H.E.A.R.T for Military Veterans August 23-24, 2014 Campout. On the morning of August 24th, the horses were fed as the children ate their breakfast, and afterwards a game of horseshoes played out, where the boys edged out the girls by one point with the last horseshoe thrown (clink was the sound it made hitting the steel stake). Now the time had come, every child chomping at the bit to ride the horses, and so they did... Every child excitedly gathered around Erika and Lynn as instructions were given...some with carrots in hand, and riding helmets strapped on... The two horses the children rode were Buck and Gold Dust Magic ( a.k.a. Balthazar ). ( Meaning of Balthazar: Baal protects the King and a name traditionally assigned to one of the wise men (also known as the Magi, or three kings) who visited the newborn Jesus). Buck, the smaller of the two; all the children rode him first. Then afterwards, the children rode Balthazar. The children loved them both, but Balthazar stood tall, and were at first afraid to ride him...but Keira bravely wanted to ride him first, so she mounted upon the saddle with assistance, she sat there still for a moment...and then she rode him...lol. After everyone had riden the horses (Buck and Balthazar), the children behind the fence, five of the seven horses were joined together in the one arena, and set free...where all five ran together as one and the children loved it! The sound of thunder, as it were as their hooves hit the ground running, could be heard... When the horses stopped running, the children realized it was time to go home...home? Lol. Well, each child wanted to stay longer...and so camp was extended for two more hours...at which time they sat upon the ground, every question a child could ask about the horses were, indeed, asked...lol. Yes, for two hours...lol. H.E.A.R.T. has made available the use of these horses to the Montana Army National Guard and Reserve for a summer weekend kids event in 2015. We are looking forward to that event, too! (Photographs by H.E.A.R.T. photographer Erika Lyn Spaulding)
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 18:55:54 +0000