In Which Connor Rides A Pony

Obligatory Connor On A Pony Photo

Connor woke up this morning in good spirits but still really snotty and coughy, so I decided to keep him back from school.  I'm pretty sure he'll be able to go tomorrow though, as not only was he mostly back to his normal self but he also didn't have a single seizure!  I just didn't want to expose the other kids to a possible contagion.

Of course, now Jeremy and I are both getting sick.  Oh well.

At any rate, Connor continued to perk up throughout the day and since the ponies weren't going to catch his cold I decided to go ahead and take him for his first riding session.  So we drove down to Spirit's Party Barn, pulled up outside and took the wheelchair through the muddy terrain and into the enclosed paddock where Greg was waiting for us.  This time Connor rode Spirit, who is the barn's namesake and an elderly, gentle pony.  Spirit was quite a bit bigger than Thunder (the last pony Connor rode) and Connor wasn't sure what to make of the situation at first, but after Spirit investigated the little guy's shoes and lipped at his shirt the kiddo decided that he was okay with the situation and settled into the riding.

Oh, and please note that I did in fact get a picture of Connor on the pony as requested.  Your brain probably won't implode due to the fact that it was not, in fact, a miniature pony this time, but hopefully there is more than enough cuteness there to satisfy all parties requesting said photos.  I got more but this is the only one in which he is not actively drooling (probably because balancing on a pony is such hard work).  I'll try to take some more at a future date.

Anyway, he did a fantastic job!  Greg commented that Connor seems much steadier in the saddle and needed much less support than the last time he rode, which was lovely to hear.  Greg led Spirit around the paddock in a slow, wide circle while keeping one hand on Connor, and I helped support the little guy from the other side.  Connor rode Spirit four times in about ten minute intervals with a nice long break in between each to give him a chance to recover; riding is hard work!  By the end he was signing "want more," every time we stopped, and he was feeling confident enough to gently feel the saddle and Spirit's mane.  Connor also got to see a baby goat and a couple of silkie chickens (the dustmops of the chicken world).  He was mostly interested in watching Spirit, though. 

I mentioned to you all the last time I wrote about Connor doing some riding how I thought Greg was a great guy and would be a positive influence on Connor; well, he certainly proved that again today.  Not only was he amazing with both the animals and the little guy, but he offered to let Connor come ride twice a week and refused any compensation.  I kind of teared up a little; I have a feeling that the riding is going to be hugely beneficial to Connor on so many levels and this means that he can continue to ride well past the couple of months that we had room for in our budget.

There are some pretty fantastic people out there.

~Jess