Hi ho Simba!

Woke up feeling full of my cold and contemplated not riding in the morning, but having a lie in and riding in the afternoon
However i told myself this is what you've come for,so crack on.
The rides are sorted into different ability levels and I absolutely put myself as a novice ..this meant I was the only level one rider....out of the whole group. I didn't care ,but wondered how it would be managed. Anyway, it meant I had a 1-1 ride with a wrangler called Pat ,a 20yr old lad from Australia
Quite a few differences than riding at home...bigger deeper saddles ,leather stirrups and I had to wear cowboy boots ,which i hired from the ranch . There was a lot of talk over meals about riding '"Western " Id no idea what this was ,but was shown its the way the reins are held and how they are used to guide the horse ..
Then I was told my horse used to be a wild mustang ..Great !...NOT
I've not ridden for 15months so a nice well behaved horse ,which apparently Simba now is 😳 was definitely what's needed. However knowing his past did cause me some anxiety
We set off and my horse Simba was soooo reluctant, and grumbling very vocally, sort of huffing and puffing which was actually funny,plus throwing his head about ,less funny.
It took a lot of leg work to persuade Simba this outing is happening.
We started climbing a steep hill Pat's horse spooked and bolted and so Simba also reacted .
I declared I didn't feel safe and we spent the rest of the ride on flatter ground. Simba is one for catching as many snacks of grass as possible so more hard work to prevent that from happening.
I enjoyed the ride the scenery was amazing, Pat was really good with me but my knees let me know id been riding for 2hrs by the time we got back! Especially as this western style riding meant my stirrups were far longer than I'd have in the uk
When I dismounted Simba nuzzled his head against my chest, which is a good sign apparently.
I felt better for being out in the fresh air but decided to have a rest in the afternoon and needed to book some flights hotels and excursions for the rest of my time in Canada 🇨🇦.
At 5.30pm.I witnessed, the jingle...thr time of day when all the horses 🐎 go from the paddock to the field ...They go as a herd some trotting some dawdling and catching a snatch of grass, but when they reach the field they gallop and buck ,charging to the field until the morning. Its special! They are super vocal as well ,whinnying to each other..it is really joyful ..horses as a herd ,no riders just enjoying the freedom. They know its coming each day and I could watch it every dayRead more