I met the owner Leslie, and her horses, in the big red barn next to the General Store. That part is true. There was a General Store. Meeting her and having her give me a horse was such a fast informal process that I honestly don’t have a lot to say except she pointed out two horses deciding ultimately that “Danny” would be a better choice for me since he had been in horse shows demonstrating “Western Pleasure.”
(Sidenote: I don’t know if it’s all the wine I drank last night, and my subsequent hangover, but it feels like I am making this whole story up, but I’m not, I swear. I could not make up, Western Pleasure)
Ok, so where was I? Danny! So all of the horses at this ranch are Arabians. All you really need to know about Arabians is that they’re not anything like ranch horses, or trail horses. Where trail horses are mutts, Arabians are purebreds. Where mutts are a mixed bag in terms of temperament, purebreds are usually strong-willed and it’s no different with Arabians. These are some feisty ponies. Even Danny, a 20 year old geezer, has got some spunk.
And the girls. The girls that were there were those girls I always grew up envying, hating, judging, etc….horse girls. Being around horses is second nature to them and I have to assume with a sneer that they all “come from money.” But they were ultimately very nice as they talked circles around me regarding horse x and why he is that way because he’s a gelding just like her last horse whose canter was off because he was lame and oh look at these bites right here on this horse, and oh let’s just go tack up our horses like we’ve been doing forever and ever, ahem. Yeah. It was slightly intimidating. But I hung in there because HELLO I was in a BARN full of HORSES.
So, the deal is, I show up as much as once a week, saddle Danny the horse, groom Danny the horse, go riding in one of 4 giant, fenced pastures. Essentially, as Leslie put it, I show up and Danny is mine for a few hours, all for the economical price of $30 per week. Oh, and one of those weeks will be in the form of a lesson.
The curious thing about all of this is that it’s primarily an English-saddle operation. I’ve only ridden English once – in Ireland – and it was difficult. Maybe just because it was different but still….it is all thighs. And again, the fact that they ride English style goes to show that these are a different breed of horse girls than I am used to and I am pretty sure that Leslie, as part of her lesson, is going to push English saddles on me, and you know, I am not too sad about that.
I think, yeah! I could become a horse girl minus the family inheritance and with a side of ranch because F**k it! This is a hot damn killer opportunity to become a more well-rounded, knowledgeable rider – not to mention the fact that – with these spunky Arabians, my actually riding prowess will rule and being a good rider has always been a serious life goal. Yeehaw!
Even though I am totally freaked out and intimidated, I figure there is no better way to learn and in 3 weeks I feel confident I will be saddling up my own horse without a seconds hesitation. It is really a cool thing Leslie is offering and once the minor anxiety dissipates, I know that personally speaking, it will become the opportunity of a lifetime for me.
I don’t have any pictures of Danny the Horse because I already felt stupid enough around the horse girls and whipping out my cell phone would have been mortifying. So, I did the next best thing and found a close representation in this stock photo of an Arabian Bay. Also included, Western vs English saddles for those not familiar with the differences. Coming soon….real pictures of Danny the horse and the riding facilities.
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