We took the girls on their first horseback riding adventure while we were Flaming Gorge. What Seth didn't realize until I was on my horse was that it was also MY first time horseback riding. Sadie and Avery have made a point of telling everyone about my reaction to the horse moving, so I'll spare you those details other than to say, I may or may not have panicked inside just a little. It has gotten back to me though that Sadie and Avery's account expressed that I didn't like being on the horse...that part is not true. It was only the first couple minutes that I was scared out of my wits.
The girls on the other hand, were awesome on the horses. We could sense that Sadie was just a little nervous about it beforehand, but once we were there, she was fearless! Avery was worried for about 2.2 seconds and then she was being more brave than I cared for, taking her hands off the reigns and throwing them in the air like she was some kind of bullrider.
Our horse guide was a man named Wayne. When you meet Wayne, the first thing you notice about him is that he doesn't have his front teeth. Well, except for one. Avery, being the honest child that she is, introduced herself and then said, "I like your TOOTH!" Bless her heart, she knows not what she says. She is just the friendliest little thing (and she honestly meant no harm), and thankfully Wayne handled it with grace.
Now, before we were actually on the horses, I envisioned myself getting all kinds of photos during our horseback ride. You know, actually metering the shot, composing it, and shooting. Then I actually got on the horse and realized I'm the proud owner of only two hands. So my dreams went out the window. After I finally settled into the saddle and had a better feel for what to expect from my horse, Lucas, I was lucky to put the reigns in my left hand and quickly put the camera somewhere near the vicinity of my face and try to push the right button. Seth was quite amused at my pathetic attempts to get a photo that actually had his head included. So, don't laugh at my photos :)
After a quick tutorial on how to handle the horse, Wayne led us out on the trail. He rode in the front and we each followed behind, single file. It was unnerving to have my kids on horses and feel out of control (because I was on my own horse) to help them should anything happen (not sure what I could have done anyhow!). Thankfully, the girls did a good job of listening to Wayne and following his directions. Wayne was awesome at engaging the girls, making jokes, and amazing us with his ability to ride backward on a horse with no hands.
Sadie was behind Wayne, and she was calm and collected, even when her horse (Pickle) was doing his own thing. We rode to a lookout point that was just a cliff that dropped to who-knows-where (I didn't get close enough to find out if it was actually the gorge down there or what). Pickle kept backing up towards it and giving me a heart attack that my precious Sadie was going to plunge off the cliff.
Avery's horse was Shaker. Shaker seemed old and well-trained. Just did what he was told and that was that. Avery just got more and more brave the longer she was on the horse, and I imagine that she could easily become a horse-lover.
My horse had a mind of his own. Whichever way the rest of the group went, my horse would do the opposite. If there was a rock in the trail and all the other horses went left, Lucas would go right. He liked to walk (trot?) at the edge of the trail so that I was ducking under trees and getting my legs beat up by brush. He was a non-compliant horse. Seth's horse was Gus. He was a good horse like Shaker.
Horseback riding was one of the highlights of the trip for all of us and we are looking forward to doing it again!
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