SPEEDY!!

Ryder is getting fast! I mean, the kid can really move, either that, or I have been seriously underestimating his mobility skills.
Today, I took Ryder to the "Mane Event," a big event surrounding horses. There are clinics, Trainers Challenges, demonstrations, lectures, and shopping, lots and lots of shopping. I have attended the Mane Event every year that it has come to our neck of the woods. I meet my Mom there (the location of the event is between our two towns) and I always see a few of my other good friends from the horse world there. I look forward to the shopping, the trainer's challenge and the visiting. I've been there single, married, pregnant, with a new born and this year, I went with a one year old! This year, I didn't shop, I didn't watch the Trainers Challenge and I barely got to visit. This year, I was busy. Busy, chasing an adorable, very mobil one year old, all over the event site.  Ryder is fast! He could push his way through strangers legs faster than I could push the stroller he refused to sit in, that's for sure.  I could always tell where he'd been though, by the smiles on people's faces and I could tell which way he was headed by the direction of people's stares and the sounds of "oh, look how cute he is...what a cute little red head, awww."  It seemed he was always heading towards the tractors. No matter where I drug him, at first opportunity, he would take off, straight back to the tractors..he's like a homing pigeon, but instead of going home (to his mama) he always ended up at the tractors!! Luckily, the guys selling the big machines, had great senses of humor and got a real kick out of putting Ryder up in the seats, letting him push and pull the levers.
Ryder also made friends with the driver of a team of Heavy Horses. He just stood pointing and waving at the guy until he invited Ryder to come over and pet, "Marty" and "Jim."  Can you believe that? The horses had the same names as Ryder's Dad and Grandpa!

After about 3 hours, I was exhausted! I decided our trip to this Year's Mane Event was done.  I loaded up my little man and drove him home where we picked up Scout and headed to the farm to visit our own horse.  Uncle Dirt was happy to see us, especially when we filled his feed tub with sweet feed.  I am pretty sure he hadn't anticipated sharing that sweet feed with both Ryder and Scout, but he begrudgingly did.  I tried to convince Ryder to feed the oats he picked up to Dirt, but most of it went into his own mouth.  Scout always stands by, ready to lick up anything that spills or gets left behind.  AFter the feast, I set out to brush my shedding pony.  I had set Ryder up with a big dump truck and some shovels. However, apparently, he was more interested in my brush caddy. These are the things in the brush caddy, I have not emptied in years, that he found to put in his mouth:
-a can of "Off" mosquito repellant
-scissors
-some mini elastics
-several brushes filled with horse hair
-a hankerchief
-tub of vaseline

It had never crossed my mind that all of that "dangerous" stuff was in my caddy.

It also never crossed my mind that Ryder might just go ahead and walk right under Dirt's belly, but before I could stop him, that's exactly what he did!! Good God!
I mean we used to do that all the time, walk under our 4-H horses, but they were bomb proof and we were not ONE years old!!! Thank God, Dirt was oblivious!  I need to get this kid a helmet and get him ON TOP of the horse where he'll stay out of trouble!! LOL