Baby's second ride

My daughter, Meira, was on a horse with me at 13 days old, and here she is at a little over 5 weeks for her second horsey experience. These "rides" consisted of posing for the photos and then taking a few steps with Dad or Grandma hovering protectively with a hand near a rein, but they count! I like to think I'm starting what will be a lifelong enjoyment of our equine companions.
{The horse above is Jo, my mother-in-law's 6-year-old Paint gelding.}
And when I think of a life spent with horses, I pray that it means she will always get to enjoy horses from the saddle. I write this because today my husband's fire station responded to a medical call of a 58-year-old woman who was thrown from a horse.
I can't say whether the lady who was injured will or won't get back onto a horse, but I've known other older women whose confidence in the saddle was severely diminished after being thrown. Even at 28, I know I wouldn't do things that I would've when I was 18 horseback, because every year I age, a little bit of fear, or maybe just a bit more sense, changes me as a rider.
Now, when I think of my daughter horseback, I'm sure I'm experiencing the same apprehension my own mother probably felt—but that certainly won't stop me from letting her ride. It also won't stop me from hovering when she starts learning to ride independently, or insisting on a helmet, or worrying when she heads out on a ride that I won't be on. However, I've got a few years to go before I'll need to start worrying!