in therapeutic riding, but they moved him to a class of advanced students.
He started on a little Arabian (Symphony - what a mouthful of a name for a speech & language kid!) but after a few weeks he requested a "big horse, boy." He's always been more drawn to men so I cracked up that he wanted a male horse too! They moved him to a big thoroughbred. When he stands next to the horse the horse's underbelly is even with Sean's shoulders! He mounts with help, but dismounts by just sliding off this huge animal! They tie up the lead and he controls this horse with complete ease. He even trots and two-points (although they won't allow him to jump yet - just step over poles on the ground.)
I think riding is fabulous. If only I could afford it every week. He's been on hiatus since August.
At the barn there is a horse that is half quarter horse, half draft horse. Talk about HUGE.
Most of the horses are owned privately so Grace can't ride them, most of the others are in training so she can't ride those either. Only two of the horses owned by the stable owner are really rideable for Grace. Devil and Bar and Bar is getting over an injury. There is also Sunny but she is an old thing that can only walk and trot.
Grace's instructor is a native Texan who is all rough and tough for show but deep down a real softie. He used to be an endurance rider but his endurance horse died about a year ago. :-( Shoney was an awesome horse. This is Texas so Grace will probably barrel race when she gets to that point vs. showing and jumping.
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