"Don't Fence Me In"

Last Friday, June 26, Jackson and I went to see my friend, Rex Lamoreaux, to ride horses. Jackson had never been on a horse before, and I couldn't stand the thought of another generation of my posterity not experiencing horseback riding. Rex was really kind letting us take an hour of his time for a little boy to dream of being a cowboy. Jackson's eyes were the size of plates as we walked up next to "Speedy." "Is THAT a HORSE?" he exclaimed. He thought they were a lot smaller, I guess.

Next thing you knew, Jackson was up on the back of old Bert, legs dangling over the sides of the saddle because they couldn't reach the stirrups. Rex led Bert and Jackson around the pen a few times, telling Jackson how to tell the horse to stop and how to use the reins to steer him. And within a couple of minutes, Jackson had control of the horse and was riding him around the enclosure. Bert was really gentle and an easy ride for a new rider.

Then it was my turn to mount Speedy. Speedy was well named, I can tell you. He likes to move. We were in a pen perhaps 30 feet long full of pine trees, and all Speedy wanted to do was lope or gallop. Finally I got him out of the pen where he could move more freely, and move we did. He was a great ride, if a little spirited for someone who hadn't been in the saddle for a couple of years.

Finally, Rex took Jackson over to the roping area and taught him how to throw a lasso. Rex is a professional roper, so he has ropes and practice steers on his property. Jackson got the hang of roping pretty quickly. It was really a fun hour for both of us.

As we were leaving, Jackson asked how long we had been there. I told him it had been nearly an hour. "An hour? It felt like two seconds!" he remarked. That, to me, is the sign of a successful morning with grandpa and grandson. I, too, wished we had had more time.