Riding at the Barn Dance

Each year the riding center we volunteer at has a barn dance. It is a great time. There is always some great food, but the best part is always spending some time with the people we have grown so fond of out at barn. A couple weeks back we were unable to attend a training class held by Randy Kraling--a professional horse trainer from southern Minnesota. Emphasizing the natural behavior of horses, so much of his work is basic body language to get the desired behavior.


We have been very fortunate to have a band that volunteers to play. There isn't always a lot of dancing going on, but they are pretty good. I love the Johnny Cash songs they play. Last year when we were at the Mall of America looking for an outfit for my daughter--a clerk in one of the stores we went into kept asking, "This is really for a barn dance? A real barn?" I know it sounds kind of old fashioned, but we really do have fun.


There is also some wagon rides drawn by the draft horses and a hay ride pulled by a tractor. This year was great! We had extra volunteers come out and had three rides going at the same time...made for a smooth line flow! Even though I didn't go on the rides this year, my boys did and had a good time.


My boys also got to ride the horses for a short time. They enjoyed themselves. In between everything, they had fun playing with the other kids out there. While they were playing, I kept an eye on the silent auction items that were out there.


Other people got their face painted and had some goodies. The raffle tickets also sold very well this year. I was concerned that the fundraiser was not going to go very well this year because of the economy, but we did okay and have more money for feeding the horses! We really do have fun while supporting the therapeutic center.