OMG, how cute is this?

I got my youngest student ever last night, except for when Jason was little. She is 4 and half years old, and she is beyond adorable. I don’t remember kids being that small at her age. Her name is Riley. I had her play with Miyagi, brushing her, then I taught her the friendly game, yo-yo and figure 8. Her hands are so small they barely grip all the way around the rope. Miyagi is a great teacher too. She knows just enough to do what Riley will ask of her, as long as she asks the right way. And she is just “pony’ enough that Riley will have to work for it.

She has NO fear of horses, and even though Cha’cote was afraid of her at first, he eventually let her pet him, as she was persistent. He was at liberty in the yard, and the quiet way she had about her near 3 foot stature, must have looked sneaky to him. He sniffed her head and backed away or turned a bit away from her a few times. But there was no way, no how, this darling girl with long brown curly hair was giving up on her idea. Her mother and I watched, and I described how sometimes it is best to leave children alone, as long as everything is safe, and let the horse teach them. I gave her a pointer to face away from him and side pass in toward his shoulder and to scratch him hard and not tickle him. She took it from there. You could see how her lateral thinking skills were developing, rather than being so direct lined as she was when she first arrived. Cha’cote is a great teacher of that! Either you approach right, or your leaving empty handed. She left with a whole heartfull.

By the time her mother and I were done chatting, it was past her bed time. But you would never know it. She was playing in the dirt, checking on the horses, and otherwise a flash back to my youth. I told her mother it was beyond clear her connection with horses, and THAT won’t be going away. She is a 4yo horse crazy girl! She has the incurable disease. And it is nice to see that her mother not only recognizes it, but is indulging it to the best of their financial ability. So as true to myself as I can be….. We are working out a working student kind of thing, so she can come over weekly to ‘just be” with the horses. That way, I get a little help with everyone, and everyone just might get some attention around here, and one darling girl gets to live her dreams.

Savvy On

Michelle