Friday - Horseback Riding, Trail Walks, Car Mishaps

Friday. Usually a fun day because it often starts this way - a drive to the country, rides on horses, walks on trails and just enjoying the great outdoors - country style. Oh, and all that did happen, however, what we didn't count on was the "fun" (if you can call it that) following the time we spent riding horses and enjoying the country.

After horseback riding was over, we returned to our car only to discover that it wouldn't start. Grrrr. Not good. It not only wouldn't start, but even with the help of a jump-start to the battery, it still wouldn't start. And, it was hot - 100 degree temperatures hot! And, we were already hot from horseback riding and walking the trails. And, we were dirty and stinky from horseback riding. And, since the car wouldn't start, well, we of course had no air conditioning...that ultimately led me to my only recourse...to strip Paige and Taylor down to their little skivvies and wait for Mike to come help us. When Mike finally arrived, we were quite the sight. Yep, there we were looking quite like white trash if I do say so myself - the twins and I sweating it out in 100 degree temperatures, and oh so dirty - dirty jeans, dirty t-shirts and dirty faces from horseback riding just sitting there in our Jeep. We did manage to get the Jeep started and to a nearby car dealership; and hopefully, the Jeep will be ready sometime tomorrow for pick-up.

Although it wasn't exactly the kind of day I'd hoped it would be, one thing did come from today - we're now giving serious thought to retiring the good ol' Jeep once and for all. All 220,000 miles of her. She's been a good car, and we've loved not having a car payment for her for more than a year now, but come on, she's tired, she's ready for a long rest and the 220,000 miles she's wracked up through the years is really starting to show.

Horseback Riding

Today was Taylor's first day of horseback riding. We arrived at the ranch in Northern California about 20 minutes before the start of Taylor's riding lesson so that we could walk around the ranch and do a little exploring including a quick stroll down to the lake and then back again to the horse barns. The twins love to see anything resembling "the country" because after all they're pretty much just city girls and their 2-1/2 year old vast worldview of "the country" has largely been experienced only through some favorite stories and videos that talk about the sights and sounds of the farm and the farm animals. Bringing to life what they've only previously read about with mom and dad was a real treat for them today!

We took a moment to snap a few quick photos of the twins before and after Taylor's riding lesson.

Paige trying to wiggle away, Taylor trying to yank off her riding helmet.

Mike with Taylor (L) and Paige (R) sitting atop the farm well.

Taylor (L) and Paige (R)

Taylor (L) and Paige (R) sitting atop the farm well.

The horseback riding session was great! Taylor only fussed for the first 5 or so minutes when she first mounted the horse; however, by the time we'd completed one full lap in the arena, Taylor was having a blast. She was taught to pat the horse on the back while at the same time to give the command "walk on" to direct the horse to keep moving. Taylor seemed quite pleased with her little self.....it was as if she realized that she was in control and that just by giving the horse some simple commands, the horse would obey her and she absolutely loved that power!

During the riding session, Taylor was also given opportunity to sit in a number of different positions on the horse - forward facing, side riding and rear facing. The therapist and horse leader shared with me that eventually Taylor will be riding horseback while standing up and that that position will really help to facilitate an improved walking pattern for Taylor. WOW! A little tyke like Taylor riding horseback standing up! Now, that's going to be impressive!

Taylor was led through the arena by a trained horse handler and a trained sidewalker who acted as the lead equestrian/physical therapist. I walked alongside Taylor as well to be an extra set of hands and to help Taylor enjoy her first riding experience. My job pretty much consisted of helping to steady Taylor on the horse and of cheering her on with lots of "look at you, Taylor, you're riding such a big horse" and "Wow, Taylor, this horse really likes you" and all sorts of other 'atta girls.

There were a few times that "Star", Taylor's horse, was unsettled and was acting skiddish. That made me a little nervous at times. As the horse would occassionally jerk and jolt, it was a sobering reminder to me that this is a true test of our faith and trust as parents in the cooperation, obedience and patience of this several hundred pound creature to take care so that our little 20-something pound daughter would utlimately remain safe as she sat 6' feet above the arena's hard, dirt floor below. I asked the therapist if this was typical behavior of the horse and asked if there was anything wrong or if there was something bothering the horse. The therapist assured me that Taylor was very safe and that the horse would not do anything to jeopardize Taylor's safety. And, while I did believe the therapist and took her at her word, even so, whenever that horse would suddenly jerk its head or act a little more excitable than usual, I would wonder....

