Horsing Around

This morning we went to the Therapeutic Riding stables. 
We split into several groups to allow the children to have
time and space to visit with the horses.

One group played outside with our new pool noodle
ponies.  Thanks to Mrs. King’s Music Class blog for
the how-to.
 
I made a cube die with words on each side.  Each word was
an action a horse might do; gallop, trot, walk, neigh quietly,
neigh loud, flick your tail.
 
We started by picking one of the words on the die, threw the
die and then did that action.
     
When we got to the die we read the new word, tossed it again
and moved to the die the new way.

  
But the highlight of the trip was meeting the horses in the stables.
 
The caring and welcoming volunteers know the horses so well.  They
introduced us to each one, telling us their age, how they became a
therapeutic horse and any peculiarities the horse may have.
 
This one, Licorice, smiles especially when he gets a candy mint. 
Indigo Blue was the tallest horse.
Sadie loves to be scratched.
This one (I think was Max) loved
to give kisses.  He has a very soft nose.

All of the horses we met were gentle and patient with the children
reaching up and petting.

Families left with appreciation for these wonderful animals and
how they help their clients that have physical challenges.

We’ll take our ponies back to school to use another day.