Last Friday we took a little field trip to the Horse World Expo at the Maryland State fairgrounds. For my horse-loving crew you can imagine this is like a little piece of heaven.

With everything from demonstrations on the biomechanics of riding by college professors and Olympic athletes to "equitainment" like bridle-less jumping and vaulting (think gymnastics on the back of a horse) to every possible thing you could imagine buying for your horse, your barn, your trailer to rescue groups and sad little ponies wanting to be adopted.

Elizabeth even got a lesson on riding side saddle.

We stayed until our eyes glazed over (okay, the adult's eyes) and I'd sunk all my cash on $12 cups of Maryland crab soup and $4 sodas. And the girls' bags of freebies were too heavy to be carried much longer.

Much to my littlest daughter's chagrin, we did not bring home a Shetland pony named Chicco or sweet old rescue horse. Nor did we purchase studded cowgirl hats and matching show belts.

I was however, a total sucker for the little old lady who polished and waterproofed my sad and tired Danskos and Birdy's sparkly pink boots. I mean, come on! The stuff is from the outback AND it's good for your hands. Sold.

We got home with enough time to layout all the posters, pamphlets, pencils and bobble-head horses across the living room floor--comparing who got what and who wanted to trade a stretchy horse eraser for a horse head keychain.

Birdy rattled on to Dan about everything she'd seen at an almost incomprehensible rate, while Emma quietly carried off rescue group and riding club pamphlets to her bedroom where every word would be studied and devoured.

It was exhausting and overwhelming but oh so fun to experience with them. By this time next year we'll have worn our horse pencils down to stumps and wrinkled out the glossy pamphlets and lost the buttons and tiny plastic horses and be ready to do it all over again.