Fiona 's FIRST horseback ride!

Yesterday marked one of those rare, weekend days Gayle was off from work. She works in the tourism industry,  so weekends are generally required.

We had talked earlier in the week and decided to take Fiona for a visit to the barn for a second time. She was pretty little the first time she saw the horses, and although she was curious about them, they scared her.

I wasn't sure what to expect yesterday since she is still just 2 years old and I knew the large horses could still seem intimidating.  I actually found myself wishing I had a pony or miniature instead of 2 15+ hand horses.

.....but Fiona is also an incredibly smart little girl. Almost everyone who meets her comments on it (..and, No, I'm not biased--perfect strangers have said this).

I had just gotten Tex saddled for a ride when my sister arrived at the barn.  We drove in seperate vehicles, so Gayle could bring her after her afternoon nap.

Fiona wasn't even out of the car yet before she was excitedly calling  out "Chickens, Chickens!!"

Tammy has a little Chicken coop by her house and the birds were making their usual verbal, ruckus.

I rode Tex over by the car. Fiona looked at me a bit strangely  ("why are you on top of the horse?"), but seemed very happy to see me and be at the farm.

Once out of the car, Fee made a beeline for the Chicken coop. She watched the Chickens for a short time, enjoying their erratic Chicken hops and squawks.

Afterwards,  we wandered around outside some of the nearby pastures, so she could see the other horses. She met Chance, Tucker, Minnow, Taco, and of course, my old man,  Griffin. She now knows who Griffin is (by name) and that he is "brown."

As we made our way back to the outdoor arena. I asked Gayle if she wanted to hop on Tex and have Fiona watch HER ride. I thought this might spark Fee's interest in trying it for herself.

Gayle rode and showed horses herself in 4-H when she was a teen, so I had no worries about her on Tex (Her 4-H mount had been a playful bucker, so Gayle is no stranger to silly, equine antics).

After Gayle climbed aboard and I adjusted her stirrups, she and Tex set off around the arena. Fiona and I sat in the porch swing by the edge and watched.

Unfortunately,  Gayle only made a single lap around before Fiona became restless and wanted to go by her mom. I asked Fee if she wanted to ride and she was already pulling my hand towards her mom and Tex.

We went back over to the mounting stairs while Gayle sidled Tex up alongside.  I once again asked Fiona if she wanted to ride and she had already climbed the first step of the mounting stairs. "up, UP!" she said holding her arms up to be lifted.

I helped her climb up to sit in front of her mom, then took Tex's reins to lead them both around.  Gayle kept her focus on holding Fiona in front of her and I on walking Tex.

This whole idea worked perfectly as Fiona grinned from ear - to - ear while being aboard her VERY FIRST horseback ride! A few times she pointed to the other horses out in the pasture and hollered "Tex!, Tex....!" ("No, Fiona..You are riding Tex.").

It was a short ride, before Fiona asked to get down again, but I was over the moon, happy that she had wanted to ride in the first place.

As I unsaddled Tex,  Fiona and Gayle visited with another boarder friend, Meridee, and her Morgan mare, Missy. Fiona enjoyed watching Missy get a bath and was delighted to pet her as well.

"What color is Missy?". I asked.

"Brown."

Brown indeed.

"What color is Tex?".

"Brown..." came the answer.

I pointed to Tex standing just outside at the hitch rail. "What color is Tex?" I asked again.

"Black!"

Such a smart girl!! 

Before we returned Tex to his pasture,  I asked Fiona if she wanted to walk him. She eagerly grabbed for his lead rope and set off for the outdoor arena. I followed alongside Tex, holding his halter and doing the actual leading for safety reasons. That didn't matter to Fiona...she enjoyed "walking" Tex and stepping in all of the sandy divets she could find in the arena.

...meanwhile, Tex wondered why we were walking around in little circles...

Afterwards, the 3 of us headed over to Pizza Ranch for a yummy, early dinner. Gayle was amazed at how much Pizza and Chicken Fiona managed to gobble down. I told her having fun with horses builds an appetite!

Because both of our hands were full most of the time making sure Fiona stayed safe, we didn't get much for pictures. I mentioned to Gayle that next time we'll have to bring mom (grandma) along as the official picture taker!!

...that, and hopefully Fee can have a ride on my boy, Griffin!!♡♡ (we just used Tex because I already had him out). :-)