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.
