Colombia - A Dream Come True -A Life Changing Ride

What a special day!! As you may remember, my son coaxed me into visiting him in Colombia by promising me a ride on a Paso Fino. Early one morning as we finished our breakfast, his friend (the editor of the Cartagena newspaper) came to our hotel in Cartagena. I had practiced my Spanish, hoping not to make a fool of myself saying hello. Turns out, he spoke perfect English. He and I chatted a little about the Paso Fino breed and then we all set off for his finca, a few miles outside of Cartagena. Remember when I said that  I was only nervous once? (make that twice)  On the way out there he mentioned that he had talked to the head of the army in the area and checked to verify that it was safe this day to go. Hmm. We did have an army checkpoint on the highway. Soon we turned off to a narrow road leading to his finca. Once again, I was impressed by how gracious the Colombian people are to their visitors. I know he was a busy man, but he acted as if he had all the time in the world to entertain us. We met the people who worked for him there and were served tea under the trees. As we drank our tea, he  filled us in on the history of this finca. His family had owned it for generations,and he came there often as a child, spending many hours on horseback. H shared with us his dream of breeding the perfect Paso Fino.  Huge guard dogs came to say hello. We were told that they would be friendly as long as he stayed with us. Needless to say, I didn't test that. All the while we were talking I kept glancing at the horse I was to ride--a beautiful bay.

Beautiful Marinera!

I felt very privileged to be able to ride his wife's mare.

He explained some of the training methods and had his trainer demonstrate for us.

Notice the tied tail

The tail is tied while training so the horse learns to hold it still-they are penalized in the show ring for tail swishing. This man definitely believes in treating horses kindly. He talked at length about the wonderful traits of the Paso Fino and how he believed they should be treated. We also saw a baby, just a few days old, gaiting naturally.

Baby in gait--notice just one foot off the ground

He also showed me a 100 year old bit, still usuable. He had found it while cleaning out an old safe on his property.

An education about Colombian bits

Once I felt our host tensing, looking out at the jungle and listening--we did hear monkeys in the trees. I felt a little nervous, wondering what else (or who) might be lurking there. But he soon relaxed, as did I. Then it was time for our ride.

Adjusting my stirrups

Our host adjusted my stirrups and gave me a few pointers about riding a Paso Fino. I felt pretty nervous at first.  I wasn't used to direct reining and keeping my legs off the horse but soon got the hang of it. It did help of course that I was riding a highly trained (and expensive) horse.

Talk about a life changing experience! I marveled at the smooth ride and responsiveness of this horse. Absolutely no bouncing - push button. I was sold!  We rode through the countryside and by the time the ride was over, I vowed to return home and find a Paso Fino to own. (You can read about my success on former posts).

This is the place where I found the name for my place-Salsipuedes. 

Another wonderful day in Colombia!

Stay tuned for my next Colombian adventure - emerald shopping.

Our host!