A few Sunday’s ago we visited Stables on the Park again so that Sophie could indulge in her love of horses. Charlotte braved a 5 minute ride but decided, having tried a few times now, that horses are definitely not her cup of tea and that she would much rather stick to dancing.
Meanwhile, Sophie was eager to venture on a longer ride and stepped up onto a big white horse called, ‘Tinsel’. Tinsel was born on Christmas Day and a fitting horse for a little girl born on Boxing Day. This was the first time Sophie had ridden on a horse through water and still talks avidly of the excitement and remembers the clear instructions of needing to lean back in the saddle to go down-hill and forward in the saddle to ride up-hill. She mastered this with incredible understanding for a two-year old. Next time we visit I would love to go on a longer trek with her – maybe down to the beach.
After a beautiful ride we drove further up the coast a few kilometres to visit Lindale Farm and Tourism Centre. The girls delighted in seeing animals up close and Sophie giggled as she fed them all saying, ‘They tickle when the feed,’ before proceeding to rub her slobbered covered hand on her jacket. She went up to the sheep above and said, ‘You’re a big sheep!’ and then happily held out her hand full of food.
Both the girls were frightened of a group of piglets that followed closely at our heels – but were quickly distracted with a sprinkling of feed so we could make a hasty departure! The visit ended with a large serving of Kapiti ice-cream before the scenic drive back.
