Ride to Cameron's Inn

Last Sunday we planned a ride with Ronda and Penny. Ronda was very sweet to bring Virpi a horse to ride, Prince, whose owner is not able to ride any longer, and whom Virpi fell in love with immediately. I was suppose to ride Joe, another one of Ronda's horses, but after a quick body check concluded, that his back was sore and didn't feel right about riding him, so I borrowed Faith (Tom's horse) from Armando, who had just saddled her to ride. Faith seemed quite content to be switched from Armando's heavy Mexican saddle to my light English one with an air pad and all. She felt so good and styling, that she was walking ahead of everyone on the way out as well as on the way back.

We rode to Cameron's restaurant, hitched the horses and sat on the outside table for lunch.

The weather was totally grabby, cold, drizzly fog, but it did not dull our mood. It felt great to be on a horse again with good company and good food. And Faith is such a lovely ride. What an awesome relaxing, leisurely Sunday.

Of course Virpi and I hardly had time for our own horses afterwards, which definitely showed on their disappointed faces. And I felt guilty for spending the day with another horse after we stuck Madeira and Steal back into their stalls after only a 15 min. walk. But Faith, who lives just one stall down from Madeira, seemingly beamed while she stood sticking her head over the fence of her paddock, and patiently waited for her after ride treats. On the way out I slipped her a few peppermints and thanked her for a fun day.

Faith waiting patiently for her after ride treats.

Moving forward.

Although Madeira and Steal live right next to each other they still need that intimate closeness at times, so when Steal was completely stall bound we let Madeira visit him in his stall. She was like a little girl who didn't want to go home from her play date afterwards.

Steal is doing much better now. He seems to really enjoy going for his walks, which is now 10 minutes twice a day. He walks happy and proud. Although to his great annoyance we fitted him with a muzzle so not to take any chances of him eating since his diet must be very strict from now on. On Saturday Joe and I put Steal, Madeira and Sunrise in to the round corral and had them all walk around for ten minutes. Head to tail they walked like a line of elephants.

Last week I finally got on Madeira for the first time in 9 months. Only for a few minutes after our playing session, bareback and bridle less, and she walked around so perfectly tuned into me, that I was virtually surprised how easy it was to direct her with solely my seat. I was ecstatic as Raul rode by wrangling out a group of customers, and gave me a million dollar smile.

Later he wanted to know how I had the guts to get on Madeira like that, you know without a saddle and bridle, when no one has ridden her for such a long time. Wasn't I scared that she was going to buck me off?

Oh boy, I thought. The normal assumptions that horses will forget and go crazy if they aren't worked and worked and worked. And further, that I would do it without preparing her well on the ground first. To get into harmony with her. Set up for success!!!

But it isn't easy for people to understand if they aren't used to reading horses enough to determine whether it is OK to proceed or whether to retreat. So I told Raul that I simply asked Madeira if she would like to carry me today and she said, "well why not." So I got on. (Raul thinks I'm a bit loony.)

Since then I have gotten on Madeira couple more times for a short while and even trotted around a bit. It's not much, but we are on our way to riding again and slower the better to ensure her leg will hold.

Rodeo fun!

Mikko and I went to the Driscoll ranch rodeo in La Honda, Ca. Last weekend. It is a small town rodeo and lots of fun. What we learned was that the real bull riders start at the age of as young as three, riding sheep. Yes, real woolly sheep. The kid is lifted on the sheep's back in the bull shoot, then they open the shoot and the sheep runs out as the kid hangs on for dear life until finally falls right under the sheep's feet. I was totally astonished about what cow people do with their kids. Then when the kids are I think ten and older they ride steer. It's just like real bull riding, only with little bulls and little cowboys. And those steer, man, they buck hard. So that's how they teach the cowboys to grow up tough. At some point in their late teens, I guess, they start riding big bulls.

It is very interesting, that the bulls life journey in the rodeo circuit is similar to the cowboys. They start by being roped as calves, then they are used in steer wrestling and, apparently, steer riding for little cowboys, and then for real bull riding... until they end up on someones dinner plate.

Mikko and I decided to try this bull riding ourselves. See the video clip! Mikko actually did very well on the bull. Me, however... well, you could say, that I'm lacking some serious muscle power in my legs.

I have to lift my hat for those cowboys, this stuff demands some serious skill and athletic ability. (Although I did cheer more for the bulls, I think they did awesome job bucking off cowboys.)

It was a fun day! And Mikko looked very handsome in a cowboy hat.