More Horse Play . . .

Compadre. . .

and the rest of the story

We met at the stables before sunrise—just me, Betto and the horses. An early beach walk to  reconnect with Compadre and start another glorious day. The waves were splashing and the air was cool as we leisurely walked along the brilliant blue Sea of Cortez. Me,  wondering how I could ever leave this incredible place and return to normalcy as I know it. Living so close to nature with the plants, the animals and the sea fills me with a sense of peace like nothing else. 

Being blessed with a private lesson this morning in using the reins, my legs, and my voice to guide him along, I quickly learned there was a lot to remember when riding a horse . At one point Compadre just stopped and refused to move forward as if to say: Just exactly WHAT do you want me to do? My messages were confusing to him, and to me. My short legs proved to be a problem. You see, when I kicked my heels to tell him to go forward my feet didn't connect. They are so short that they didn’t even touch his side so he had no clue what I was talking about. They were merely flapping in the wind around his massive body. Practicing the 4 points, (loosening the reins, making the giddy-up noises with my lips, kicking my feet and guiding the reins) takes time, patience and coordination for the rider and the horse. But, I am happy to say as the ride was ending we were getting better at it and Compadre was moving forward at a steady pace, even speeding up when I coaxed him. He no longer had to be pulled with a rope by Betto to get a move on it. A novice rider like me had to be extremely frustrating for this majestic creature. But Compadre handled it well, and even nuzzled his soft snout into my chest when we said goodbye. We had bonded in our own way. 

It was good to hear the rest of the story concerning my fall on Thursday night, because from my perspective it was still a mystery. Everything was fine until it wasn't and things changed in a nanosecond. Fortunately, another rider behind us had seen what happened. Apparently there had been people lying on the sand looking at the stars. Keep in mind that it was really dark because the full moon had not appeared yet. When they saw our riding group approaching the area, they sprang up unexpectedly and spooked Compadre, the closest horse to them. Betto had trained his horses to step to the side and stop, not rear up and run. And that’s exactly what Compadre did. He put his head down, brought it up and quickly stepped to the left before I could grasp what was happening. Unfortunately, I proceeded with my forward momentum to the right and slid over his shoulder resulting in a jarring face plant on the sand. If the reins had been in my hand maybe this could have been avoided, but maybe not. It happened so fast and I was not prepared so in reality this accident was my fault, not his. 

Leaving this magical place on Thursday will be difficult. Life is simple here and I have bonded with the energy of Baja California Sur. Travel is energizing, taking me out of the routine of life and providing adventures and lasting memories for my soul. I am once again reminded that life is simple, life is good, and life is meant to be experienced and enjoyed. I must continue to move forward with my wanderlust spirit and be here, there and everywhere at once! So many beautiful places to see and do, and so little time. 

Namasté