Hello again everybody! So, I am assuming that as Thanksgiving
has finally come the kids are getting even more excited about Christmas. Maybe
you have already gotten your Christmas Tree up and decorated and its starting to “look a lot like Christmas” around your house. If you have some “horse crazy”
kids at your house they may be thinking even harder on how you are going to fit
that horse or pony under that tree. Well I have been thinking extra hard on my
idea for all the kids to come out to my barn and ride and visit all of the
horses, hopefully help all of you parents out. I’m thinking that I am going to
call this event “Christmas Horse Ride& Picnic.”

So far my plan is, that Friday, December 21, 2012; I am going to invite all the horse crazy kids I can think of to come out to my barn for a day filled with
horses. I’m going to have the day start at 9:00 A.M. and we will start with  introducing the kids to all the horses and showing them how much work it is to feed and take care of a horse daily. Then we will start taking turns getting to ride on my four gentle horses that have packed kids around for years. After
everyone gets a chance to ride we will go to the hay barn for a picnic in the
“loft”, I will ask that all the kids bring a lunch with them please. After we
are finished with lunch everyone will be able to tell all the horses’ goodbye
and all of you parents can come pick them up between 1:00 and 2:00 P.M. I really hope all of you parents will consider sending your horse crazy kid out for my “Christmas Horse Ride & Picnic” I know I will enjoy it and I truly believe
your kids will too!!

As everyone knows, the holidays are a wonderful time of year, but, as we also all know they can be very stressful! With all the hassles of shopping, traveling, figuring out what everyone wants, and having to say no to the one’s you love because what is on their Christmas list you just can’t afford right now. So when Dr. Carstensen presented my Technical Writing class with this “Help for the Holiday Blues” project, it got me to thinking about what every little girl or boy wants for Christmas at some point in time. Well you know me, the first thing that popped to my head was, a horse! I mean how many of us asked for a pony for Christmas at one time or another? I still ask for them even though I already have too many! But, I also know how expensive it is to keep a horse and having the space for one just isn’t an option for every parent no matter how bad they want to get their kids a pony or a horse. Most parents end up having to “skip the pony” this year and hope that their kids grow out of this phase quickly.

          So, the “Holiday Blues” found, I started trying to come up with a solution for parents this year so they wouldn’t exactly have to say “No” to their kids this Christmas when they asked for a pony. I got to thinking; I have so many horses that I could share them with the kids for a day! I could set up a day before Christmas so that any horse crazy kid could come out to my barn and see all the horses. They could pet them, learn about them, learn how to take care of them, and even ride them if they wanted to! I’m sure my horses, especially Xena, Glory, Doc, and Banner, would be glad to have someone else besides me ride them for a change and be glad for all the extra attention! Now I know it’s not a horse of their very own, but I think they would have fun and enjoy being able to ride a horse. It might even cure their “Holiday Blues”, as well as their parent’s. Now parents, I know what you are thinking, “if my kid rides a horse he or she is going to really want one!” I’ll admit this is very possible, but I promise to show them how much work it is to keep a horse and take care of a horse and they might never ask for one again! It is a 50/50 chance, what can I say? I hope all you parents will consider my “cure for the Holiday Blues” and bring your horse crazy kids out to ride for the day!