Horses!

Meet our two newest additions to the Jones family, Big Red and Chet. (Chet on the left, Big Red on the right) Hallie especially has been asking for horses for years (pretty much since we got rid of our other ones 5 years ago). She had decided at one point to save up to buy one, but when she figured out how long that would take her, she changed her mind and decided to buy rats instead. Wes has been thinking of getting horses for awhile now, and looking around for good deals. We weren't totally sure we wanted to add that responsibility to our lives right now, with everything else we have going on, but ultimately we decided that if we were ever going to get back into horses, that now would be a good time, while the kids are old enough to help (some) but before they were too old to learn/be interested in them....(Hallie on Big Red the day we brought them home...he is BIG)



The day that we got the horses was a Thursday. I had to keep the kids inside all afternoon because Wes wanted to be there to see their reactions. I can't believe the kids didn't notice them, because they were clear as day when we drove up to the house.

 

 When Wes got home he took all the kids out to feed the dogs, thinking surely the kids would notice the horses in the corral, but they didn't. So he took them to the dog kennels, and right at the gate to the kennel one of the horses "neighed" super loud. The kids were so funny, looking around, trying to figure out what was going on. They raced down to the corral and were so excited to see the horses. And Hallie was now happy to have her boots:). And, as a bonus, she no longer wants rats.

Wes had promised Hallie a present for hitting her AR goal of 600. I didn't want her to think that she was getting horses just because of hitting her goal; the horses are more of a family gift. So when Hallie hit her 600 AR points I took her down to Boot Barn to pick out nice cowboy boots as her gift. She wasn't too thrilled about the boots at first.

 We took them up to the ranch for Memorial Day weekend. Wes rode with/walked with the Hallie and Jaxson all the way to the gravel pit to check on the cows...that was their longest ride yet.

 Hallie and Jaxson have been good helpers so far. They go out with Wes morning and night to feed the horses and make sure they have plenty of water. They helped to clean out the tack shed side of the barn and the side that holds the hay. They usually go out to the corral in the middle of the day to groom the horses too.

The kids are really enjoying getting to ride the horses. Wes is teaching them how to neck rein. Kimber even rides up there by herself and has a blast doing it (Wes leads the horse around for her and Addi). I know we won't always be in this honeymoon phase-having horses is a lot of work-but everyone is enjoying it for now.