Horseback Riding on Wonka Beach

My blond horse, Cody, looks innocent.

Today we went horseback riding.  One of my friends in an experienced, award winning horseback rider.  The other friend had horseback riding experience as well.  And then there is me; a veteran of about 5 trail rides.  The owner of the company picked us up at our hotel and drove us north along the coast to Mossman, a town on the edge of the Daintree rain forest.  She was a talkative woman who shared everything about her children, her divorce, her boyfriend, her friends, and her business.  After a 20 minute ride we arrived at the ranch and were given boots and helmets to wear.  I was assigned to Cody.  On top of Cody I thought he was very tall but I see by the photos that he was the shortest horse.  Australian saddles do not have a horn.  There is a spot in front of the saddle where you can fit your fingers under the edge to hang on.  We walked through the paddock and were instructed not to allow our horse to eat the grass.  I kept Cody from eating grass.  I thought he was a good listener.  Also I was behind an expert horse rider so I could copy what she did.  We walked our horses down a neighborhood lane and into the woods.  We crossed several creeks and one of them was deep enough to wet the bottom of my boots.  We saw a brush turkey nest that was 12 feet long, 8 feet wide, and five feet tall.  The male turkeys make the nest.  The females lay the eggs in the nest.  Their duty is done and they leave.  The males are left to monitor the eggs.  If the nest is too hot they remove some litter.  The litter composts and keeps the eggs evenly warm.  If the nest is too cold they add litter. More than one turkey uses the large nests.  These are the largest nests I have ever seen - much larger than a bald eagle nest.  After 20 minutes of walking, our horses arrived at Wonka Beach.  As far as I could see we had the  entire beach to ourselves.  We crossed another creek and headed north toward the rain forest.  I noticed that the horses step their rear hooves into the same spot their front hooves stepped on.  Each hoof print contains two steps.  Our trail guide thought I was doing so well that I was ready for trotting.  I've ever trotted or galloped before.  She kicked her horse into a trot.  So did my friend ahead of me.  So I kicked Cody and he started trotting too.  Holy cow!  My sunglasses were bouncing from my hairline down to my chin.  My helmet bounced up and down on my brain pan.  I think every one of my vertebrae was lifted and replaced in a new position.  Trotting is a lot like riding a pogo stick.  Our guide said I was doing well and now was the time to try galloping.  She kicked her horse into a gallop.  So did my friend.  I kicked Cody and he changed from a trot to a gallop.  I heard galloping was much easier on the body than trotting.  After a few strides I began to understand.  I could feel the rhythm of the horse's body.  I began to relax and enjoy it.  Before I had a chance to fully feel the enjoyment, Cody decided he wanted to be first.  He bolted.  He took off running as fast as he could.  He passed my friend.  He passed the trail guide.  I tried to stop him as I nearly fell off my saddle.  I pulled on the reins.  I pulled on the saddle.  I pulled on his mane.  I was hanging on for dear life.  My rear end was bouncing on the left side of the saddle, the right side of the saddle, the front of the saddle and the back of the saddle.  I was really scared; scared enough to be screaming.  Cody did stop though.  The trail guide looked really concerned.  We all stopped and rested for a bit. I removed the long blond hairs from my palm that I had pulled out of Cody's mane.  Our trail guide asked if my heart had stopped pounding.  I let her know my heart was still pounding but I was willing to walk forward.  I was done with trotting and galloping.  We stopped up the beach for a drink of water and some photos.  We started back and suddenly the horses had more speed in their steps.  On the way back I thought it would be fun to have Cody walk in the water a little bit.  The jellyfish stings won't hurt a horse because their hooves and furry legs protect them.  Cody responded to my requests to go into the water for several strides but kept heading back to the hard dryer sand.  Our trail guide explained that the horses know there were crocodiles in the water.  I didn't know there were crocodiles in the water.  I knew crocodiles were a danger on the beaches near the rain forest but I didn't know they came to this particular beach.  After hearing that I didn't ask Cody to go into the surf anymore.  We cut off the beach early for a longer ride in the rain forest.  It was a beautiful ride in the jungle.  We let the horses choose their steps as we ducked forward to avoid being swept off the saddles.  One creek we passed had very steep banks.  We had to lean way back on the horses as they went down the steep bank and forward as they went up the other side.  We came back to the neighborhood road and back into the paddock.  After two hours of sitting with my hips at this odd angle I was ready to get off of this beast.   When it came time to swing my right leg over the back of the saddle it wouldn't go.  I tried and tried but could not lift my leg that extra inch I needed.  I ended up having to get back on the horse and swing my leg in front of me to get off.  Lordy, it felt good to stand up again.  I'm sure Cody was glad to get rid of me too because it was nearing 11 o'clock, getting warmer, and he was sweaty too.  On our ride back to Port Douglas the horse owner gave us her impression of our country.  She said that without the aid of the USA, the people in Australia would be speaking Japanese right now.  I'd never heard that before.  She told us about many Australian men lost their lives in Vietnam.  I knew the Australians were helping us militarily in Iraq and Afghanistan but not Vietnam.  Then our driver launched into the gun control issue.  Australia changed their gun control laws several years ago and it had successfully reduced mass shootings.  She said that when she brought her children to tour Texas, she told them, "Be polite!  Say please!  Say thank you.  Or you will be shot!"  I don't think she was kidding about this.  She is a very opinionated and assertive woman and I appreciated her views even though I didn't agree with all of them.  Back at our apartment I learned from the front desk that my snorkeling trip tomorrow was cancelled.  I arranged for another snorkeling tour instead.  An hour of swimming laps in the pool relieved the pain in my nether regions from my horse, Cody. We walked down to the marina to have dinner at a place called the Hog's Breath.  We sat at tables on the deck overlooking the bay.  I had gnocchi again.  As we ate dinner we saw a flock of black birds fly toward the sea.  It was a huge flock.  Black birds flew until they filled the sky over the sea.  And they kept coming.  After 15 minutes of black birds flying by the supply finally came to an end.  I later learned they were metallic starlings.  As we walked home it started to rain.  The rain was warm and comfortable.  I am a slow walker so I told my friends to head on back; I would catch up later.  Each yard has cement gutters between the sidewalk and the homes.  These gutters are about a foot deep and have sloped sides.  As the rain fell the gutters filled up.  Water flooded the sidewalks.  Like a child I splashed the water with my feet.  I had stuck a plastic rain poncho in my bag so most of me was dry.  The water I splashed was as warm as bath water.  I had a great walk in the rain; maybe too great because I passed our apartment.  Once I got to the bottle shop (Australian word for liquor store) I knew I had gone too far and had to walk two blocks back.  But it was all good.  We had another great day.