Horsin' Around

We live minutes from a world class equestrian facility that we NEVER visit. Yes, it is pretty expensive to get in, yes it does appeal more to older children, no we have no more excuses! One day in late September, we kept Maura out of school and took a little trip to the Horse Park. We had such a great day enjoying gorgeous Kentucky in the Fall.

We wanted to enjoy some of the more kid friendly activities while we were there, so we headed straight for the playground and pony rides. The Horse Park was the scene of last year's World Equestrian games, so the park underwent a major overhaul to improve attractions. It really is a nice place to visit, especially with kids.

The kids were THRILLED to take a pony ride. I did NOT expect her to take both kids at once. I've spent enough time around ponies to realize that they can be a major pain in the rear when they want to be, but I guess these guys are just conditioned to walk around and around the circle and skip the shenanigans. Even Bennett got a turn to sit on the pony!

I think the playground's bouncy pony was more his speed. He's a bouncy pony pro because he has one in his room and he rides that pony hard! I love that we took an opportunity for a sweet photo of the kids with Daddy. This was one of our last family activities together before Brent's deployment and I'll always remember this beautiful fall day and the fun we had together.

What a couple of goof balls. This picture pretty much sums up their personalities. Maura goofs off and Tristan downs snacks as quickly as possible to avoid sharing!

We loved checking out all the different horse breeds in the breed barn. Bennett wanted to be wheeled up as close as possible to the screens so that he could check out the horses. This child is afraid of NOTHING. Oh, that's not completely true. If the horses had been humans DRESSED as horses, he would have run away in terror. Should make Disney really interesting! Meanwhile, Brent found a fake racehorse and had his own personal race. I'm pretty glad no one walked in to witness him beating his fake horse to make it win the "race."

We took in a cool "Parade of Breeds," where they brought horses of all description into the area. The kids especially loved the English Shire, all decked out in knights regalia. They couldn't wait to pet him at the end of the parade. Afterwards, Brent took the boys home for naps while Maura and I checked out a cool interactive Arabian horse exhibit where you created a virtual horse, named him, cared for him, and raced him. Maura loved it and can't wait to go back. I can't wait to enjoy this beautiful park again too...when Brent returns, which will be soon!!