A Pony Party Photo Essay

My daughter Alex has inherited my love of horses (as well as my model horse collection) and she has been begging to ride.  We can't afford lessons right now but I knew that my in-laws neighbors have a party each year and offer pony rides (they have several ponies and horses).  So this weekend was, as Alex called it, the Pony Party :-)  Alex knows all the neighbor ponies and horses since she stays with Grandma during the week while I'm working and she feeds them apples and carrots and grass every day.  She knows their names, their presonalities and makes up stories about them -- so the fact that she also got to ride some of them made her very happy! 

This is Alex with Shiloh -- her favorite pony of the group:

 Shiloh was very happy to see Alex -- they snuggled and talked like old friends :-)

And here is Alex riding Shiloh -- she rode Shiloh several times throughout the afternoon and had a wonderful time! 

She also rode Faith (a white Shetland pony) and Cowboy (a pony bigger then Faith but smaller then Shiloh).  She also rode on the sulky carriage pulled by Rufus (a brown Shetland pony).  I would have taken more photos but I spent most of the time boosting her on and off horses and holding her drink and snacks while she rode :-)  

I did get a picture of her with Eyore the donkey though:

 So it was a wonderful Pony Party and Alex went home tired but exhilerated that she had finally gotten to ride.  She is still talking about how wonderful it all was and hoping that the neighbors invite her to ride again soon :-)