Horseback Hullabaloo

Sofia Saucedo, Editor in Chief

 

Just yesterday it seemed as though summer began, yet the student body of Blaine High School is back to studying and stressing. Although summer reflection is well in the minds of Bengals, such as my horseback riding experience this summer, where I learned that horses are great, but not my favorite pastime.

 

Much of my family work with horses or owns a horse. Such as Macario, a family friend, he owns his own horse, whom he takes care of, exercises, and feeds. 

 

While TV shows like Heartland and other pony loving Rom-Coms might seem like it, owning horses isn’t that exciting. However, they are gentle creatures (usually) who can give a lot of love. In my case, I almost got bucked off a horse, but don’t let that scar your My Little Pony phase.

 

Before school started my dad, sister, and I took the hour-long trip to visit Macario’s horse. We pulled up to the ranch and feasted our eyes on the smelly, feces caked, fly loved coral. Near the corral stood two horses, both of which were getting a bath, and loving it.

 

We were greeted by Macario and his friend who also has a horse at that ranch. We watched as the horse cooled off in the summer heat under the majestic flow of the hose, they then let the horses free in the coral to run around.

 

The second the horses were in the coral they dropped and rolled into the dirt, absolutely caking themselves in dust which turned into mud. After they were dry and the mud turned to dirt they were saddled up. 

 

I should note that I have ridden a horse before and do have limited knowledge of horse riding from my weird horse phase (which ended years ago thankfully), so this wasn’t new to me, but the anticipation and the fact that I hadn’t done this in a year scared the crap out of me.

 

There was no mounting stool to get on the horse so in my 5’2 glory my dad had to help me on, then I realized that this saddle-style was western. Meaning you hold onto the saddles rope (technical terms aside) and that’s about it, I was definitely an English rider (stereotypical horse riding saddle in the midwest) 

 

For about ten minutes Macario walked me around the coral, then my dad walked me around the coral. I assumed because of his family’s horse talents he knew how to manage them as well. When I asked him where he learned he said he hadn’t, he knew NOTHING about horses. 

 

At this point, I, who knew basically nothing about horses, is riding a horse that is being led by someone who doesn’t know anything about horses. 

 

Despite this my first half an hour of riding the horse was peaceful until the flies attacked the horse, then he bucked.

 

My ears were filled with garbled Spanish, then Macario turning to his friend and saying “she doesn’t speak Spanish estupido!”. “Pull the reins!” Macario screamed, so I pulled the reins. And something magical happened, the horse stopped. 


Who knew basic horse commands worked. 

 

It turns out me not crying after this event earned me some clout from Macario and his friend, it took me all of my Sophmore strength not to say “I’m a high schooler, we’re all prepared to fall into a void of nothingness at any given second”

 

From there on the rest of my riding was peaceful, well as peaceful as it could get, but peaceful none the less.