H is for Henry & the Horses

One of the kids' favorite things to do is stop at the horse barn at our favorite park and visit the horses. Julia loves to rub their noses and tell them how beautiful they are. I dread the day that someone tells her that there are kids who ride horses as a hobby. I dread having her look at me with those big, brown eyes and hearing her say, "Ohhh, I want to ride horses, Mommy!" So I continue to steer her towards more financially reasonable activities, and pray she never finds out.

Henry loves the horses, too. As long as they don't get too close.

So when a group of Julia's preschool friends went to ride ponies last week, I took Henry knowing there was a 50/50 chance he'd get close enough to a horse to ride it. He spent the first half of the hour like this:

Do you want to ride the horse?
No?

Do you want to pet the horse?
No?
Do you love the horse?

Yep.

He watched Julia (who you have to admit, looks naturally regal on a horse)-

I asked again-

Do you want to ride the horse?

Yep.

We got so very close. But as I lifted his very little self onto the very large horse, he changed his mind.

No, no, no, no!

And spent the second half of the hour like this - 

He loves the horses, but they are just a little big and he is just a little small.