Share the Love

One of my favorite parts of my time spent around horses is sharing their magic with others. I loved teaching lessons. I love talking with other horsey people. I love spending time with the other Pegasus volunteers as we share the horses with the students. I love bringing friends and family out to the barn to see the horses I ride, and taking them for rides too.

Horses have been so instrumental in my life that I want everybody to have the chance to love them. I know horses aren’t for everybody, but I still think everyone should have the chance to try and find out for themselves.

But more than anything, I love sharing horses with young girls. There is just something special about the connection that girls build with horses. I mean, there’s got to be a reason that every horse blogger in this community, with the exception of the dashing Transylvanian Horseman, is female.

So, I’m constantly trying to drag people out to visit my horses. I never have to twist any arms when I’m inviting little girls. My current boss, as well as some of my former co-workers, have young daughters who just love horses. But none of them had the opportunity to spend time with them personally outside of pony rides at the fair. So I scheduled barn days. The girls would help me brush the horses, and I’d put them up on Marahute with me, or by themselves with a leader and sidewalker if they were comfortable. Their delighted smiles were priceless.

Here are my boss’s three daughters going for rides on Marahute. I kidnapped them for a day when my boss was in England to give their grandparents a break from babysitting.

Miranda is just over two years old, so no sending her off into the sunset on her own just yet. Tracie took care of Marahute, while I served as Miranda’s human seatbelt. Cuddling with a sweet little girl while on horseback … how do you beat that?

Maddie just turned four, and is quite the character. She’s a little diva. And for once, she actually did exactly what I told her. She must have believed me when I threatened not to let her ride if she didn’t follow my three cardinal rules for little girls and horses (all very difficult for this particular child):

1. no running
2. no yelling
3. no going behind the horse

But she was very well-behaved, so I didn’t have to make good on my threat.

And of course there’s Caitie, the oldest of the bunch. Typical type A, oldest child personality. She also has a best friend who rides, so she was thrilled to be on a horse by herself. Caitie very much wanted to go around on her own and not have us lead Marahute, but snow was occassionally sliding off the roof in massive chunks, so we had to stay close by. Fortunately, Marahute’s Appaloosa side comes out more in sticky situations, so she’s not too spooky.

The girls had a great time, and since they loved it and were on their best behavior, I’ll have to take them back some time.