It was a few moons back when the travails of my long hours spent in sleep and the ensuing dreams finally payed off. On a sunday morning, when there is utterly no reason for me to get off the bed before 10am, I was up and kicking by 7:30 am. And all this with a glint in the eye like that of a child who has just been bought his first tricycle.
Ok it was not a tricycle for me, but I was about to ride a horse for the first time in my life. So there I was ready even before the rooster popped his eyes open [ come on, even roosters have late morning on sunday's]. It's a different issue that crowing of rooster's is unheard of in urban US of A.
So 4 of us started on a 200 mile long journey to piggyback a horse. After an exhausting 3 hrs of drive dotted with coke breaks, loo breaks and lunch break we did arrive at a village aptly named Utopia and felt immediately refreshed.
The fields were lush green bordered by colourful gentle slopes. There we had number of colts, fillys, mares and stallions.. all lazily grazing on the green under a overcast sky which rendered more contrast to the pictersque Utopia.
There a man of about 75 summers greeted us and assigned one horse to each of us complete with saddles et al. He did his best to convince us that trained horses were one of the most gentle animals.. [my doubts lay somewhere else]
For my part, I did get a good looking bay coloured horse.
Note: Didn't use beautiful/handsome because I do not know if it was a mare or a stallion and I had no intention of doing it in whatsoever manner you people just thought about. Enough of the smirks.
After giving me a uninterested inspection from top to bottom, it finally resigned its fate to its rider [read me]. Perhaps it would have been delighted to have a jockey and then gallop through the uninhibited green pastures. But alas it was destined on this day to have me and walk lazily or at the most trot.
But I was determined to get into the skin of a jockey. I must emphasize here that the perceptions of horses are better as I later found out.
So there we were 4 of us.. each one on a different horse. We were guided by a small guy of about 16 summers on a naked back horse. it looked so hollywood-bollywood ishtyle.. the way he would get on to the horse and gallop.... I was getting more determined to get the best feel.. once I got the steering correct...
The next 5 mins were spent in learning how to get the horse moving left, right, forward and stop. It all seemed so easy.. my horse obeyed me perfectly and so there we were all set to go.
As soon as the word go was said, my horse seemed to change it's mind. It would go exactly in the opposite side I wanted it to go. Who says animals have only instincts and no brains!!!
So be it... it lamely followed the other horses in front and soon we were walking slowly through green pastures. This wasn't exciting... so i kicked my horse.. [All the **PCA people - hold on, I only wanted to get the horse moving faster.. just nudged it.. not really kicked "
did not cause any injury to horse" - phew!]. Voila.. it was trotting; atleast I thought so... but like an automobile with the foot off the gas, it would slow down immediately.
I decided enough was enough.. kicked.. er.. nudged it a little harder.. and it shot off like a rocket.. I was told later that it was the first time that I [on my horse] trotted.. talk of all the spoil sport!!
After about 10 mins of walking and interspersed trotting.. we arrived at a group of horses. My horse at this time decided that I was not it's master for the time being and it better invoke its decision making [talk of freedom!].
But it had underestimated me; I was not to be let down so easily. So I nudged it forward and tried to steer it away from following the other jobless horses that we came upon. It shook it's head violently and refused to budge. If it were a signal of some sort then I had failed to perceive it for I still kicked it. It had enough of me. Up went both of it's front legs and I thought I nearly saw the pearly gates with St. Peter opening his arms. But sense prevailed over that wretched 4 legged creature for I saw it smirk over my helplessness. Assured that it would not be troubled further, it followed the horses. I realized why the home teams have always an advantage. True it had turned out to be an ego battle between me and the horse.. each refusing to accept defeat.
So lazily this four legged with a I-will-do-what-I-like attitude animal walked on.. me having temporarily resigned. A strategy was brewing in my brain. At this time my friends too were having similar problems. One of the other horses decided it needed a lunch break and started eating leaves, grass and what not whenever it found some. Talk of team work.
So like true Texan cowboys sans hats and guns, we drove those jobless horses back to their sheds. At one point of time I decided to implemet my strategy that I had brewed. I caught my horse unawares and tried to steer it off at particular turning. But my veteran horse was smarter than I expected. It again did pose like one of those black Maharanapratap statues in parks and reminded me of the pearly gates and the doom if I were not allow it do as it wished. I happily complied.
The jobless horses once tethered in the shed, we moved on to take a different route. Surprisingly my horse seemed to obey me very well now. Was it another tactic of it's.. I cannot say for sure till this day.
But it began trotting as I wanted, turned as I steered it. But an hour on horseback had almost got me now. My back hurt like hell and knees were not able to sustain the ride any longer. I have my doubts that my horse knew this and on slopes it would suddenly start trotting [perhaps it's lazy instincts coupled with training forbade it to gallop - thankfully]. Each time it trotted it would feel as if someone was drilling my knees and my back. I had to pull on the reins to avoid trotting. So much for asking it to trot in the first half.
Meanwhile the lunching horse still continued lunching. It had to be almost whipped by our guide to complete the tour. Another hour of walking and trotting through the slopes of a mountain under thick foliage and we were back now knowing what horse back riding is.
Throughly exhausted I finally accepted the animal to have better brawn and brains than me. But all in all it was a great experience and we slowly absorbed the experience as we drove back another 3 hrs for home. 6 hrs drive for a 2 hrs ride. Crazy we are, we accept.
The next 2 days I had to be constantly reminded that there was no big stone between my legs.
I don't say that I would jump out of the bed again with a glint in the eye at the prospect of horse riding, but now I hold a respect for that animal and people who do ride it with ease.
PS: I do carry the been-there-done-it look on my face now! Yes, I am smirking.