When I grow up...

4pm ish

- So, P., did you enjoy your ride today?
P. looks at me intensely and there is an expression of deep thought on his face. He's 10 years old with lots of funny black curly hair escaping from underneath his riding hat, smart little kid who has been riding with me for a year.
- Yeah, I did - he pauses and glances up at the pony, then me again.
- What's up? Let's take your pony to...
- Miss - he steps in - when I grow up I am going to do what you do, I am going to be a riding instructor, as good as you...And I am going to have so much fun like you do.
That shuts me up for a moment. I can't help but smile. I look at my muddy boots, feel my hands getting really cold as I forgot my gloves, think about the hours I spent this morning to revenue & customs trying to sort out some update I need to file my self assessment online and which they forgot to make on my file, I think of the teaching hours still in front of me as I am doing late night tonight and I say:
- That's cool P., that really is great, you got to do what you love in life, then you will be mega happy. And now, let's take this dear pony back to his stable...
He looks up at me again:
- I am serious - and he smiles.

Got to love my job ;)

Some more interesting lines from the book I am reading now:

"Relaxation [of the horse] is the underlying quality required for all developmental stages [...]. Any time spent on a tense horse is detrimental to him. The horse learns, then habituates, all of his activities. Thus, doing any work with a tense horse will promote the learning of incorrect habits."