Project 52 | Week 36

Labor Day weekend found us up in the green hills of Vermont which was still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Irene.  Hewitt Hill Farm was lucky enough to escape damage so all of the MacInnes cousins gathered together for the weekend.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but my kids are so incredibly lucky to have so many cousins that they truly love being with.  They don’t get to see their cousins from CT and NY very much, but when they are together you would never guess that months had passed since their last reunion.

The older kids were treated to horseback riding lessons on Friday and Saturday, which they loved but there were definitely some nerves going into it from Abby.  From the moment Tock hoisted her up on her horse, I could see the fear settling in.  She kept reaching her arm out for Tock to hold because she was afraid she was going to fall off, and written on her face was the look that both Tock and I have learned to translate to: “I’m so scared, but I’m trying to be brave because I don’t want anyone to know how scared I really am.”  We’ve seen this face many times before in her 8 (9 next month!) years of life and whenever I see it, my heart breaks for her a little bit.  Don’t we all know how hard it is to be brave, to try new things, to be afraid of falling?

Tock grabbed the lead (rein? leash?) and walked with her into the arena and I watched them through my lens, not wanting to miss capturing any of the moments that followed.  I knew she would be fine.  Tock knew she would be fine.  We just needed Abby to DO IT to know that she would in fact, be fine.  She looked so little on that big horse, and even though she had a death grip on the top of the saddle  her body still seemed so unsteady  that I wondered if I should hop on the horse as well, just to protect her a little bit more.  I didn’t, and not just because I would have needed a ladder to climb on.  Instead I kept clicking away at the shutter so I could show her how awesome she did after it was all over.   And then, I watched as she let go of the horse (slight panic on my part) and raised both of her hands to the side to practice her balance and establish trust.  She alternated between looking at Tock for reassurance, and her cousins Archie and Georgia,  for guidance.  She knew they weren’t afraid, and as she told me later on, it made her feel less afraid as the lesson went on.  By the end of the lesson she was riding alone, without Tock holding on, and she definitely didn’t look like it was her first time on a horse.  When we talked about it after and I told her how proud of her I was, she said “I know.” So I asked how she knew, to which she replied: “Because I could tell by your face.”  I guess we know each other too well….

I happened to capture such an awesome moment between Tock and Abby. The looks on both of their faces say the same thing: I am so proud. (picture quality of these is not great due to me forgetting to check settings and the low lighting of the arena.  sigh.)

looking like a pro…

and of course, I can’t forget my Ollie boy, who had ZERO reservations or fear (and how handsome are my boys, right?)….