Visiting Mandy

We're having fun visiting Mandy in Oregon. Jared is doing great with just Claritin. He's had a few asthma attacks, but only because he just can't stay away from the dogs and other animals. He's spending most of his time outside, actually playing with the dogs! My kids are in heaven, and Mandy's kids are having fun with them, too. Tyson took Jared fishing yesterday just about 3 blocks away from the house. He caught about 30 fish!

Everyone talks about selling Mandy's house eventually, so Zachary said, "I know who you could sell your house to.....US!!!" They really love it here. But Zachary says they'd have to clean up all the goat poop first.

Jared even trained the baby goat to walk through a hoop. It cracks me up. I want to get pictures of that today.

Yesterday, we went horseback riding. We could only find two of the horses. The other 3 had escaped to other fields somehow. So we saddled up a big 16+ hand fleabitten white horse called Old Man (he's seventeen years old, but still spry) and a little grullo with black leg stripes called Gomer (because he's a goofball) and took turns. Zachary got up on Gomer and Gomer just wandered around the corral with him. Zach was perfectly content to have zero control over the horse. Jared got up on Old Man and got a refresher on neck-reining, but Old Man is a bit of a pain in the rear and doesn't like to listen, so Jared got a little frustrated. He also got a turn on Gomer, and when he got down, he and Big Zach (Mandy's oldest son) got stung by wasps! Jared got stung on his left pointer finger and his right hand. His knuckle swelled up HUGE, and it hurt really bad. So I took those two boys back to Mandy's house and gave them Benadryl. Meanwhile, Mandy let Zachary and Luke keep riding. Jared's fine today, but Big Zach's ankle is all swollen up, like mine was last year.

Zach riding Gomer



That smile was stuck on his face the whole time he was in the saddle!



Jared practiced neck-reining.



Most of the time Jared's frowned in concentration, but he really was having fun.

When we talked about going horseback riding, Luke said he was too scared, because horses are soooo big, and did Aunt Mandy have a little horse?  She does have an adorable mini horse, but he's not nice, nor saddle broken, so that wasn't going to work. So Luke said he could ride with me and be okay.  When we got up on Old Man, Luke was smiling from ear to ear. He LOVED riding! I asked him if he wanted to go faster, and he shouted, "Yeah!!!" So we trotted. He liked going fast, but said it was too bumpy (I agree).   

Luke riding with Mom.

Then I said it was time to get off, and he held on to that saddle horn for dear life and shouted, "NO!" So I got down and let him ride all by himself. He loved it!  He looked so tiny up there on Old Man!

 

Zach was content to let Gomer wander around, but Jared wanted to be in control.



  

His face says, "I've soooo got this down!"



The second horse ride of Luke's life (his first was also on this horse). He wanted to go faster!

  

Luke and Zach took a ride together. I told Zach to hold on to his brother, a charge he took a bit too seriously.

  

Luke riding Gomer all by himself. Check out his oh-so-appropriate footwear!

Then Mandy's remaining kids watched my remaining kids while Mandy and I rode out to catch her three other horses. I rode Old Man, who is an expert cutting horse. I am not an expert rider, much less cutter. I was pleasantly surprised when I nudged Old Man in the right direction and he took over to cut off his herdmates and lead them to where he could tell I wanted them to go. Then he decided he wanted to run, and he's a big pain in the rear about slowing down. I felt him gather himself to sprint forward at full-throttle, so I pulled back on the reins, but he fought me. He tossed his head a little, then took off at near max speed, ignoring me completely. Meanwhile, the fence loomed ever closer and I worried about being able to stay in the saddle if he skidded to a stop. The lunge forward and my pulling on the reins just about made me lose my seat and too-short stirrups. I somehow managed to stay on and to wrench my ankle. It's not too bad, but is a reminder of how rusty I am.
 I need to not stay out here for long periods of time. I'm starting to get attached! And I'm developing animal-envy. So sad!