The girls help get their horses ready to ride, which teaches them about the various equipment 
(reins, bridles, bits, blankets, saddles, stirrups...you know. That stuff)

The girls' instructor is Marco Belpario, an excellent, patient teacher. 
Marco's from Rome and has a very heavy accent

Ally and "Little Man," the pony she uses

Marco works with both girls at the same time

While the girls are riding, Joni and I play Yahtzee in the observation room, or walk around.
Joni loves horses, and loves to feed them, too

I'm not a big fan of horses, but they're okay. The guy I come to see is Simon, 
the "farm dog" that I can usually find loping along or blobbing in the barn

I've had and known quite a few good dogs before, but Simon is, quite honestly,
The Best Dog in the Entire World. Sometimes, while I'm hanging out with him,
 one or more of the numerous barn cats that live there will come up to say hello

If it's nice weather, the girls will ride on a trail or at an outdoor ring; if the weather's not so 
good, they'll go to an indoor ring. At the end of each lesson, they help take off the horses'
gear and put them back into their stalls. Then Joni and the girls drag me away from Simon.

We always have a good time!