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.

Bragabout Friday - Horseback Riding

Taylor, that little show-off. She's continuing to make some great progress in her horseback riding program. Today, working with her physical therapists, she started doing some new riding tricks - riding backwards, riding sideways and even standing up while riding the horse. I was thrilled to see Taylor standing up on the horse's back as the horse took several steps throughout the arena. Taylor was steady and her feet and legs were well-planted and she demonstrated great balance while standing on the horse. I thought to myself, "Now that's impressive....a little 3 year old tot perfectly poised and positioned atop a horse as the horse walks about...special needs child or not, that's a hard skill to master."

While the various positions on horseback are targeting and activating a number of different muscles beneficial to Taylor's physical therapy needs, she doesn't know she's "working" hard. All she knows is that she's riding a horse and that there are a lot of people and onlookers in the riding arena cheering her on as she rides backwards, sideways and standing up and she absolutely loves every moment of it.

Taylor riding "Popcorn" backwards.

Taylor getting into position to ride "Popcorn" standing up.

Taylor's up and riding high.

While Taylor was enjoying her riding lessons today, Paige and I romped about the ranch exploring the great outdoors. Paige was also getting some one-on-one wooing from one of the ranch-hands...although quite a bit Paige's senior, he was sure showering Paige with lots of wildflowers. I laughed and thought to myself, "what a foreshadowing this is. I'm sure there will be lots of woo-ing and attempts at winning over Paige as she grows up in the years to come, beautiful little girl that she is!"

Paige receives a wildflower, especially picked for her by one of the ranchers.

Paige petting and feeding "Dance".

Paige enjoying the grounds of the ranch.

Paige...and, she carries a big stick.

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.