Cowboy Day at Pre-school

"Cowboy Day" at pre-school had all the pre-school kids just excited, because their teacher had told them that they were going to get rides on horses and a pony. Also, she mentioned to them that there would be a couple real cowboys show up. It was a hit and our daughter had talked about the wild mustang for quite some time during school, so I decided to take Ally "the wild mustang" to pre-school for my show and tell. We also provided the horseback rides with our pony and 14 year old mare. Everyone that wanted a ride was able get a chance to get on one or both kid horses. Ally was there just for the experience. When we were finished with the rides, some of the children wanted to see Ally ridden, so I mounted her and rode her around for a while. One student, asked if I could ride her fast, so I loped her down the dirt road. Also, I am sure that this was an experience for Ally as I used this as a great experience to desensitize her to twenty plus screaming kids. Everyone had a good time and it was a great experience for Ally also. Below is a video of her wild reaction from the pre-schoolers cheering.

Later that day, a local rancher called and asked if I would help gather some cows with calves on side into a corral to ship the next day. Ally and I went to help, and we had to cross a canal, ride up on a steep hill and ride through a couple hundred bawling cattle. It was a great experience for her as she was able to see several new sights, smells, and situations. Also, when we had the cattle in the catch pen, I rode Ally through the herd and there were cattle surrounding us completely and she wasn't bothered at all. The only thing that she looked twice at and had showed some concern was walking through a yard where there were sheep and goats in pens on each side of the road.

When we made it home, I let Ally pack some blue tarps that were tied onto each side of the saddle, that hung down and almost touched the ground. After a little while she wasn't concerned about them at all. It was a great day for everyone.