20 years ago ...

... I got my first horse. A wonderful loaner horse named Pete who lived with us for a while way back in 1986. He was such a great teacher for me ... kind, gentle and oblivious to the 12 year old who didn't know how to ride.

And now, 20 years later, Carissa has found her teacher in Cloisine, a sweet little Arabian mare. Today was her first riding lesson and the pictures tell it all ... she was THRILLED. She spent all lesson with this huge smile lighting up her face.

I was absolutely impressed both with Carissa and her instructor, Michael. Carissa listened well the whole lesson and was able to translate what she was learning into the correct actions. And Michael was so kind and patient, explaining what you do and why and how you do it.

Carissa and Cloisine started out walking the ring with Michael by their side learning how to steer. After a bit they moved on to lunging so that Carissa could get a feel for the (very bumpy) trot and work on some balance exercises. Then came time for Carissa to go solo ... and she did! She guided Closine around the arena, manuevering the cones and turning the corners, all with a huge smile on her face.

Brian and I sat outside the arena and proudly watched our 40 lb, 5 year old daughter riding a 1200 pound horse around, without fear or hesitation. We looked at each other and smiled, then Brian says "she's right at home." And she was.