Costa Rica Day 5.

Today was amazing!!!!! I went on a horse back riding lessons and met Costa Rican horses. I had to get up pretty early to be able to get to the south in time for the ride, which started at eight thirty, before the weather gets too hot. I really wanted to get their early so I would be able to go around meeting the horses and giving them the bag of apples that I had bought at a local store. I got to the ranch at around eight. There was a couple who arrived at the same time I did, and for the same reason. We were all horse enthusiasts, but hadn't ridden much. We got our guide, Diego, to show us around the horses. He told us the ranch raised Iberoameracana, Costarriccence de Paso and Criollo horses, the native breeds of Costa Rica. I lent apples to the two other people in my group, Sasha and Eli. They were both very nice people, and I had a feeling we would get along well with them. The first breed we met was the Costarriccence de Paso. They are beautiful horses, but the one we saw was quite high strung, and not for us to ride. The next ones were Criollo horses. They were very nice and gentle, and were the prettiest ones there. It was actually a Criollo named Zorba that I chose to ride for the day. Zorba, isn't he pretty? The next ones we saw were Iberoameracana. They were very pretty as well, but most of them needed an experienced rider, which I am not. I liked them, but I had already connected with Zorba. Once the other two had picked out horses, it was time for some riding lessons! I headed to the tack room, which is what you call the place where you keep the equipment for riding, and got Zorba's saddle and bridle. I carried them out to the stall that he was in, and was able to lift the saddle onto his back. I wasn't however able to make the strap tight, because he has a weird habit of breathing in every time I got the cinch tight. I had Diego help me with that, and I was able to put the bridle on myself. I was the second out to the ring, Eli's horse didn't puff out apparently, and we were soon on to our lesson. I learned how to mount Zorba, and I was very glad he was a patient horse, because I couldn't get my leg over his back in one smooth swing like Diego could. My heel hit his flank and he twitched, but that was all. Good horse! After we were all seated, we learned how to ride at a walk. I have ridden horses before, but only on trail rides where the horse doesn't care about you, he only cares about following the tail in front of him. This was different. I was in control! Zorba had his ears back listening for commands given by me, and he went whichever way I wanted him to go. That was nice. After a while we almost mastered walking, so we started on a very slow trot, which is a completely different animal. It was more bouncy, even though it was still very smooth, and you had to give a couple of different commands. After about four hours of learning, We had to stop, and have lunch, but first we had to cool down and groom our horses. We did one slow lap of the training ring, and then got the combs and bushes necessary for the job. Since we weren't going that fast, the horses didn't break much of a sweat, so we mostly curried their coats and worked on their manes and tails. No need for a wash. Lunch was nice, and after lunch we got to check out the rest of the farm. There were a lot of baby goats, and I had the funnest time playing with the adorable little things around the yard. I also got to pet a newborn calf and a lot of baby ducklings. After my dose of cute, it was time to head home, so I said goodbye to Zorba and hit the road. I had a great day, and I loved every minute of it, even the brushing. I really had fun, and if I ever come back to Costa Rica, I will definitely visit Establo San Rafael. One of the instructors with Lluvia.