We took the boys to the annual Halloween Spooktacular hosted by the Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Horseback Riding Association (WETRA). Corbin went as Harry Potter and Jeremy as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (sans shell).There was no rain this year, so moving between the barns, the arena and the haunted house wasn't a problem. We arrived at 5:00 pm, and bought a bunch of tickets and let the boys do whatever they wanted. Corbin like the games. Jeremy rode a pony and also played some games.The RCMP brought two horses from the musical ride. They were tall and big - unlike the horses Corbin rides. Windsor Police brought two police dogs and the LaSalle Fire Department brought a fire truck.All in all, the boys had a great time - they were both tired when we left two or so hours later.Posted by Adam
It was my turn to take Corbin to horseback riding today. The drive to WETRA is usually uneventful - we arrive with plenty of time to spare. Today, Cobrin rode Tyson without a lead (a rope attached to the horse that a guide holds). Corbin had some struggles, but he managed to make Tyson go where he wanted. Despite not wanting to initially go to the lesson, Corbin enjoyed it - he even rode outside today. Like anything, it takes a few lessons to get into the swing of things.Posted by Adam
Corbin had his first therapeutic horseback riding session today. With Jeremy in JK this year, Tina and I have to rotate who takes Corbin to horseback riding and who takes Jeremy to JK. It was my turn to take Corbin.Though arriving early, the preceding lesson was running late. Corbin found his helmet and put it on. This was followed by running around, riding the play horse and Corbin being Corbin.The lesson went well. Tyson, Corbin's horse, was a good fit. Hopefully, the lead will be removed in due time to encourage Corbin to better control the horse.Posted by Adam
Normally, Tina takes Corbin for his weekly therapeutic horseback riding lesson, however she had important training to attend, so I took Corbin this week.After arriving at WETRA, Corbin ran in and got his helmet and proceeded to ride the wooden horse. Then he wandered around the meeting room and noticed his order had come in. It was a wall clock in the shape of a tire. It had LEDs that would come on when the light goes out. Wonderful, I thought.Corbin and another boy began their lesson. This was Corbin's second or third lesson on a new horse, Charlie. This horse is a trotter, and Corbin's instructor, Becky, wants Corbin to become more comfortable trotting. They spent some time in the arena before heading outside to the paddock. They came back to the arena before dismounting and taking the horses to the barn to learn how to detach the saddles. Another successful session.Posted by Adam
After an excellent night's sleep - a king bed seems to do that - our walking alarm clock aka Jeremy, woke up and told us all that it was morning time and time to eat. So Tina and Adam had their showers and we headed down to enjoy a breakfast that included the standard items plus make-your-own waffles, biscuits, gravy, sausage patties and scrambled eggs. Overall, the breakfast met our expectations. We headed back to the room, packed up, checked out and took a very short drive to the Kentucky Horse Park.
The Kentucky Horse Park is a 1,200 acre facility for and about horses. It houses two museums, twin theatres, the National Horse Centre (offices of various horse related organizations), the Hall of Champions (where past winners 'retire'), a campground, shows, competitions and a under-construction therapeutic riding facility. This is in addition to the acres of pastures where over 50 breeds of horses run freely. In 2010, the Kentucky Horse Park will host the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), the first time the games will be held outside of Europe.
We arrived at 9:00 am and it seemed we were the only ones in the park. This was the end of the off-season, so not all the activities and events were up and running. We walked over to the Draft Horse Barn to see some of the biggest horses that any of us have seen. These horses are used to pull trolleys and carriages around the park.
We took a short tour on the trolley and then walked over to the Breeds Barn, where various breeds are shown off. One horse was being cleaned and we had a pleasant chat with the workers. They even brought the horse out for the boys to pet and to get the horse used to people. Next, was a visit to the International Museum of the Horse, the largest museum of it's kind. From prehistoric to modern times, the history of horse is shown through various displays. It is quite the facility.
The last stop at the Horse Park was the gift shop. Adam bought a baseball cap and the boys got some souvenirs. Tina also bought a few gifts for Becky at the Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Riding Association. Speaking of therapeutic riding, a new state-of-the-art therapeutic riding centre is being built at the Kentucky Horse Park.
After spending two and a half hours at the Horse Park, we headed down I-75 towards Atlanta. A stop for lunch at the birthplace of KFC, Sander's Cafe, in Corbin, Kentucky. Yes, the stop was planned so we could took some pictures of Corbin in front of a sign with his name in it. Lunch was filling and delicious. Tina drove the next leg from Corbin, KY, to just inside the Georgia state line before Adam took over driving duties heading into Atlanta.
1,200 or so kilometres later, we had arrived at the Best Western in Atlanta.
We took the boys to the annual Halloween Spooktacular hosted by the Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Horseback Riding Association (WETRA). Corbin went as Harry Potter and Jeremy as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (sans shell).
