Horseplay Niagara Perfect for Absolute Beginners
I catch my breath as I settle in the saddle. Sunny, the horse I’ve been given to ride at Horseplay Niagara, shifts under my weight and my heart jumps into my mouth. At the moment she seems bigger than a dinosaur.
“Don’t pull the reins until I tell you, OK?” Karen, a guide in chaps and a long leather coat is giving me instructions, but what she’s telling me isn’t quite computing. I’m too terrified. A variety of scenarios that involve falling off and being stomped on by heavy hooves rush through my mind.
“Pull the reins, yes…” I mumble incoherently.
“No, I said don’t pull the reins yet,” the guide corrects firmly.
I had a bad horse experience when I was just eight-years-old. While vacationing in a village in Portugal, some kids thought it would be fun to put my sister and I on a horse and then see if they could get it to kick us off.
While we were on, someone began swatting the horse’s hindquarters with a stick, causing it to buck. Everyone was laughing, even my sister thought it was fun, but I was terrified and began to cry. Finally taken off the horse, I swore never to get on another one again.
Hamilton is Tops for Families
Hamilton has some really cool places to visit. As well, spending a weekend there is definitely affordable for a family of four looking for a quick get away. Check our mini-guide to the places we visited and recommend to families.
The Hamilton Children’s Museum is small but packs an entertaining punch for families on a budget. A family of four (two adults and two children) can get in for only $7. Combine that with free parking and the fact that this museum is located in scenic Gage Park, you can’t go wrong with an afternoon visit.
Inside you will find exhibits that are perfect for little minds and hands. The “Kitchen Works” exhibit is exactly that – a working kitchen where kids can get busy cooking make-believe meals and learning lessons on nutrition through stories and games.
Summer in April
It’s not summer yet but it certainly felt like it today in the GTA with temps soaring to a record-breaking 22 degrees! We decided to enjoy the weather by visiting the town of Kleinburg, just a 20-minute drive north of Toronto.
We had a light lunch at one of the local coffee shops, visited the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, where a fantastic exhibit