Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: Horseback Riding in Malibu, CA

July 2, 2012 --- This adventure has been in my bucket list since I moved to the States and saw a lot of horses, so Nathan and I got a voucher from Groupon to go horseback riding at Park Place Stable in Malibu, CA. We have ridden an elephant in Thailand a few times, but I have to admit that riding on horseback is much more difficult.

Park Place Stable is located in the remote Santa Monica Mountains, Malibu. All the horses here seemed very healthy and well groomed. There were many Norwegian Fjord horses for the trail ride. My favorite one was named Fiona, but I didn't get to ride her though.

As we got to the ranch, all the riders had to sign a release form. Later on we had a half-hour basic horsemanship lesson. They taught us how to command the horse to turn left and right, stop and go forward. Then the instructor will pick the right horse for each rider.

I got the most beautiful horse named Rio. He's also a lot taller than those Norwegian Fjord horses. I didn't feel comfortable riding on him because he seemed too big for me as a beginner, but the instructor said he was the most gentle horse there. I guess he must have been...

At the beginning of our ride, we just learned how to control the horse to walk in the corral.Then we went on a trail ride in the mountains. The dirt trail was hilly the whole way, and the view of the Pacific ocean was gorgeous. However, I didn't get much chance to take a photo of the trail since I had to hold on to the reins with both hands.

Rio behaved well and listened to my command only at the beginning of our journey. Once he felt that I was scared, he just ignored my orders and ran down the hill. He also kept turning around and refusing to walk following other horses. I also felt bad to keep kicking his belly... Finally, the instructor decided to haul Rio all the way on the trail, which I didn't mind at all...

Nathan, on the other hand, was very pleased with his beautiful Norwegian Fjord horse, Cornelius. He was very calm and followed Nathan's commands well. I'm glad that Nathan had a wonderful time there...

Overall, my first horseback ride was scary but still enjoyable. Next time I prefer to learn more about horsemanship before the ride, and I want to ride only in the corral or on the beach instead of going in the mountains like this time.

(All photos taken by Mock Suwannatat)