“Ride ‘em like you stole ‘em”

These were the parting words from the guy at the Sombrero Stables this morning as we rode off into the wilds.
Snobchild that I was, I was brought up to believe that only the British did riding properly. We laughed at Americans who called it ‘horseback’ riding and made it look comfortable. We thought that anyone abroad was either cruel to or casual with their nags. We were the only nation who did it properly.
Of course this isn’t true. Today we heard a scarred and tattooed guy talk like a girl about the horse he’s training to “gate”. Mrs Know-all-there-is-to-know-about- horses here had to ask him what that meant. His explanation was poetic.
The ride was great and the pictures are here. Lucky creatures were able to blow off and pee whenever they felt like it. I had to contain myself until I got to the restroom (and suddenly I didn’t feel like resting any more!)
It was the second time Steve ever rode, so he has doubled his experience. His horse was called Pegasus. The stable girl said, “His wings got stole by the gypsies.”