Wednesday, February 20, 2008

ABC Wednesday - "E"is for EQUESTRIAN

Right from the time we got married, we'd take our vacations at our property at Shuswap Lake in central British Columbia. We stayed in the cabin next to my hubby's parents' place and had a wonderful, if rustic holiday swimming, boating and water skiing, biking and hiking through the neighbouring government campsite and taking the girls horseback riding. Their first Experience with horses Entailed petting the ponies at the ranch and when they were about two years old, were allowed to ride the ponies through a fenced-in trail with their Daddy leading the way while holding the ponies' reins. Jamie always rode Trigger and Jaclyn loved Silver. As they grew older - and taller - they were finally allowed to ride the ponies on the regular trail ride up the side of the mountain to a beautiful plateau with spectacular scenery. The ranch owners took a picnic for everyone to Enjoy while the horses and ponies would rest and nibble on the delicious wild grasses and flowers that grew abundantly in this relatively undiscovered paradise. So today, "E" is for "equestrian," the art of riding horses.
Jaclyn in front (2 1/2) and Jamie behind (almost 6) riding the ponies.The next year, Jamie was almost 7 and the ranch owners let her go on the big trail ride with her Daddy, even though she still wasn't really old enough. Jamie just recently told me that she remembers being so excited to finally be allowed to go on the "big kids' trail"!

All saddled up and ready to go with Trigger!

Daddy's in the lead and is telling Jamie to stay right with him at all times.

Jaclyn stayed behind and rode Silver in the fenced-in area. She didn't mind because she had Mommy all to herself for the entire afternoon, and she helped prepare dinner for the very tired riders.



Note: Please excuse the poor quality of the photos - they're from 1982-3.

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54 comments:

  1. VPTue Feb 19, 04:23:00 pm

    Hi Leslie - great pic and story today :)

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  2. AnonymousTue Feb 19, 04:55:00 pm

    What sweet memories these photos show. Too cute that the one horse's name is Trigger!

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  3. NancyTue Feb 19, 05:09:00 pm

    What great memories- and I love the pictures! I had a pony named Trigger! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. dotTue Feb 19, 05:32:00 pm

    Nice story and wonderful pictures!
    I can't tolerate being up high like that so my one time on a horse at age 16 was enough.

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  5. Flassie's Fil'aTue Feb 19, 05:44:00 pm

    Sweet precious memories!
    So cute!

    Have a Blessed Happy Fun
    Creative Healthy Year!!!

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  6. DeeMomTue Feb 19, 05:51:00 pm

    Wonderful memories...the pictures are so dear...

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  7. AndreaTue Feb 19, 06:30:00 pm

    Nice memories and nice photos.

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  8. Jo's-D-EyesTue Feb 19, 06:59:00 pm

    very great story and I like the photography, I also liked to ride a pony once... Have a nice day!

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  9. SharonTue Feb 19, 07:12:00 pm

    Loved the story and the pictures were sweet, lots of warm memories there!

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  10. Jo's-D-EyesTue Feb 19, 07:19:00 pm

    Thanks Leslie, You missed my Dutch Windmill I added this one later as a header, have a good day!

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  11. AnonymousTue Feb 19, 07:23:00 pm

    Hi, I just came from Erin's blog at photo penguin, wow more horses and a neat story too! :D

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  12. LindaTue Feb 19, 07:30:00 pm

    What great memories you have with your family. Great story. I love riding horses, just don't get a chance to do it often.

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  13. NevaTue Feb 19, 07:44:00 pm

    I didn't think of this one either.

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  14. KatneyTue Feb 19, 08:24:00 pm

    Excellent choices and great memories I am sure.

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  15. PattyTue Feb 19, 08:37:00 pm

    Oh how cute. I was always a afraid of horses, so I didn't put my kids on them often, but my grandson loves them and we got a great shot of him on a pony last fall.

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  16. Silly GooseTue Feb 19, 08:39:00 pm

    Great memories! Bet you're glad you took the photos to help you remember!

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  17. Lilli & NevadaTue Feb 19, 08:45:00 pm

    What great memories those are, I love to do trail rides, but havn't been on a horse in many yrs.

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  18. PetuniaTue Feb 19, 10:51:00 pm

    I love horses! Very nice post!

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  19. Gerald (Ackworth born)Tue Feb 19, 11:09:00 pm

    lovely pictures - I rode a horse just once - not my cup of tea - we see quite a few round here though and it is nice to see them.

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  20. FO - 2Tue Feb 19, 11:51:00 pm

    Nice memories and charming photos. :)

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  21. imacWed Feb 20, 12:22:00 am

    Hi, nice take on E - also very interesting info and great pics.

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  22. CasdokWed Feb 20, 12:32:00 am

    I am so thankful for photos and the memories they hold.

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  23. ClaireWed Feb 20, 03:47:00 am

    Lovely photos and memories. Used to ride haven't done it for ages.

