Our third week at the Ranch has been fantastic and we are now able to ride by ourselves whenever we want and have been exploring the different trails through the forest and still haven't managed to get lost. We have also been riding different horses because they all need to be exercised so its been fun getting to know their different personalities except for this one horse 'Calie' who bit me on my love handle while I was doing up her girth, I did know she was biter and kicker but I was not concentrating so it was my own fault, it sure hurt and its lucky I had so many clothes on though I still have ended up with a massive bruise. On Thursday we had the most amazing day experiencing Amish culture that money couldn't even buy. Todd who showed us what to do here is friends with all the amish people and he kindly took us around to meet them and showed us some beautiful stores that they have like saddle shops and where they make all their carts etc. We went to a lovely toy store with all wooded toys made by the Amish, had goats milk fudge from an Amish cheese factory and saw one family making maple syrup and got to taste fresh syrup that had just been finished, I had no idea that was how they traditionally made it. The Amish people were very accommodating to us which surprised me and they were happy for us to learn about their families because Todd often helps them out by driving them long distances when they need it. The highlight was when one of the men hooked his horse up to his cart for us and let us go for a ride which Amish people do not often do for visitors and Todd was even shocked that he offered. It is a rule of the Amish that they aren't allowed to be in any photos for fear of people 'capturing their soul' so we didn't get many photos. The Amish people in this area are very traditional and not only do they not have any electricity they don't have running water or plumbing in their houses. The men we met had between 10-14 kids each and they were soo cute, the kids in this community only go to school until grade 8 and are then expected to work for their parents. Different Amish communnities have different rules but with this group you can tell if the men are married because they have to grow a beard and if they aren't they have to be clean shaven. They are legally allowed to drive a cart from 4yrs old, they do washing on Mondays and Wednesdays, are not allowed to talk about or do any work on a Sunday and they aren't even allowed to wave to any non-Amish people on a Sunday if they drive past. It was so great talking to them and getting an inside look especially because it is such a rare opportuity and they are usually so private, I still can't believe how great that day was. That night a new 'work away' girl arrived from Germany called 'Stephie' and she is lovely. The weekend was very busy with us having to take out about three 1.5hr rides each day which takes alot longer than it sounds by the time you teach them all what to do and get their horses ready, Jesse and I are now expected to do everything and take rides out ourselves which is a tad scary. It has gone surprising well so far but we did have 4 little kids that were tiring, the boy was sooo annoying and kept wanting to change horses or 'go faster' so in the end I just said 'No' to him and he didn't ask me for anything again, should have just done that at the start. Overall the week has been fun and busy and we have another busy week ahead. Jesse is starting to really like the horse riding and always wants to go our for a ride when we get spare time. We have been here for 3 weeks now and only have 2 left, time is going soo fast.