When we got to keep our sweet, "dropped-in-our-laps" cat (who is doing great, by the way), another person naturally came into our lives--the vet. Dr. Kelly, to whom we went on the advice of Aaron's mom, has been wonderful. She's been great with Confetti, her prices are reasonable (actually, much less than I expected), and she's always happy to answer questions. One of the best things about homeschooling is the flexible schedule, so the boys have been able to go with me and/or Aaron when we've taken Confetti in for shots and when we picked her up after she was spayed. During that last excursion, Connor (the animal lover) saw a horse in a large pen near where we were parked and asked if he could pet it. Kelly was very gracious, even getting a halter and offering to let him put it on the horse (he declined, but watched, fascinated, as she did it). We didn't have much time to stay that day, but she offered to let us come back the next week so that he could learn how to put the halter on, brush a horse, etc. He was thrilled with the idea, of course, so I called early last week and we ended up going over this past Friday.
She had Tank, a beautiful, chestnut 1400 lb quarter horse, ready in a stall for us. Connor was over the moon as she helped him put on the halter and then helped him up onto Tank's back. The weather was cold, windy, and threatening to rain, so we stayed in the barn. Connor was so excited as he actually got to use the reins and Tank responded by moving the direction Connor wanted him to go. Brennan had a go as well, and I think he had fun, but he was definitely a bit intimidated. His smiles waited until he was done!
Then Kelly let Connor lead Tank out of the stall, helped him tie him up, and let both boys brush him. I loved the way she was diligent about teaching safety around the horse without saying things in a way that would scare them--she was clearly intentionally teaching them to not be afraid. She also showed Connor how to lift the horse's hoof and clean the bottom of its foot, although that was a bit tougher--even when he figured it out, he had to have help because the foot was HEAVY! He found that out first-hand a little while later when Tank ended up stepping on his foot while Connor was walking him around the barn--ouch! He was a trooper, though, and thankfully the only injury was a bruise. The boys got a kick out of feeding him treats, too.
I'm so thankful that Kelly was willing to take the time to share with us--and invited us to come back this week! What a blessing. The only other way I know of that we could get anything like this would be to take horseback riding lessons--something we definitely wouldn't be able to afford. We're very thankful, and I'll be calling back tomorrow.
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