Day 56: Saddle Up Cowboy

We had a very fun and unique family day today!

Our local USO had it arranged with a local therapeutic equestrian center for Coast Guard families to come to the ranch and be trained to groom, lead and especially, ride horses! This was a one of a kind experience for us. Although Brad and I have done a few horseback rides in years past, the boys have never had the opportunity to even be near horses. 

The facility is absolutely gorgeous, tucked away in the rolling grassy fields outside east Petaluma, and the vast majority of the horses are semi-retired endurance, jumping or show horses, carefully handpicked for their gentleness with new (and thus unbalanced), unconfident riders. All of us visitors were split into two groups, and our family was in the first group to ride. Calen rode a big horse named "Darren" (which made me laugh), Camden rode a smaller horse with goofy ears named "Fiona". Brad and I got to join in the fun too, he rode Mr. Fizz and I rode a massive girl named Belle.

Camden on "Fiona"

Calen and "Darren"

We learned the basics of riding, how to hold the reins, sit up straight, voice commands that the horses are trained to follow. We walked around the riding arena several times, learned to stop, go, and turn (gently and sharply). We even got to trot a few times! The boys were smiling the whole time (although I could not get many photos, as I was busy riding my own horse!). Of course the horses pooped a few times and my boys were the ones laughing out loud. I can't take them anywhere. 

After our riding session was over (maybe 45 minutes), we had a quick snack sesh in an open barn, then headed to the stables to learn some basic care of the horses. The boys got to brush a horse with three different type brushes (don't ask me the names of them), and how to pick the dirt and rocks out of their feet. But because the horse was totally done with this (she knew it was Sunday and Sunday is their day off!), the trainer decided that instead of teaching us how to saddle a horse, we would go take another horse ("Corky") out to another pen and teach us how to lead horses. 

Calen brushing

Cam and Corky

Corky was such a patient old boy.

We all got to lead Corky twice in the pen, but Camden, who took a strong emotional bond with Corky, was allowed to lead him five times, and then was asked to help lead Corky all the way back to the stables. 

Cam with his new buddy Cam

Leading Corky back to the stables

It was an amazing day, one of those "core memory" days (if you have ever watched Inside Out), and while it left us all longing for a "simpler life" at a farm out in the fields in the middle of nowhere, it especially touched Cam, who broke down sobbing when it was time to leave, and announced that "I need to be a cowboy with my own horses so I can see them every day". 

Me too, Cam. 

He even walks like a cowboy with his hands in his back pockets

Pin It