We ride horses come rain or come shine.

Seems appropriate to ride a horse named 'Stormy' in the rain.

As I read back over the blog, I realize it's been a while since I've put many photos up here about what's happening at the barn and in the riding program. So the next several posts will take you there. I promise to share more of the horse end of things.

First I'll share that I happened up to the barn this last week right after a rain shower. Actually, it was one of those days when it was hot and the rain felt good. No thunder and lightning. Just rain. I can't remember. That may have been Thursday. Because the rain was so welcomed by everyone, our classes simply continued in the rain. The kids thought it was a great adventure, and the horses went 'ahhhhhh'.

Waiting their turn for a jump.

Anyway, this particular class was taking their horses over small jumps. Getting a sense of what to do with their eyes, balance, hands and feet, they popped small crossrails and smiled. Not sure if they were smiling at the camera or smiling because the ride was going well.

Some like Anna on Gus are a little more serious about their riding. Anna is all about concentration so that she is taking care of Gus while Gus is taking care of her. The two are a great match.

Anna makes her riding serious business.

You can see the photos actually look a little hazy. The mist rising from the warm ground made the afternoon photography look a bit like riding in a dream. That of course is what the riding experience is like for quite a number of the kids, especially those who are only able to ride in the summer at camp.

Those of you campers who attended the first session remember Twiggy. He was the little bay thoroughbred who hooked his feed bucket through his nose - go figure - and ended up with five or six stitches in his left nostril. I'll never, ever figure out how he got himself in that predicament. Thankfully the barn staff happened along so they could get him disconnected from his beloved feed bucket.

Isn't Twiggy a cutie? Rider too.

Hope is having a lot of fun with this little guy.

Anyway, Twiggy is now healed and doing well in the program. Hope is riding him. You can see that she is a perfect match for his size. Twiggy is starting to muscle up as he works into a regular schedule. I do think he is enjoying the relationship he has with Hope. You can see he is very sane and he takes easily to jumping.

Well, now I've completed my blogs for today. As soon as I get the photos from the trail pace worked up, I'll upload them to another article for you. We did have a wonderful time yesterday and the weather cooperated so nicely. Come rain or come shine, we find a way to connect with our horses. It feels so good.

Comments welcome, especially as you pop in here to catch up on our fun.