I think I could use riding lessons...

Today I celebrated my birthday, even though it was actually yesterday. A lot of family members came to lunch at my grandmother's house. It was nice to see and visit with everyone. I even received a couple of gifts, even though I told everyone not to get me anything. I got a new blanket and some dolphin figurines to add to my collection.

After almost everyone left, my little cousin wanted to ride the horse. Well the horses are turned out into the woods, so we didn't know if we'd be able to catch them. As luck would have it, they came to the gate, so we walked down and let them into the field. My dad got the saddles and got 2 of the 3 horses ready to ride. He and my cousin rode for a while and then stopped to rest. He asked if I wanted to ride Goodie, while my cousin rode Rascal. Now, I don't ride at all, and I've never ridden Goodie. After contemplating for a second, I decided to. I managed to get on him by using the tailgate of the truck. He stood still while I got on him, but then I found out that my feet couldn't reach the stir-ups. My dad wanted to fix them, but in order for him to do that I had to get off the horse. I decided not to, which was a huge mistake. I made it up the road and was going down the slight hill in the field when Goodie decided he wanted to go see the other horse that was left behind. I was trying to turn him the other way, but I didn't understand the directions that my dad was giving me. To make a long story short, I ended up falling off the horse. My mom says that I landed on my shoulders first, then my head, and then my butt. All I know for sure is that I could breathe for about a minute and my head and right leg hurt. In fact, my leg will probably be really sore tomorrow. Other than that I'm fine. I learned two things: First, my 8 year old cousin is a better horse-woman than I am. And second, I believe milk really does a body good. It's a good thing I get a lot of calcium, or I would have broken an arm or leg. I think next time I'll start with shorter stir-ups and practice riding on flat ground before tackling hills or mountains.