Leadline Lessons....

Today was the last day of the Flory grandparent visit, and it was a beautiful morning. The perfect day to take Grandpa to visit the ponies. We waited all week just to build the anticipation...it was worth it.

Claire was the pony du jour. She's a wonderful little beastie with a pretty face and the perfect personality. She loves Luke because he likes to give her treats and pet her nose. Ponies remember that kind of stuff!

I hopped on first, of course, and gave her a very light hack. Grandpa Flory likes to see me ride, something I'm always willing to oblige. Claire happily trotted and cantered once each direction, hung out for a couple of pictures, then gave me that "you've got to be kidding me" look when I switched saddles. I think she was relieved when she realized the leadline saddle is only about 5 pounds. Luke was patiently waiting with his Storm Trooper helmet securely in place.

Luke's been on ponies and horses in my saddle, daddy's saddle, and Grandpa Flory's old saddle, all of which are obviously huge for him. This was the first time he's been up in his very own saddle, despite the fact I bought it when I was 5 months pregnant. I now know I need to poke a couple holes in his leathers! For today I just wrapped them, but they were still a little long. Luke didn't care, he gave a light hold to his grab strap, pushed his little heels down (all by himself!!!), and was ready to roll.

He rode for about 15 minutes and thought it was awesome. He is DEFINITELY happier in his own little saddle than he is being swallowed up by someone else's. He cracked a couple of smiles, he talked up a storm, he leaned down and patted Claire on the shoulder and neck, he adjusted himself to be more secure. He's honestly a natural, even though every parent in the world feels the same way about their kids.

After some more pictures it was time to take Claire-bear back and untack her. I kicked Luke's foot out of his iron to show him how to swing his leg over (like an almost 2-yr old would catch on), he immediately fished it back to his foot and jammed his heel down. I kicked it out, he fished it back, I kicked it out, he fished it back with an emphatic "NO!" All Grandpa and I could do was laugh. I asked if he was ready to get down and the answer was "No!"

"Are you sure?" "No! No down!" "Claire's tired and hungry, can you get down so I can untack her? You can help." "NOOoo!"

He finally relented, but he was NOT happy about it. I guess you can all imagine just how pleased I am about that. No sarcasm, just pleasure. I think it's wonderful that, at least for now, my perfect boy wants to be on the back of a pony as much as I do.....