Pony Mama- the new "Soccer Mom"

Inspired by my friend Jennifer's hilarious blog boymommynyc.blogspot.com (follow her- I apologize in advance for not having Jen's level of wit and writing skills!) and my few guest spots on friend Pat's Rantings of an Amateur Chef blog http://rantingchef.com/ (follow that too- amazing recipes and fun blog!) I have decided to blog about our newest family adventure- having a pony in our lives.

I grew up riding horses. From the time I was 11 until I was 17, I spent every moment I could on the back of the neighbor's rather round sorrel quarter horse- Sonny Boy. I took riding lessons, was in 4-H, and occasionally showed. My first term in college I even majored in- wait for it- Equestrian Sciences. Yes. It is a legitimate (and demanding) major at some colleges. Not that I am raking in the big bucks as a university administrator, but trust me, there's no money in horses. Besides, people who do well with horses don't have big thighs or butts. Ever. Two strikes for me. Riders also have lovely slim calves with room to spare in those skinny tall boots. Strike three. They didn't make riding boots big enough for my fat calves. I had to have the local shoe repair guy add a two inch leather gusset into my show boots... not a good sign for my future as an Equestrienne. I transferred to a different college after the first quarter. Packed up my fat boots and left.

My youngest daughter was bitten by the pony bug at an early age. My husband blames me for implanting this seed. Whatever. I'll own it. Now I can live out my horsey fantasies vicariously through her, as do all proper mothers.

Many things in the horse world have changed since the 70's and 80's when I was "there".

Nowadays, one must choose just the right summer Horse Camp for children. As a kid I rode rampantly across the fields and woods surrounding our house every day all summer. No structure, no rules, no schedule, no helmet (gasp), no $300 weekly fee. The summer my daughter turned 4, I came across a horse camp flyer (at the bank, of all places) I was thrilled! What an opportunity for my budding pony-girl. So, I did the obligatory "ask the other mom's what they think" thing, and BAM! Suddenly I have 13 different horse camp options from which to choose. Silly me- I thought the one I discovered at the bank was the only game in town.  Here's how it went down:

Seasoned Pony Mama: "Oh, there are tons of horseback camps around! My daughter rides at Trendy Meadows Farm. They swim every day."
New Pony Mama (aka- me) "What?? Swimming horses??? Dang, I wanna see that!"
Seasoned Pony Mama: "You are always so funny!"
New Pony Mama (aka- me):  smiles, and wonders what swimming every day has to do with learning about horses.

Did you know they actually make riding breeches for 4 year-olds? They are super-cute. And they only cost $89.95.

PS: Great summer horse camp experience at Clover Grove if you're in the Shenandoah Valley http://www.myclovergrove.com/Instruction.html