The program is an amazing one, run by an extremely impressive 86 year old woman who has the kids doing anything and just about everything you can imagine on horseback. We feel so lucky that the kids get to experience such a complete program, where they spend hours each weekend with the horses, bringing them in from the pasture, grooming them, feeding them hay, tacking them up and riding them (not just arriving for a half hour lesson where the horses are already saddled up and ready to go). The older children teach the younger ones by example, and the older kids (I'm talking 10 and 11 year olds here) seem to spend their entire weekends just hanging out at the farm. John and Grace completely love it. And Grace gets to ride a miniature horse, which is pretty darn cute. John rides a pony named Honey.
We entered the program around Memorial Day, joining the group for a camp-out at a local barn...with all of the horses. For two nights the kids slept in a hayloft over the stables. For three days they petted, fed, rode and just generally loved the horses. When the kids weren't riding they all tended to congregate in one of the rings pretending "horse show" and being the horses themselves, galloping and jumping. Or they were down in the creek, looking for crayfish. Yup, I was pretty charmed.
Will got a chance to ride during the parent's evening ride:
The kids all hang out in the back of the pickup truck:
Hanging out by the horses:
Down by the creek:

Getting ready to ride to the pond to go swimming with the horses:
On the way to the pond:
Yup, bareback in a bathing suit:
Minnie, Mighty and Noodle:
Since our inaugural Memorial Weekend, the immersion in horsey life has continued. We took a break over the summer, but since starting back up in September, the kids have done the following (in addition to lessons on the weekend):
1. Been the token cute factor on the mini horses at a drill team demonstration at the Grange Fair (they had to dress up, which always gives John a deep sense of satisfaction, and they got to go on fair rides and to check out all of the other animals at the fair. They watched a pie eating contest, and John participated in both a bubble gum-blowing competition, and a balloon-blowing contest. AND they got to muck out the stalls when the fair was over!!! (See videos below):
2. Competed in the Lead Line class at the Peekskill Rotary Show. They won blue ribbons (although much to their chagrin so did everyone else). Once again, they needed to dress up, and they were pretty psyched about it (for me it was a total nightmare gathering up everything for the ridiculous costumes that they needed). Will and I kind of drifted through the event in an open-mouthed fog, kind of in denial that our lives somehow suddenly involve things like horse shows. But the kids had fun.



Cleaning the tack after the show:


3. A five mile trail ride to Graymoor (home of the Franciscan sisters and friars of the Atonement) for their blessing of the animals. OK, this was definitely my favorite activity of the season. First off, the day was gorgeous. After a seriously rainy August and September, we finally had a brisk, sunny autumn day, and I was very happy to spend it outdoors. Grace, who is finally able to ride without being led, rode the entire way herself on Minnie's back, as I walked along coaxing the somewhat lazy miniature horse through the difficult patches with a bag of carrots. John rode his pony (Bit 'o' Honey) far ahead of us, in the company of the older kids, and he had the joyous pleasure of experiencing his first jump when Honey spontaneously jumped a log in the woods. The girls (and in case anyone was wondering, it is ALL girls - John is the only boy) around him all congratulated him on keeping his seat, and he was THRILLED. And who could blame him?
4. Horse and carriage day at Boscobel. Boscobel is a lovely estate down the road, and I had been looking forward to this event. I imagined showing up just in time for the event, reclining in the cool October sun, and enjoying watching the kids with the horses. I didn't think that John and Grace would actually have anything to do with the event. Turns out I was wrong. The kids and I needed to show up at the farm at 9 am to help get everything ready. We then found out that the kids would actually be riding, and had to rush home to scrounge up some clean-ish riding clothes for them. We headed over to Boscobel at around noon, expecting to be gone by 2pm. Instead we spent the entire afternoon in the baking sun, sitting around and waiting for something to happen. Eventually the kids rode the minis around the lawn a few times in a procession, and then we needed to wait once again for the whole event to be over so that we could help pack everything up. I was hot and bored. Will was hot and bored. John was hot and bored. Grace, however, got into the car when it was all over and sighed with happiness, saying "That was so much fun." Does that make all of my irritable boredom worth it?
Grace leads Minnie Mouse down a path:
Grace hangs out with Minnie:
So much waiting around...and either Will is a giant or that horse is really, really small:
Hobby is a very, very good horse!
The kids love the horses, and according to Grace, the horses love her too. So much.
This horse thing is a monster. And it has swallowed us whole.




























