We had our first "Farm Day" this week. Four of my young riders joined me for a ride in the morning, then stuck around after lunch for some extra fun until their parents came to take them home.
Our ride wasn't an ordinary riding lesson though. First we painted the horses with happy faces, handprints, hearts, lightning bolts, racing stripes, and extra spots! These horses loved the attention and stood calmly while they were transformed into equine works of art.
These two sets of siblings made great teams. We had a walk-and-ride scavenger hunt, in which the kids took turns being the riders and the searchers. They really knocked me out with their excellent team work!
You might be able to tell from the bright cloudless sky that it was extremely hot that day. After unsaddling the horses, we gave each of them a nice cooling shower, complete with a proper shampoo to wash the decorations off.
I'd planned on staying out all day, enjoying lunch at the picnic table under a big shade tree, but by noon, we were all ready to get out of the sun for awhile. After cooling off in the house, we headed back outside. First we put down some hay, then drew pictures under the shade tree, and got distracted by a few wandering hens who'd escaped the coop in the backyard. (The chickens are being raised here by a friend of the family, and as you can see, are very friendly critters.)
We also got to spend some time with our dog, Dobby the Pug. (Yes he was named after Dobby the House Elf!) It was rather hot for a Pug but he bravely panted his way though all the attention.
The afternoon slipped by and soon it was home time. As promised, I sent all the kids home dirty. And happy.
I'm looking forward to more of these days throughout the summer!
