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03/01/2009: "This Is How It Begins"

Since well before Dessa was born, my Aunt Bean has been pushing hard for the child to be an equestrienne. Mere days after the baby's birth, Bean could be heard whispering in her ear, "Say 'Pony' Dessa. Poooo-neeeee". By the time Dessa was 3 months old, Bean had supplied her with a rocking horse and the pressure has not let up since.

Sadly, Bean was not the only family member who had such high hopes for my girl.

Auntie AC was just as hopeful, but slightly more subtle in her work. And when I say slightly, I mean it in the slightest way possible. While Bean provided a ride-on horse whose mouth moved and who sang songs about being brushed under oak trees (I am NOT kidding here),

AC provided the real thing.



Of course, if Auntie Bean lived closer, my daughter would probably have been mounted on a horse before she reached her first birthday but (thankfully, I think), she's unavailable for such frightening feats. Auntie AC, on the other hand, lives pleasantly close by and keeps her horse at a completely accessible stable. Dessa has visited before but only this week has she really realized all the amazing and wonderful joys to be had at The Ranch.

The most inviting things at first were the puddles. See, on Thursday, my mom had brought Dessa out to the ranch to see the horses but we'd had rain (finally!) and there was some standing water. Dessa, being a child with unfailing ability to spot The Place She Must Not Go, ran right for the puddles. My mom did an admirable job keeping her out of the mud but Auntie AC, seeing a golden opportunity to get herself in good with Dessa, went out and got her some extremely fancy boots to wear at the ranch.

These boots were almost too fancy to use for mud, I have to tell you. I'm that sort of person. If I have rubber boots, I keep them for special occasions. I don't know where I would possibly need sparkly clean rubber boots, but I would think that I do.

Dessa, on the other hand, is under no such illusions.



She headed straight for the mud and delighted in standing the center of several puddles and stamping her brand new boots in them. She had a ball. I cannot tell you how much she enjoyed this. It was a riot.



The fun, however, was only just beginning. Auntie AC's horse, Howard, is... large. He is... sort of ridiculously large. He scares the living crap out of me, to tell you the truth, because he is ENORMOUS. And I don't mean he is huge compared to small things, like my daughter. He is huge compared to normally sized things, like cars and trees and adult sized people.



That picture is not taken on any sort of wonky angle and nobody is trying to make that horse look bigger than he is. You'd be stupid to try to make Howard look bigger than he is because he is already TREMENDOUSLY LARGE. AC and her trainer know him very well, however, and I trust them completely. I trust them so much that despite how overwhelmingly GIGANTIC that horse is, I allowed my tiny daughter to ride him.

She was held securely by her Auntie, of course. And the horse was being led by the trainer who puts up with No Horse Nonsense Whatsoever, Thank You. And the horse was very tired from being worked all afternoon. And honestly, I was actually OK with it because I know that nobody, Auntie AC especially, would put Dessa in any danger at all.



Still. Horses are big and Howard is HUGE and I am a mommy. I think I was very brave, don't you?



Things were very serious at first, and Dessa knew she was quite high off the ground. I wasn't sure if she would freak when the horse started walking, but she didn't at all. She was very into the whole thing.

There was only one problem with letting Dessa ride Howard. She didn't. Want. To get. Down. Oh, I was totally ready for the ride to be over because hey! all had gone well and she was having a good time, ok, let's get down now because Mommy is now 10 years older than when we started but... Dessa? Not so much. The hilarious part about Dessa's first ride was that she wasn't scared or freaked out at all - she was all smiles and totally into it and just as relaxed as could be (as shown here by The Cheesy Smile).



I, however, was ready to see my daughter on solid ground again.

We distracted her with puddles, of course.

When all was said and done, Dessa had had her first real ride on a horse and Auntie AC was thrilled to have made a horsewoman (horsegirl?) out of her at last. I suspect there will be lots of ranch time in Dessa's future. And I honestly think that's a good thing for everyone.

Thanks, Auntie AC, for boots and horses and a bright future at the ranch!

Replies: 4 Comments - Read 'em!

on Monday, March 2nd, Auntie Mandy said

I love the heck out of that little girl!
Can't wait to have her ride again! And the more you are around Howard the smaller he will feel. He feels like a pony to me now and will to Dessa soon. Horses are way better for a kid than video games and T.V.

on Monday, March 2nd, Jeannie said

Go Dessa! That is darned impressive that she wasn't afraid of that giant horse. I know kids older and bigger than her (*cough*Bri*cough*) who are afraid to get on ponies, for crissakes. Gonna have to agree with Auntie Mandy in this case -- much better than video games and tv! Mandy -- BRING HOWARD TO VISIT US! :)

on Wednesday, March 4th, Kristin said

I could not agree MORE that horses are better than video games and TV. More expensive, sure, but way better! Which is why I'm all over Dessa spending lots of time at the ranch, despite scary gargantuan horses.

on Thursday, March 19th, Auntie Mandy said

I wish I could bring Howard to you Jeannie. You guys are more than welcome to come see him if you make it out our way. Howard is a bit scary, after all being 17.2 and being as big boned as he is can scare even the most seasoned of horse people and he might not be as loving with adults ( he bites me regularly) but he loves kids and there are plenty of horses out there that kids can love and pet and get nuzzles back as the pictures show. I wish I could share the horsie experience with all kids. Open invite if you are out this way anytime you are welcome to visit. Warning kids do become addicted, first thing Dessa asks when she sees me is can she go see the horses.