Summer Horse Camp

I am quite late in posting this set of pictures, but want to do it anyway as I am attempting to convert my blog to a hard copy, in the form of books, a little at a time, in order for it to serve as a family photo album and journal. I have completed and ordered my first attempt at this, which happens to be from 2007, the year we moved to China. I had the book sent to my sister, since I can't have it sent here, so I am hoping to soon receive word that it has arrived at her house and that it turned out well.

Madelyn had the great joy of attending a horse camp for a week in July. It was while we were staying at my parents' home, Daddy was already back in China, and the boys were away at camp in Michigan. There are stables on the roads that my parents' housing develpment is sandwiched between. I checked out both of them for opportunities, and the closer one had an opening beginning in two days. Not only was it an opening, it ended up being a situation with just Madelyn and one other girl! It was a wonderful time. Every afternoon for a week she had instruction in grooming the horse, learning about the tack and how to put it on the horse, an individual riding lesson, and then getting to bathe the horse, feed him, and do other odds and ends in the stable. Madelyn and her friend give Doc some loving!
The day I came to take pictures the two girls had their riding lessons outside, instead of in the arena. I was so pleased to have the blue sky and trees as background!
I was so proud of how confident Madelyn was leading this big horse around by herself! She really did well. So grateful she had this opportunity!


If you are a regular reader, you may remember that the girls and I visited my cousin in PA this summer and went to see her horse with her while we were there. This was just a couple of weeks after Madelyn had been at horse camp, so it was neat for her to get to use some of the skills she had learned at camp when she rode my cousin's horse.