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  24. Liz HindsWed Feb 20, 04:02:00 am

    Great photos, and such a special time for the girls to remember.

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  25. MicheleWed Feb 20, 04:24:00 am

    I love the photos and the the story! I miss Shuswap Lake. We used to go there all the time when I used to live in Kelowna. I think a trip there is in order in the next couple summers.

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  26. PernilleWed Feb 20, 04:42:00 am

    Great E-photos and story!!! I love your photos:)

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  27. DarylWed Feb 20, 04:53:00 am

    Wonderful memories .. evoked by E

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  28. Anne-BeritWed Feb 20, 05:21:00 am

    Must have been a great adventure for the young girl to go on that trail.Very nice E-post from you:o)

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  29. JanetWed Feb 20, 06:52:00 am

    Wonderful photos and such nice memories.

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  30. kmlWed Feb 20, 06:52:00 am

    Excellent post - love the stories they tell!

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  31. Kerri FarleyWed Feb 20, 06:58:00 am

    Beautiful memories! Lovely E post!

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  32. Mrs MacWed Feb 20, 07:44:00 am

    I've only been on a horse once and I got scared cos it was so high up there! LOL!

    I thought E was a hard one to find but eveyone has done really interesting things....

    :^)

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  33. RandiWed Feb 20, 08:22:00 am

    Nice photos and nice story. Love to read your story.

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  34. Berit TWed Feb 20, 09:00:00 am

    Beautiful photo! :o)

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  35. Rune EideWed Feb 20, 09:04:00 am

    A good E - and nice daughters (I should know since I have three of them...)

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  36. gmaWed Feb 20, 10:12:00 am

    I wondered how many different E words would show up this week. There is a great variety. Your old equestrian photos are excellent!

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  37. JanWed Feb 20, 10:45:00 am

    When ever I post "old" photos, my daughters are aghast. Love your post.

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  38. Smalltown RNWed Feb 20, 11:21:00 am

    Oh Leslie those are such precious photos....I have a dear friend who lives in Kamloops and has a trailer aka mobile home up on the Shuswap....I love it there...especially when we get to go out skiing and tubing...oh this brought back many memories for me...thank you...

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  39. Lana G!Wed Feb 20, 12:22:00 pm

    Cute! Great E Post!

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  40. MariWed Feb 20, 12:36:00 pm

    Thanks for visiting my blog! I don´t know how I find all blogging teachers... Greetings from still working Finnish primary-school teacher :-D

    I think these photos are even more interesting because of those colors and marks of ageing.

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  41. HildeS/Frøken FrydWed Feb 20, 12:49:00 pm

    How lovely photos, and what great memories:)

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  42. AVCr8teurWed Feb 20, 12:49:00 pm

    What fond memories you and your girls must have of their childhood! Thanks for sharing. How can you forget a horse named Trigger.

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  43. BumbleVeeWed Feb 20, 01:21:00 pm

    Hello fellow Canuck...I am in Calgary now..but hail from Kamloops and Kelowna.... know the Shuswap well.

    My sister lives in Armstrong....so I am out there at least one a year....

    tx for dropping by my blog..

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  44. Jean M FogleWed Feb 20, 01:28:00 pm

    I loved the pics, you can tell they are from the 80's!

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  45. DragonstarWed Feb 20, 01:42:00 pm

    Aaahhhh! Lovely pictures, lovely story. Thank you.

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  46. GordonWed Feb 20, 02:31:00 pm

    Some lovely memories here. We did things like that with our children, too.

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  47. sally in norfolkWed Feb 20, 02:48:00 pm

    happy family photos :-)

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  48. KimWed Feb 20, 03:58:00 pm

    That's a great one. I love horseback riding, I don't know why I didn't think of that :) Great pictures, I love looking back at old photos from when I was a kid.

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  49. JoWed Feb 20, 04:03:00 pm

    Those are great photographs! It's wonderful to remember family times like that, isn't it?

    And a horse that's actually named Trigger! Too funny!

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  50. photowannabeWed Feb 20, 06:08:00 pm

    What a sweet story of your family. It shows how wonderfull family is. Equestrian is a great choice for the E post.

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  51. kRiZcPEcWed Feb 20, 08:19:00 pm

    no wonder, at the first sight they seems to be of some vintage. At least they are well kept. Thanks for your words btw. I'm flattered, lol.

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  52. SusanThu Feb 21, 12:10:00 am

    Just a beautiful post Leslie! Great choice for E.

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  53. PaulieThu Feb 21, 12:51:00 pm

    How in the world I missed your blog entry yesterday, I will never know. Really enjoyed the photos and storyline!

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  54. Max-eSat Feb 23, 10:07:00 am

    This has brought back some some memories for me to. We had horses way back in the 1980's when we lived on a small holding - haven't ridden for ages.

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