Sunday, May 19, 2013

Horseback Riding

 May 16, 2013

Today, we went horseback riding.  I had been before when I was young with the girl scouts, but never like this.  The ranch with the horses was amazing and beautiful, and there were a surprising number of animals there besides horses.  There were dogs a plenty, as usual, but these dogs actually belonged to the owners of the ranch, unlike all of the strays we see every day.  Besides the dogs, however, there were also pigs, chickens, cats, and a single calf.  The calf was only 5 days old, though he was already as tall as my hips at the shoulder. 

When waivers were signed and everyone had leather leg protectors strapped on, we went and divvied up the horses.  I asked for a horse with a non-tranquil personality, because last time I went riding, the horse was slow and boring, and I wanted to have a fun ride.  I ended up with a beautiful brown horse, named Dorailla, who did not seem inclined to listen to my directions at first.  While we were riding, however, I learned that Dorailla wanted nothing more than to gallop constantly.  Whenever I loosened the reigns even slightly she would run full tilt until I managed to force her to stop.  I stayed on the saddle and actually had an amazing time.  If I go riding again, I want another horse that loves to run.

After we returned to the ranch, we had a barbeque around an open fire pit.  The ranch owner made a variety of meats, and everything was accompanied by various potato salads and Pico de Gallo.

One thing I will miss when we go home is that there is Pico de Gallo everywhere here.  In restaurants, before the meal, servers will bring bread and Pico to the table.  I have never had it with bread before, but I definitely plan to bring this tradition home with me.  It is delicious and I will miss it a lot.

Tomorrow we return home, and based on the state of my back, I do not anticipate a comfortable plane ride.

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