We were blessed with another gorgeous Colorado weekend for the Praying Hands Ranch trail ride yesterday. Praying Hands Ranch is where Jake has taken his hippotherapy (horse lessons) since last January and this was an outdoor ride for their annual fundraiser. They brought several horses from the Ranch so about 10 kids could participate in the ride.
Both Jake and Luke had so much fun getting to ride outside. It seemed like every time they had a lesson this summer, it was too hot or on the verge of raining so all their classes were in the arena. All the student riders had someone leading their horse along with two "side-walkers" to make sure they were safe. Todd and I walked with them on the trail and it was great to see how well Jake did. Riding on natural terrain vs. in a flat arena takes a lot more core strength and work. Add to that, we were on the trail for over an hour and it was in the mid-80's. He did such a good job staying evenly balanced. There were times during his lessons this summer where he tended to lean/slide more to the left as he'd get tired. It was very encouraging to see that the increased
strength he has gained the last few months enabled him to stay seated evenly
in his saddle the entire ride. 
We haven't been able to get back to horse therapy since school started simply because Jake is just too physically tired after a day at school. We're hoping that within the next few months it's something we can add back to his schedule. Seeing how much both boys enjoyed the outdoor ride made me realize how beneficial it really is for them. Physically for Jake and emotionally for both of them.
We were treated to a delicious BBQ at the end of the ride. Everyone was pretty wiped out, but it was a great day.
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