Our Busy Little World
Jul. 3, 2008 - Summer Of The Horses
This has been quite the horsey summer for us! Thanks to a generous riding instructor, some wonderful friends who own and breed lovely Arabians, and visiting family who had never ridden but wanted to try, we've been able to spend quite a bit of time on the back of a horse. Given the fact that I've always been a lover of horses, this is quite a nice thing indeed! Here are some pictures of our past month on horseback (they're a bit smaller than they used to be - still getting used to picasa). Give us a few weeks and we may have a little horsey surprise to share! Oh, and I have to say my favorite pictures are at the bottom for a very special reason . . . you'll just have to scroll down to see why!
I got to ride with Hannah for this one- probably one of my favorite hours spent with that girl! We got to snuggle, ride a horse, and have uninterrupted conversation together (a rare thing indeed!)
Matt's mom, sister and nephew getting ready for some good trail riding!
Don't know why, but I just like this picture of our little trail group
I had to get a good shot "for the record" of my sweet mother-in-law riding!
Horses, donkeys, any hoofed animal who will lend Isabelle his back makes her happy! Here's her cousin Teddy leading her around on Jezebel the donkey (perhaps aptly named, Jezebel did bite Miss Isabelle by accident whilst receiving a treat - no worries, though, you should have seen how thrilled Isabelle was with all the sympathy!)
I am riding Safar, the fabulous (no exaggeration!) Arabian Stallion owned by our good friends.
More on Safar
And Miss Hannah enjoying a ride on Safar - did I say Stallion? Well, yes, but you'd never know it when the little ones are on him - he's so very sweet!
A favorite horse trip this summer: we took a rode trip to watch Miss Bryony in her first show with this stallion - they were lovely and won 2nd place! And the road trip was wonderful as well - nice long, beautiful drive with a good friend- I came home that day refreshed and ready for the next day's work!
Miss Isabelle enjoying Safar after the horse show
Matt joined in the fun, too. This picture reminds me of a line from one of our favorite stories: "She looked up at St. George, sitting there on his horse, straight and tall and beautiful. 'Oh, Sir Knight!' she cried . . . ."
And here's everyone else getting in a little ride on Safar - no one could resist! For the record, my mother in law rode TWO horses the week she was here!
Teddy riding Safar, with Nancy kindly leading.
Teri, Matt's sister enjoying a ride.
A breathtaking view of the area!
And now for my favorite pictures: The first is a "Before" shot from a few months ago. Remember how terrified Naomi is of animals?
Well, she is still cautious, but one day up at the ranch she decided to find out what she was missing. Completely of her own volition she came up and asked if she could ride the donkey. So I took her, thinking she'd want right off, but no - just look at that smile! We were all SO very proud of her!
Then a bit later in the day, she surprised us again by asking if she could ride the horse. I put her up thinking she'd want right down, but she amazed me again - look, another smile! We're so proud of you, Naomi! 
What a big girl!
PS. if you didn't get a chance to read it, take a peek at the post below - my girls sure make me laugh! The post was a bit lost in bloggyland for some reason for a short time!
Comments
Jul. 3, 2008 - breath taking
Posted by momofsix
What a beautiful area you live. How serene and beautiful. How did you get started doing what you do with your horses and farm? It would be such a dream come true for us to do that. Any suggestions?
Jul. 3, 2008 - Hi MomofSix!
Posted by TwaddleMeNot
Actually, we do live in a beautiful area, but we just live in a little house in town. It is our friends' lovely farm where many of those pictures were taken - they are just incredibly generous in opening their home! I've always loved horses, but since I've never had a ton of money to ride them, I tend to trade volunteer work (grooming, cleaning, etc) for some riding time, or save up "fun money" for some lessons. I don't take too many, but then with five little ones, I don't have too much time either! :-) Have a great summer!
Melissa
Jul. 3, 2008 - hi!
Posted by byourlove1
wow! What fun! I love that pic of your trail too, it looks so artsy. Seeing your girls on the horses was beautiful too, I know my kids would have loved that. What a nice time with family, enjoy every moment!
I'm having a contest and giving away one of those new planners from The Old Schoolhouse, if you get a chance check it out-its the neatest planner I have ever seen!
Angela
Jul. 4, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by SchoolinRhome
WOW! What wonderful pictures. Looks like a great and memorable day! Naomi is so adorable! Have a great summer!
SchoolinrHome
Jul. 9, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by lexi
I LOVED your photos! I am a horse person so I enjoyed seeing the horses. The stallion is beautiful!!!
