Sam, my trusty steed

When I was a kid, a good chunk of my summers were spent up at Fraser Lake Camp near Bancroft, Ontario. While it was a Mennonite camp, it was also awesome with lots of fantastic activities to keep our pubescent minds safely (okay maybe not-so-safely considering some of the goings-on) occupied: sailing, canoeing, archery, arts & crafts and possibly best of all, horse back riding. Sure, they were more ponies than horses, but when you’re a kid a pony is a horse, and that’s all there was to it. I went to FLC for three years, and by my last year I was an old hat at horse riding: I knew how to brush them down, clean their hooves, put on their bridle even. We rode bareback, which is a little shocking now that I think about it — esp for a Christian camp! – but I was able to mount and dismount my horse like nobody’s business.

The last summer I was there, I had two somewhat traumatic horse-related incidents. For all my equine “expertise”, I didnt really know what I was doing. I had no idea how to comfortably trot; cantering and galloping were out of the question. I could get the horse (ok, pony) to stop, usually, but that was ok as it wasn’t a riding camp after all! One day we’d been out riding in the forest, and were heading back to the barn as the session was drawing to a close, and I was in second. One of the other kids was having trouble with their horse, so the councillor dropped back to help then out. The minute they left me, my horse (knowing it was nearly back to the barn) kicked it into high gear and took off down the path at warp speed (that would be the speed immediately following a cantor), throwing my bareback riding self in the process. Not wearing a helmet (this was the early 80s after all), it’s amazing I didnt crack my skull open on a tree, or get trampled on by another horse. I was ok, spooked, but I lived to tell the tale.

A lovely fellow in the Marlborough Sounds

The other incident, and Im pretty sure this was the same year, was a lot more serious and may be part of the reason why the camp no longer offers horse back riding. As I mentioned, I was old hat at cleaning the horses and knew how to act around them. My friend Sara (who would, many years later, become my maid of honour) was having trouble getting her horse to lift its hoof for her to clean. My horse was already done, so I said I would help her out. I came round to her side, and bent over to pick up one of the horse’s front hoofs. What no one knew was that this horse had been kicked (or something) by another horse, and was really freaking sensitive about anyone or anything getting to near to her flank. So when I moved in beside her and picked up her hoof, she reared around, grabbed my calf (yes, as in my FLIPPIN’ LEG), and threw me away from her. Screaming and yelling and crying my 13-yr old head off, the councillors swore the horse only “nipped” me, or that she just gave me a “fright”. The massive ankle-to-knee black and blue bruise and massive swelling that appeared shortly thereafter kind of put an end to that line of thinking. I WAS BIT BY A HORSE!

So, all of this in mind, it’s been about 20 years or so since Ive been on a horse. I love horses (like many a girl), but after that summer I wasn’t so keen to get on one again. The years passed (holy smokes, I cant believe I’m writing about something from TWO DECADES ago!) and I just hadn’t had many opportunities to try it again until Katherine asked if I was interested in going horse trekking in the Marlborough Sounds. Absolutely, I told her. It sounded novel and romantic and exciting — and was something Ive been wanting to try again for many years. This was a perfect opportunity!

Shane, our ever-patient guide

The day we went out to the ranch Marlborough experienced a rare overcast and blustery day. It was drizzling a bit, but that wasn’t enough to stop us! Neither we nor the horses were made of sugar, after all. We were met at the aquataxi dock in the Sounds by Shane, the quintessential Kiwi cowboy who runs the Marlborough Sounds Horse Treks with partner (wife?) Sandy. He was a character from the get-go, a real joy to meet. We knew who he was straightaway from his cowboy hat and oilskin coat. The ranch was about a 20 minute ride from the docks, which gave us time to get to know Shane and hear a bit about the land we would be riding through. It was a shame it wasnt better weather, as the original plan had us riding along a beach.

At the ranch we were immediately met by my new best friend, Wolfie the German Shepherd, who made sure we were okay before letting us near the horses. Shane took pity on us, and provided us with oilskin coats to stay warm and dry in, and cowboy boots for us to wear too (we’d both shown up to go horseback riding in sandals. Oh yes, we were completely unprepared!). Katherine was introduced to her horse, Cloudy, and I to mine, Sam. Cloudy was a rather large horse, so I was relieved to get the smaller mount (although by the end of the day, I would wish it had been the other way around).

Oilskin coats are so very not flattering on me, but I was grateful for it as it was very windy and chilly at times! Photo by Katherine Kearsley

After a brief lesson on how to get the horse to stop (“Woooooh” ) and we were off. Straight away I had issues, as I dont think Sam understood my Canadian accent; he pretty much refused to stop when I “wooooohed” him, which meant that right from the start he was in control. Which, as even I knew, is not a good thing. I really did try though. I tried not to sound panicked when he ignored me, or when wecame frighteningly close to the ass-end of the horse in front (visions of us getting a swift rear kick to the head swam before my eyes), or even when he decided to take off at a trot I tried not to freak out too much (although I was wondering where the seatbelt on the saddle was). Shane had infinite patience with me, and helped me to regain control on more than one occasion. I eventually learned that the best way to get Sam to stop was to guide him towards a patch of leaves or tall grasses as a snack always stopped him in his tracks.

Bringing up the rear. Photo by Katherine Kearsley

Despite not being in control of the horse, I had a really good time. The weather sucked (not going to lie), but being on the horse totally made up for it. While Sam didnt like stopping for me, once I learned to ease up a bit on the reins and let him relax we actually got on rather well (read: he didnt throw or bite me). We walked alongside the road for a bit, then turned in through a few grassy fields. We went into a manuka forest, then down through a cow paddock (I’d never been so close to a bovine before, that was neat!), finally walking across a stream and back home. In all, we were gone for about 2 hours.

Sandy and Rocky

Back at the ranch, Sandy introduced us to her stallion and his progeny along with a few of the other horses being stabled there. Her pride and joy, Lone Arrow, had been profiled in Horse and Pony and she was rightfully proud of him. It was a rare treat watching horses rolling around on the ground play fighting with one another too! Never thought I would see THAT!

I’m really glad I didnt give up on riding the horse or ask Shane if I could get off and walk (both options ran through my head). Like I wrote about the other day, it’s really important to me to move beyond my comfort-zone more often and try new things — especially things that at first I may not like. I dont want to go through life fearing experiences, I want to embrace them! I figure it’s okay not to like everything I try but that it’s important that I at least give it a go. I still have a month of travels in New Zealand before I leave for Thailand, and for certain I will be adding a few more Potentially Scary or Uncomfortable New Experiences™ to my plans.

Related posts:

1. South Island Road Trip — Punakaiki, Karamea & Heaphy
2. South Island Road Trip — Castle Hill & Arthur's Pass
3. South Island Road Trip — Abel Tasman National Park
4. South Island Road Trip — Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson & Hokitika
5. Marlborough Sounds and Nelson