horsing around

one of the bean's friends invited her to join her and a couple of friends to go horseback riding to celebrate her birthday, which included parents as well.  she was super stoked, because that's been one of the things she's been dying to do (again).  i, on the other hand...well, i was rather torn between anxious and excited, with a slight emphasis on freaked out.  the last time i was on a horse, i was about 12.  we were up in big bear for a family vacay and for some reason, my not-typically-very-adventurous mom thought it would be a great idea to give it a try.  i was fine with it until my horse decided to stray from the pack and went up ahead of the rest of the group.  of course, she knew the route really well, but my 12-year-old self had no idea and freaked out all the way till we finally got back to the ranch.  traumatized for life, yo.

so we got up bright and early on sunday morning and drove the short distance to a local equestrian center buried up in a residential area that i'd never even knew was there.  first order of business - filling out the waivers that signed away our lives.  since the old lady is now of age, she gets to sign her own forms.

then there was a little time for horsing around (har har har) until our rides were ready to be mounted.

we were given a brief overview while our guide went over our forms to make sure all the Is were dotted and Ts were crossed.  and then in what seemed like no time flat, this became my view:

thanks to the other moms present, i have some other fun shots to share, like this one:

i watched as the old lady got on her horse, sweet old chubby max.

the bean was so excited to meet her friend for the next hour, sunny.

we look ready to ride, yes?

the hour went by fairly quickly.  i spent a lot of time chatting to my horse, freckles, because for some reason i thought maybe that would help her get to know my voice and feel comfy with me.  maybe it was really more the other way around.  i don't know.  but it was an easy, pleasant ride on a trail that was also pretty popular with bicyclists and runners.  and then it was over.

by the way, watching a horse pee is just as amusing as watching him poop.

after saying goodbye to our friends, we made a beeline for the local IHOP for some grub.

okay, so i'll just say it - horseback riding is definitely not my jam.  it's a'ight, but really not my thing.  and so if the bean gets future invitations for such outings, i'll likely just sit and wait around while i sip on a starbucks or something equally basic.  but i'll still bust out my shitkicker boots, just because.