Taylor will continue one-on-one horseback riding instruction with trained equestrian/physical therapists every Friday and as the weeks go by, the horseback riding will be more and more customized to Taylor's specific needs and to advance her riding at her own pace.

While Taylor and I were inside the horse arena, Mike and Paige explored the great outdoors. Paige got to visit with some of the other horses and run around outside. While I know that Paige enjoyed herself in the country today, in the future, I will most likely not bring Paige with Taylor to the ranch because it's not really fair to Paige to not be able to ever ride the horses like her sister. Unfortunately, the ranch only allows riders who are part of the therapeutic riding program...bummer. It would be fun to have Paige experience the horseback riding too but at $100.00 per half hour riding session each week, we just can't do it. Besides, Paige is such a little busy-body, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if she'd be a good candidate for horseback riding yet anyways - she probably wouldn't stay on the horse, she'd probably try to jump off or run underneath the horse or pull its tail or ears.

Exceptional Equestrian Tot in the Making

RIDE TO WALK

References to the physical benefits of horseback riding date back to some very early writings in the 1600s. However, when Liz Hartel of Denmark won the silver medal for dressage at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games - despite having paralysis from polio - medical and equine professionals really took notice. It wasn’t long before therapeutic horseback riding was being used for rehabilitation in England and later in North America. The first centers for therapeutic riding in North America began operation in the 1960s.

BENEFITS OF HORSEBACK RIDING FOR TAYLOR

The components of normal movement are very similar to those used in equestrian horseback riding skills and horseback riding lends itself especially well to physical therapy. Because horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider’s body in a manner similar to a human gait, Taylor will achieve greater flexibility, balance and muscle strength enabling her to have an even better walk than she currently does.

We feel very fortunate that Taylor is currently participating in the ONLY program in the Northern California area that focuses exclusively on the therapeutic aspects of horseback riding for children. She starts weekly riding sessions, which will be conducted by specially trained physical therapists, this coming Friday.

Today, we took Taylor to get fitted for her very own custom horse-riding helmet. While Taylor was getting fitted for her riding helmet, Paige enjoyed checking out all the horse supply products including the bridles and bits. She also enjoyed squatting down in the riding boots/shoes section and looking at herself in the mirror. Finally, the visit concluded with both girls test-driving some of the many saddles on display in the showroom. We managed to leave the shop without tearing up the store or disheveling the shelves adorned with innumerable horse products.

An Update

It’s Monday night, the kids are sound asleep, the kitchen is clean from dinner and I’ve just sat down to enjoy a nice evening in front of the boob-tube.

Last week was really hectic and crazy since my better half was on travel for work. He is back now, so the weekend was great! I loved just being able to hang out with the twins and my husband without having to rush to any appointments for the kids and without having any schedules to contend with.

But, today, it was back to the grind of appointments….Ugh.

I had a meeting with some service coordinators this afternoon related to Taylor’s therapy services and programs. We discussed what changes may come in her continued need for therapy services when she turns 3 years old. She’s made such awesome progress that there is a really good chance that we may be able to start scaling back some of the therapy appointments that have been keeping us so busy Monday - Friday the past several months. It sounded like from my meeting today that we may only need and want to continue with the physical therapy in order to further help her overcome her disability. She is already doing great. And, she’s definitely an independent walker now. So, independent in fact that when you try to reach for her hand as I often do with both Paige and Taylor whenever we’re out somewhere, Taylor pulls her hand back and says, “I’ll do it myself.” And, I just think, “Yeah, you go, girl!”

Anyways, so while today was a hectic day, the appointment to discuss Taylor’s progress was pretty positive in terms of the overall outlook for Taylor. As far as her physical therapy goes, soon we will be adding horseback riding as well to her physical therapy program. Horseback riding will offer Taylor some physical therapy benefits but it will also be something that I know she will absolutely LOVE. And, from my perspective, anytime we can keep the physical therapy fun and make it an enjoyable experience for Taylor, I’m all for it!!!!