Happy Trails

Yesterday, we went with Parker's school to the Happy Trails ranch and man did the kids have fun. As soon as we got there, the kids went straight into the stables to feed the horses.



Speaking of the horses, there were some beauties there.





And this guy thought that my lens was edible.



After the children fed the horses, they watched a barn cat and two standard poodles perform tricks. This is when I realized that our animals are seriously under-performing. Except for Nona of course. She is the law in these parts.

Anyway, back to Happy Trails. Next the kids got to actually ride the horses. Whoa was that a good time for Parker. (For some of the other kids, not so much. There was a lot of crying and emphatic head-shaking from the less adventurous children.)

First, Parker rode the brown horse and from the second I put him up there, he was having a great time.





So great, in fact, that he cried when he had to get off of the horse to give the other children a turn. So, he waited in line to ride the other horse. By this time, he was an experienced pro. Just look at that confident expression on his face.









After the horse experience, the Irishman's first comment was, "I guess this means that we're going to have to buy him a horse." Um, I hope he was joking!

The next adventure was the hayride pulled by a tractor. Parker apparently thought that he was the driver.



Once we got it straightened out that it was a manual transmission and he's only capable of driving an automatic at the moment, we both sat in the back. It was such a perfect day. Mid-70s and sunny - just gorgeous outside.





Yup, we had a great time at the ranch. I'm looking into some local horseback riding farms so that we can take him again soon to ride.