The boys and I decided we were a bit tired of all the hustling we did Friday, so we decided to relax a bit more today. Today (Sun, June 16) was all about horses. The boys are totally different when it comes to animals. Brian is hands on when he realizes that there isn’t anything to be afraid of and Sean prefers to look with his eyes not his hands.
Sean in Action
Since we visited the horses the night before and gave them some treats, Sean was willing to give riding one a try. This completely shocked me as he rarely even touches the dog at home. It might have something to do with the fact that the dog likes to lick and the horses don’t. Susan, the trail boss for our ride, patiently explained to both boys about how horses are part of the food chain and that they know we are meat eaters and how if we are scared of the horses they will think there is an even bigger predator out there and they will be scared. Sean soaked it all in and then listened carefully as they explained how to guide the horses. Brian was listening very closely. He was all excited over a mule.
Brian and Hank
Brian got to ride a mule called Hank. When we were feeding them carrots Friday, Brian asked about the “horse” with the long ears. I explained about mules and how they are cross breeding of a donkey and a horse. All Brian talked about for the remainder of the night was hoping to get to ride him. Needless to say, when Susan said he would ride him, Brian was ecstatic. Brian had so much fun that he was complaining that the one hour ride was too short.
We left promising to come back later with treats for the horses. When we did pop back in I mentioned how much Brian loved it and how he wanted to do a 2 hour ride but that Sean was happy with his one ride. They offered to take him (on Hank of course) and Brian was pleading. So while Brian was galavanting around, Sean and I were at the trailer. He enjoyed his Ipad time and I got the never-ending pile of laundry to take care of.
Needless to say Brian thoroughly enjoyed his day of riding. Susan mentioned how Brian has a good seat and that we should check into lessons. Brian was beaming ear to ear. He gave Hank a few carrots and all he talked about was how we should move here so when he is 16 he can work on the ranch and do trail rides. (We just bought him a western hat since he is going to be a cowboy)
Sean loves marshmallows
Just before dusk, I had the boys gather some wood. Apparently this campground doesn’t require you to buy their wood unlike many others (due to preventing diseases and insects from being transported). Once we got everything together it was time for a small fire. I explained to the boys how we need just the right fire for s’mores as we need the coals more than the flame. Brian was a bit disappointed as he prefers the flames. Unfortunately, my graham crackers didn’t make the trip so we just toasted marshmallows instead. They were still yummy, but it’s not quite the same.
Tomorrow we are off to Arkansas and we are hoping we can find a grocery store and we can try to make s’mores again.
Here are the pictures from the ranch. Click on any of them to open it in a slideshow.
