Our Five Ring Circus: A Girl and her Horse (Part Two)

Monday, June 29, 2009

A Girl and her Horse (Part Two)

(If you missed Part One, you can find it here.)
I have been meaning to post more pictures of Lexie with our horse, Cherokee, since I took them back in, oh...March.
She still loves going to the stable to see Cherokee. It is definitely one of her favorite places to go. She doesn't call Cherokee her "baby" anymore. Now she simply refers to him by his name. In toddler-speak, that would be "Ker-ah-Key."
When we first get to the stable, I take Lexie out of her seat, and put her on the ground. She immediately runs to find her favorite barn cat, who always comes out to greet us. If we didn't already have 3 bad cats, I would bring that cat home in a heartbeat!

Lexie pets the cat for a few minutes, and when she hears Cherokee whinny, she tells the cat to "follyow me!"

Cherokee now responds to hearing Lexie's voice. I don't say a word. Even though he can't see her, he can hear her, and he strolls up to find her.

They have the same ritual at every visit. Lexie excitedly calls out to him when she sees him. "Hey Ker-ah-Key! Hi!" He walks over to her and sniffs the top of her head.

She reaches up to stroke his nose as she talks to him.

She says, "Kiss, Ker-ah-Key, Kiss." He obliges by lowering his head.
After Cherokee greets Lexie, he walks over to see Dylan and I. I used to be his number one gal, but Lexie has taken over that spot. We take Cherokee into the barn, and give him a good brushing, and tons of treats. Dylan and Lexie love to help brush him.

Whenever we finish, we lead him back out to the pasture. Lexie stands next to him and watches him as he eats.
...and then glances around at the other horses....until he gets her attention again.
When I tell Lexie it's time to leave, she refuses to say goodbye. Instead, she asks, "Ker-ah-Key come home too? " I try to explain that I would love for Cherokee to come home with us, but he wouldn't have a place to stay.

Doesn't work too well. She walks away, saying, "Come on, Ker-ah-Key!"
She desperately tries to let him out of the gate before I reach her.

When I say that it's really time to go, she glares at me. And Cherokee-boy just stares pleadingly at me.
It's the same at every visit. I took these pictures back at the end of March, and we still follow the same routine.

I wish that Cherokee could live at our house. I've wished for that every single day since I got him at the age of 12!

The bond between Lexie and Cherokee has grown so much since I posted Part One. Cherokee is getting older, and I dread the day that we will have to say goodbye.

I am so grateful for the fact that my children have fallen in love with my horse, and get to experience stable life. I can't wait to see how the bond between my girl and her horse grows even more.


3 comments:

  1. That is so swesome. I miss having horses. I hope I will again some day and my children can enjoy them as well. So sweet!

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  2. So sweet! I love how he responds to her little chatter. He's beautiful.

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  3. wow, what awesome pics to go with the post! She is a natural around horses then? Me too. As long as the distance is great than 1 mile.

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