Horse Bliss

Olivia loves horses. Okay, Love is too simple of word for the way she feels about these animals.  Since Olivia was roughly 18 months old she was been so fond of horses.  She would look out the car window and search the nearby fields and beg to ride.

Last year I was searching for horseback riding lessons for her.  Disappointed in not finding something near our home or that lessons were offered for older children, I was grateful when a neighbor told me about horseback riding with a company that does free rides for special needs children called the Resolution Horse Company.  Since Olivia has been in speech therapy for nearly 2 years she qualified for this WONDERFUL experience.

Olivia with Dixie, one of the Ponies that she gets to ride.

Olivia gets to ride once a week for a half hour.  Our sessions start out with Olivia grooming one of the horses which is a great way for horse and rider to bond.  Then the riding begins.  Olivia is currently riding  on a bare-back pad which is much harder to use then a traditional saddle.  The idea is that once she learns to keep her balance on the bare-back pad she will move to the saddle.  Right now she has to be conscience of her posture and position on the horse.

Olivia giving Dixie some apples.  Yum!

After riding, Olivia gets to give the pony some alfalfa cubes.  Today we took a special treat to share, apples.  This was a welcomed treat by Dixie, Hope and Phantom.  We learned that horses consider apples like candy!