a spot of singapore, picture perfect

Jockeys and ballerinas

I remember my first ever pony ride. I was 16 and we were in Perth for a family holiday. Despite never riding a horse before, we were given the reins and told to follow the guy in front around a trail.

I got a horse that did not give a rat’s ass about my orders or the fact that I was holding the reins. She must have sensed that I was a newbie because she would randomly stop to chew on leaves and when I told her to stop eating and move along, she would look at me from the corner of her eye and go “pffffff…”

I did still enjoy every moment of it because there’s something about riding a horse all on your own that makes you feel so badass.

So yesterday, we brought the kids for their first pony ride at the Pasir Ris horse stables.

At $10 for a 3-minute walk around the stable, it’s a little pricey but this being the first time and all, it seemed like a small price to pay for the experience.

Besides, there’s always the chance that one of them might turn out to be a champion jockey (my money’s on Truett, he’s already looking the part). Then we’ll look back at this $10 and consider it well-spent.

Kirsten was a little reluctant to go on at first but when she saw her brother have so much fun, she steeled herself and did it. She’s in an “anything kor kor can do, I can do too” phase.

The whole time, she sat like a statue and gripped the saddle till her fingers turned white. But she did it and when she got down, she beamed and said “I ride the horse very well.”

This has nothing to do with horses but I saw her adjusting her shoe after the ride and I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to send her for ballet classes. I was never the ballet sort when I was younger but there’s something about having a little girl that makes you want to put her in a tutu, sweep up her hair in a ponytail and watch her do a pirouette.

Anyone knows of a good ballet school?

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11 Comments

  • Reply Jillian October 24, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    The title of your post caught my eye, DH is a jockey and he always says he never wants the children to follow in his footsteps. Shame though cos they are both built for it ! :)

    • Reply Daphne October 24, 2011 at 11:54 pm

      Wow I have to say that’s kind of cool. My son will probably think that’s the best job in the world, getting to ride horses all day :)

  • Reply Elaine October 24, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    The last picture was indeed classic ballerina doing up her shoes pose. Kirsten will be sooo cute in a tutu. Her expression on the horse reminds me so much of my own little girl’s default expression – deep concentration. She rides the horse very well indeed.

    • Reply Daphne October 24, 2011 at 11:57 pm

      Haha i agree! Funny how kids always look so intense whenever they’re having too much fun, like they’re just taking it all in.

  • Reply Bun Bun Makeup Tips October 24, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    Look of intense concentration on baby girl’s face. So cute! XD

    • Reply Daphne October 24, 2011 at 11:59 pm

      Yeah we kept trying to make her smile for the camera but she was too busy concentrating on not falling off the horse…

  • Reply Ellen October 25, 2011 at 6:33 am

    That’s adorable. I still haven’t been able to get Ethan to ride a horse! She is a brave brave girl. And Tru is totally a champ!

  • Reply Ai Sakura October 25, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    Swweet. I love little girls in tutus. Not in a pervy way of course.. haha. Great to see that your kids handle animals well.
    Ai Sakura´s last post ..Korea: A City of S{e}oul

  • Reply SengkangBabies October 26, 2011 at 12:24 am

    ballet , ballet :)
    We are already imaginaing how our little girl will look in her tutu haha
    SengkangBabies´s last post ..Baby girl always look for Mummy, true or not?

  • Reply Stella October 27, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    Hey Daphne, can try Dance Arts at Funan Centre. V long history (like 30 years!) and my niece, who took lessons there since she’s a kid, successfully got a place at the Royal Academy of Dance in London. She’s like 1 out of 5 international students that they accept every year. So yeah, try Dance Arts. Kirsten will look too cute in a tutu!

  • Reply Glenda November 2, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    hello i just stumbled upon your blog while googling some stuff for work, and i’ve been dancing since i was 5 and i just had to comment (:
    Good ballet schools in Singapore would probably be
    Singapore Ballet Academy (my friend teaches there)
    The School of Dance
    Crestar school of dance

    personally I’d say singaopre ballet academy. Although i think the standard have dropped since most of the ex ballerinas from Singapore Dance Theatre all started teaching at The School of Dance(SOTA). but SBA is slightly on the pricy side. but if you’re daughter is good, very easily to get ‘talent spotted’

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