EARLY MORNING HORSE RIDE.....

 I awoke to rain at 5.15am this morning...

This is not looking promising for a horse back ride...

The rain was intermittent, stopping and starting..  By checking the weather app on my phone it didn't indicate a lot of rain, as it forecast between 4 and 7mm between 7am and 11am, so Chloe felt that the horse riding would still be on....

She did try and ring the lady that runs the classes at 6.30am but she wasn't answering her phone so we assumed she was out bringing in the horses for the classes..

We decided to take the risk and head on out.

It was a good half hour drive out there...

We arrived in drizzling rain, but the class was still going ahead...

This is the whole riding experience.  

Carrying her saddle out to put on her horse...

Excited about going horse riding

Willow meets Willow

Sarah getting ready to  saddle up her horse Nyx...

Sarah giving Nyx a rub down

Our instructor

Willow and I

Max and I

He likes the horse but not too keen to get to close...

Willow getting to know her horse Ebony

Willow posing with the horse Willow

 

 

 

 

At this horse riding school you are get to take our your saddle and saddle up your horse and at the end of the lesson give the horse a good brush and rub down also.

Once everyone had their horses saddles up they then led them down to a big paddock where they when through the motions of learning how to control their horses using the reins,  how to use the muscles in your own legs to work the horse and get him to respond to your commands..  There is a real art to it....

Leading her horse down to the paddock

Chloe was the first to mount her horse

Checking the stirrups before mounting

And Chloe is on her horse

As Chloe was the most experienced riding she mounted first and then took off on her horse riding and cantering around the track whilst the instructor helped both Sarah and Chloe to mount their horses..

Sarah was up on her horse next...

Sarah mounting her horse

And she is up and on....

Sarah joins Chloe for the ride

Finally it is Willow's turn to mount her horse Ebony... 

And she is on her horse...

Learning how to use her reins...

Ready to join her Mum and Aunty Chloe in a ride around the paddock...

A little too nervous to do it on her own...

Chloe gets up a canter

Sarah riding along side Willow... get Mummy/Daughter moments...

All three riding together...

Sarah was having trouble getting her horse to canter, so in the end Chloe swapped her horse with Sarah and the instructor took Sarah's horse to show Sarah what to do..  

Chloe was happy to walk with Willow.  The horse ride was Chloe's treat for Willow.  This is the second time she has taken her out riding....

From here they led their houses down to the far paddock where some horse games were set up to have some fun with the horses playing games...

playing games with the horses...

 

 

 

Max was more than happy to just watch..

 Max was funny... He really loved the horses and asked lots of questions about them, but there was no way he was going to get to close to one... We couldn't even get him to pat a horse.... just wanted to keep his distance...

 

Willow gaining some confidence in leading her pony...

 

 

 

 

 

 

By now the hour was almost up and it was time to lead the horses back to their pens...

She was one very happy little girl..

Willow finally managed to encourage Max to pat the horse....

It took a little courage for him to do it but initially he patted the horse on the neck and just before we left he finally patted him on his nose....  I think he was quite proud of the fact that he did pat the horse in the end...

Chloe even managed to get Max to take the reins of the horse and help lead him back to the pen... This was a HUGE thing for Max to do.  So so proud of him...

Finding it was time to take their saddles off and give the horses a good rub....

Well the lesson was over and it was time to head home..

What a lovely morning it has been.  The rain held off for the whole time the kids were out riding... It actually turned out to be a beautiful morning and great start to the day....

Two happy little kiddliwinks...

Colin had had a couple of really early mornings... like 3am where he had gotten up to participate in a music writing workshop so as not to disturb him and let him have a bit of a sleep in, we decided to stop off at Maccas and give the kids breakfast and let them have a bit of a play in the playground there.

The girls doing some online shopping whilst the kids played...

We probably spent a good hour there before deciding it was time to go....

Chloe then decided it might be nice to take a drive to show Sarah their new house they have just bought so eventually by the time we got home it was after 11am.. 

It was a great morning though and even better for me because I not only got to spend it with my grandchildren but also my girls...

Very happy and contented Mumma...