Our horses loved dressing up for the occasion. Hobie modeled a beautiful wreath on his forehead, tree on his chest, and ornaments on his hips. He also sported around a fancy candy came stripped pad for his riders. Lexi was on board when we colored her nose red and twinkled her toes, and Goose wanted some ornaments just like Hobie so we colored his hips too.
The weather was perfect! Just chilly enough to need a sweatshirt or light jacket, no rain, and the sun even came out!
On Sunday, December 19 we held our 2nd ever SpiritHorse Rider Showcase. Our horses were feeling fresh from days and days of rain, but the rain held off and our families shook through the cold weather to support their students as they took to the arena. Santa returned back to SpiritHorse to act as our announcer.
Riders were judged in showmanship classes as they demonstrated their learned skills on the ground; including walking, stopping, turning, and trotting. Then they saddled up and were divided up by age, skill level, and riding style (Western, English, Therapeutic) as they walked and trotted on the rail for our judge, Dana Azevedo. We also held trail classes where the students had to lead their horse through obstacles such as weaving poles, crossing over ground polls, and trotting around barrels.
Ms. Donkey and her friends wanted to get in on all of this seasonal fun. So they held Story Time with Ms. Donkey and Friends. Kiddos were welcomed, given a tour of the farm, splashed in mud puddles and settled down for a reading of “The Night Before Christmas at the Farm.” After the story we delivered horse safe Christmas Cookies to each of our horses stall. We had about 10 families attend the event.
Our horses, instructors, and riders are now enjoying some time off and are preparing for our Winter Session to begin in mid-January. If you are interested in joining our lesson program and taking an Empowerment Class, you can find all available classes by clicking here or logging into the portal.
