"Misty", "Dusty", and "Shadow".

Our kids love horses! Every time we go to the Poconos for the weekend it has become a tradition to stop by at the stables and say hello to their favorite horses "Misty", "Dusty", and "Shadow". The girls always think about bringing their "friends" treats, like apples and carrots.

Ivana has been going up on a horse for a while already and she has no fear of being high, petting the horse or feeding it from her hand. Leona watched Ivana and did not want to be left out. She bravely sat on the horse and went for a ride!

Only one child is allowed on a horse at a time, and the guide is walking the horse up the stream and back, while Mirek is walking right next to our young riders. I think Leona might have set a record of the youngest rider ever, at least maybe in the Pocono stables (she'll soon be 2 yo). Kids in Mongolia will bit that record off, by no means!

It's 10$ for both of them each time we come, and we've been coming quite often. And I even thought to inquire about the possibility to volunteer, to help them take care of the stables, feed the horses or whatever job might need to be done. We decided it would be great for the girls to learn what it means to have the responsibility of taking care of an animal.

And I had asked this past weekend, of course meaning not right now since both of them are kind of little, but in a year or two they'll be able to handle some age appropriate tasks. I was a bit stunned and disappointed when I heard a firm, "NO, thanks. We've got plenty of hands around here." Do they get so many inquiries about volunteering, or maybe our family didn't look capable of handling the task of helping around the stables? The guy was rude and very unpleasant!

I don't want to go there anymore, just to make a point. But I know we'll go anyway, because the girls will be heartbroken.