Emeraude Exploring Dreamfields – Part II

Written by admin on 09 January 2010

This follows my original post regarding Emeraude’s first pony riding lessons at www.karinahunter.com/?p=7364. I arranged for the lesson while wthe two of us were in Thunder Bay and am still very, very happy th. I was blown away at how affordable they were and encourage anyone visiting Thunder Bay to get in touch with Dreamfields regarding trail rides or for real Equestrian enthusiasts like Emeraude, riding lessons.

Following Emeraude’s instructions fromMiss Laura (owner & instructors, Dreamfields Riding Centre) regarding how to carefully move around a horse or pony, Emeraude learned about the different types of brushes and combs and had a chance to brush Rain (she really enjoyed combing his tail).

A trip to the saddle room to choose a saddle and bridle for Emeraude to use on Rain.

Miss Laura then explained that we would saddle Rain, we took a trip to the equipment room to choose a saddle and bridle. She first put on the saddle pad and explained to Emeraude that this works under a saddle as our socks do in shoes. Emeraude was taking it all in with wide eyes. Then came the saddle of course and she was taught how it is tied before Miss Laura put the bridle on Rain.

It was time to go to the indoor arena where Emeraude would have an opportunity to ride Rain but not before a trip to the office to choose a helmet. I was already so proud of how well she had listened, taken instruction and learned in regards to what Miss Laura was teaching her. She was so brave when walking around this huge animal, on a few occasions she mentioned that she wished her Brother could be there to see everything (to her Lloyd is the main man in her life and though when I was convinced to have a 2nd child this was my biggest concern, that I did not want Lloyd to end up with such responsibility on his shoulders. But I am so proud of how he stepped up, and has continued to be the man that she can always count on) which was very thoughtful and so sweet that in the midst of this dream come true for her, she would think of her brother.

Miss Laura has put on Rain's saddle pad.

Emeraude takes a closer look as Miss Laura adjusts Rain's mouth piece.

Emeraude, suited up and ready to go!

Once Emeraude had her helmet on, we went to join Rain & Miss Laura in the indoor arena. She was so excited, she was pically skipping there. There was a second of pause when she saw the size of the steps that we would need to use to get on the pony but that only lasted a moment, I let her know I would be going up with her to lift her onto the pony. I was so proud of her for being courageous enough to get on the horse when the moment came (it’s easy to dream of such a thing, it’s a whole different thing to actually do it). She quickly caught on to Miss Laura’s instruction and was very proud to be getting this huge beast to go and stop on command (Walk and Whoa) and then, well, when she learned how to turn the horse and took the lead into her little mittens herself, I saw her sit up straighter, the confidence that she gained from this experience was priceless! Emeraude has had some difficulties with her self-confidence, especially in light of difficulties with her father, when he has not been able to make the time for her she needed, especially when he was off work for several months and still did not fit in any regular schedule, something she could have greately benefitted from, so to see her beaming with pride and full of self confidence was an incredible moment. Since her riding lessons, when she doubts herself, I remind her that she is the girl who rode Rain on the very first try, that she had no problem controlling a huge pony, that she was the one who started, stopped and steered her own pony and then, any self-doubts dissapear.d I cannot wait for the next time we are in Thunder Bay to get her out there again! She can’t wait either and has been talking about it constantly ever since 🙂 Congratulations Emeraude! Great Job!!