My little cowgirl

Every fall there is a huge national horse show here with all kinds of equestrian and rodeo competitions. I am so not into rodeo, but I decided to take Emma this year to some of the equestrian events. She is so horse-crazy that I thought she'd have a good time, and I was right.

Here we are on our way in...


We spent a lot of time wandering around the horse stalls, looking at all the beautiful horses. We watched someone grooming their horse for competition, including braiding the mane. Emma could have hung out there for hours.

Then we went to a junior jumping competition, with kids as young as six. Emma couldn't believe there were girls just a bit older than herself competing! It was incredible seeing these little girls jumping these huge horses! It was really fascinating and we were lucky to sit next to a couple of teenage girls who were long-time competitors and they were thrilled to fill us in on all what to look for.

Here's Emma wearing our big purchase of the day...




A pink cowboy hat is not the most practical thing, but I have to admit she looks pretty darn cute in it!

I've been mulling it over for some time now, but I'm convinced Emma's love of horses is more than just a passing fancy. So I've come to the conclusion that equestrian lessons might be in our future. They are not cheap to say the least, but I think we'll give it a try after the new year. I just ordered a book from Amazon with lots of background and advice on what to do when your child is interested in pursuing horseback riding. It would have been nice if Emma had developed a fascination for something a little more economical. But you can't decide what your kids will fall in love with (sigh!)