Mamas, LET your babies grow up to be cowboys

Today was the first official day of summer break.
Sleeping in was divine. Of course, sleeping in for me is 7:30 a.m., so that's a bit relative I guess.
I made pancakes for the boys, regular and blueberry, and we took our setting the table and sitting to eat. No hurried bowl of cereal today.
The boys went to work at the house with Joe, and I stayed "home" with Daniel.
The boys and I had a date to keep this afternoon, so they came home and got ready about one o'clock.
Today was horseback riding lessons out at Westbrook with our friend Rachel.
We met Rachel and her husband, Kevin, at church. They are such neat people and after having them over, I could tell it was one of those connections where you know you will be richer for knowing these people.
She works out at a . . ranch, farm. I'm not really sure what to call it.
There are lots of horses and hounds and cows. They put on fox hunts there, among other things.
Josiah has had this thing for horses for some time now, and asked for one for his birthday. Because we are moving to a house that has two acres, he believed this was a feasible request, and fully expected one on his natal anniversary.
We did the next best thing.
Riding lessons.
We explained that first he needs to learn all he can about horses: how to care for them and how to handle them and how to ride them, etc.
Then, in a few years, after he has been around them and knows what to do with them, maybe we will look into getting a horse for him.
So riding lessons began today.
Rachel taught the boys how to lead a horse first.
Then they learned about grooming a horse in preparation for riding him.
After that it was time to pick a saddle. They chose a western one. I think the other choices were English or Australian.
They learned how to saddle a horse, and bridal one.
Then, it was "up in the saddle 101."
The horse they rode was a 15 year old retired race horse named Skyward Bound, or Bounder for short.
Boy, was he big!
Josiah got right up on him, though, and rode him all around the pen. He learned how to turn him and stop him and make him trot.
Then it was Isaac's turn, and he rode like a pro. He even told Rachel he thought he could ride without her holding on, and he did!!
You have not lived until you have seen your young sons up on horseback, trotting into the wind, their hair blowing back, their faces full of smile, their confidence swelling.
It was amazing!
I thought about cowboys.
I thought about the kind of men most of them were: hard-working, honest, loyal men deeply affected by the land they worked and rode. Men who got dirty, but would never think of saying a dirty word in front of a child or a lady. Men who wore out their boots, not their couches. Men who believed in something and fell for nothing.
There are very few cowboys these days.
We go again next week.
Rachel said maybe we could all learn how to ride.
"We could be the horseback riding family!" I laughed.
"That would be so cool." she said.
Yes, it would.