My little equestrian, Marley !!!

My little girl had her first horse show !!! How proud am I ?! 

Marley takes horseback riding lessons at Celtic Charms Therapeutic Horsemanship celticcharms.org . She has been taking lessons since October 2013. Marley has thrived in this environment and loves being with the horses and the other animals at the barn. She has also made a friend, which considering she has ASD, is a wonderful accomplishment. Hubby and I made some good friends also.

Celtic Charms Therapeutic Horsemanship is an organization that only allows individuals with special needs to join. They accept individuals from age 4 and up.  

Spiffy !!!  
Although the equestrian outfit is not a requirement, I felt it was appropriate for the occasion. I think this makes her feel like she is part of a group with no judgement

Before the show started we had to sign in and get her number to wear. She did exhibit quite a bit of anxiety. She doesn't do well in crowds and loud noise and did mention that there were a lot of people. So we used our breathing techniques the best we could. She still dug her face into daddy's chest and wanted it all to go away. Once we stepped outside she felt much better!

Mounting the horse.
The horses name is Seamus. They always choose horses with the students needs in mind. They are all very patient and sweet animals.  

The level of confidence that my daughter has with these animals is extraordinary. She is able to control this beast without any doubt.  

Showing off her skills. A little blurry cause the horse was moving. This was the indoor event in the arena.  Here she is showing her ability to stop, trot and make the horse 'walk on'. 

Here she is heading to the outdoor event. Look at that posture !!!

This is her very first show. She did not know what to expect, and quite frankly, neither did we. Luckily our good friends were a little more seasoned than us and tried to explain as much as they could. Sometimes, though, you just need to experience it in order to get the full effect. 

This is one of the obstacle courses that they needed to do. In this picture she had the horse go around the blue barrel.

The final showing with Seamus. It was very warm out and the helmut didn't help the matter. She had 'had it' by the time I took this picture.

She accepted her ribbons and unmounted Seamus. She was very proud of herself.

Now this is a kid that is sure of herself. She has come a long way. 

My daughter the equestrian !!! She has come a long way in the last few years. She has more work to do, but then again, we all have to work on ourselves. We have to be patient, loving and proud of ourselves. Otherwise we will not accomplish our goals.