The girls had their first riding lesson with Kristyn Hoikka at Penryn Oak Stables this morning. They were so excited at home as they got their jeans and paddock boots on. Then, we got there and met up with Kristyn and her pony Trigger. (He really does look like Trigger!)
Emma and Elsa learned how to brush Trigger, clean out his hooves, saddle and unsaddle him, and put on a bridle & bit. Elsa got right to work and brushed the pony, and dug right in to clean his hooves with the pick. She was a trooper, and appeared to be in her element!
Then, it was finally time to ride. We went the small square arena and Kristyn, with a lunge line attached to Trigger's bridle, had the girls go through some balance exercises to get used to being in the saddle. Then they practiced starting and stopping the pony, and steering with the reigns. Elsa had a huge smile on her face the whole time, but was also very focused on what she was doing.
Evan enjoyed walking around the horse paddocks and arenas with me, and looking at the horses that were in the pastures. We heard some chickens, and he had an especially good time trying to catch all the "meows" that he could find. Luckily they seem to be tolerant of his rough handling! Then, you can see he relaxed on one of the hammock swings.
We can't wait for next Friday!
(You can click on any of these pictures to see a larger version.)
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