Photo Dump 1: Char's First Riding Lesson

The second day after Char turned three, we took her down to the stable and got her her first riding lesson.  She won't be taking "real" lessons for quite a while, but I thought she would enjoy being able to get a pony ride on our horse but also get a sense of the gravity of it all.

Showing off her "riding clothes".  Really it's just tan corduroys, a pair of Stride Rite boots she can wear this fall, and a white polo shirt. But she was THRILLED.

Brushing Sunny off with her instructor before riding him.

More brushing

Yay!  Riding!!

A warm-up game called "Airplane, Duck, Soldier"

My favorite cropped/edited pic

Another I love

And this is almost EXACTLY what a rider's stance should look like.  Arms at 90 degrees, back straight, sitting on the pubic bone, ankles back in line with back and bum, heels down (unfortunately I cut off the heels).  Her left hand isn't quite right but really she did awesome.  Of course the lesson didn't really teach this; she just seemed to KNOW somehow.

Also, LOOK at that tiny little saddle!  My mother-in-law got it for her birthday, and it is SO CUTE!  It weighs about 2 ounces as it's made of synthetic materials, but it's a quality synth and will last her a good while.  The helmet was one of our gifts to her.