When Olivia was one almost two years old she received a gift of four "My Little Ponies". I never would have thought that one gift would turn into an obsession that has become Olivia's main focus. From that point on everything was horses. Horse clothes, horse bedding, horse books, horse stuffed animals, horse posters, horse jewelry, if it was horse related Olivia wanted it. After about a year of this interest not going away I decided to make some calls for Olivia to start ridding lessons, I was told she needed to wait until she was five, so that is what we did. She waited patiently with birthday parties centered around horses, and any other way she could get near a horse that you could think of. Finally her fifth birthday arrived and we were off to her first lesson, she was so excited she could barely contain herself. The first time I saw her on a horse by herself I just was amazed at how confident, and proud she appeared to be. She took to it immediately, and I knew right then and there she had found a life long passion.
Pictured above is Olivia's first riding lessons! Beaming from ear to ear. The horse she rode was named Hannah, who loved loved loved oranges. She was a 26 year old Aribian. After about a year at the Winter Rose Riding Center, I felt Olivia needed a change of scenery and we moved her up to the Double Easy Ranch in New River. It was there she was able to be more independent, and learn to chanter, trail ride, and stay in complete control of the horse. The horse she rode there was an adorable quarter horse named Jetta. Not only did Olivia love her, but Brody and I fell in love with her as well. Olivia would play tag with Brody while she rode the horse, and I would pick out her hooves (it may sound strange but I just love doing that kind of stuff). She would ride Jetta every Thursday, and if you asked Olivia she would say her lesson was never long enough.
Todd helped Olivia become more Confident, and much more adventurous on a horse, but I started feeling Olivia needed more. So one day in the summer of 2011 I asked Olivia what she wanted to get out of horse back riding, where was this headed???? It was then that my calm, cautious, rule follower of a child tells me she wants to learn how to barrel race?!?! So off we were to another Ranch this one that fed right into a barrel racing school. She is now riding at the Vicky Farms Ranch in Surprise. She is riding two hours a lesson and will be adding on weekend lessons after Christmas. At this ranch Olivia is getting the opportunity to ride on several different horses, and really show them who is boss, and become familiar with all the variety of personalities a horse may have. She is so amazing out there... just watching the passion she has for it come out with every twist and turn that she tells the horse to do. I am so proud of my little girl, and excited to see where this adventure will lead us.
