Narra's First Horseback Ride at El Kabayo Riding Stables

Narra and I, off to our first horseback ride together. El Kabayo, Pampanga.

It rained so much on Tuesday and Wednesday, that by the time Thursday came, I needed a break from being cooped up indoors.  I was longing for a breather, in wide open space, away from Manila's congested streets. We escaped to Clark, Pampanga for a quick daytrip - even as rain clouds continued to hover above, threatening to release their heavy load. I do like this weather - when it's almost about to rain, but not quite, and the sun is just behind a screen of clouds, giving light, but not too harshly. There's a tinge of cold in the air, and one's skin isn't as sticky-sweaty as usual.  This "on the brink" weather added a bit more excitement to an otherwise simple activity. I took Narra on her first horseback ride ever, and as we kept to a child-friendly pace, I kept looking skyward, praying it wouldn't pour while we're mid-field, out in the open.

El Kabayo's horse corral.

We've been meaning to take Narra to "El Kabayo" for quite some time now. On our regular visits to nearby Fontana Leisure Parks, we'd drive by this attraction - a recreational facility with a Western-cowboy theme, complete with a trading outpost, a sheriff's station (and "jail"), and a saloon. Across the row of low buildings, at the edge of a field, lies an Indian teepee. Stationed nearby is a covered wagon, right next to the horse corral.  It being a rainy Thursday afternoon, the place was deserted - which only made it feel more like a real outpost in the middle of nowhere. True, it's right next to a busy thoroughfare, with many cars plying the main road - but truth be told, while we were on our horse, and we were led farther away from the street, and deeper into the property, it was easy to pretend we were somewhere far away.  It was enjoyable, telling Narra folk tales, foreign and local, as we were lulled into a sleepy state by the horse's rhythmic-cradling trot. 

The "Wild Western Town" of El Kabayo.

Our horse was one beautiful, awesome, and powerful creature.  His name was Tuscan, and he had this lovely mane, that was smooth to the touch, and glistened in the light.  He looked well cared for, from head to hoof.  And he felt strong, as though he could break into a gallop and run at break neck speed if you asked him to (and this fact made me a bit nervous because I had Narra with me on the saddle).   We found out from his trainer that  Tuscan was a retired competitive equestrian horse, who moved to this facility from Manila Polo Club.  No wonder he looked far superior to the usual tourist-trap-workhorses in crowded parts of Baguio and Tagaytay where some old horses look very tired and unkempt.  At El Kabayo, horses look well-maintained because it is a full-service facility which offers board and lodging for horses - where dedicated staff are able to feed, groom, and  train them, and provide general veterinary care.  In addition to horseback riding tours, and scenic trail rides, there are also riding lessons offered.  

Our beautiful horse, Tuscan.

There's even a wholesale riding package, a "horse lovers agreement" which would allow a single person unlimited riding for an entire month.  I can only imagine how healing such an experience could be, for someone looking for a respite from all the noise and confusion of life in Manila. Wow. If only we could do that one summer, to just be on vacation elsewhere, and just ride horses every day for an entire month!  That's the way Europeans do their vacations, they really take time off, and stay in a summer house somewhere, say in the coast of Spain, and not just dart in and out of tourist spots for a few days, for a picture-taking marathon, rapid-fire shopping, and indulgent food tripping - which is what too many Filipino vacations seem to be like these days.  I say this as I mentally steel myself for one of those busy trips as we're off to Singapore in a few weeks to visit Universal Studios with Narra and Guijo - I am already imagining the long queues for theme park rides.  But that's another topic for another day.

My dad and mom, the doting grandparents, seeing their grandchild off.

Back at El Kabayo, we had the chance to enjoy some quiet, and blissful seclusion.  We had the entire park to ourselves. As Narra and I crossed the wide, open, field, I instructed her to breathe in deeply, to take in the invigorating scent of grass. We marveled at huge, majestic trees, with their gloriously outstretched branches, as we passed beneath them in the comfort of their shade.  We saw a few other animals, carabos and goats, a few dogs and many other horses of different colors, grazing in abundant space.  If I had more courage, and less fear of rain, we could have gone further into the interior, to take a trail by a river, but I decided against it, and asked that we turn back.  I will save that trip for later, when Oliver is with us, and he could ride with Guijo, and I with Narra, and we can do our little exploration as a family.  Besides, we had companions waiting for us, my dad and mom, and my priest uncle - Fr. Manny, were with us on this short trip.  They waited for us at the quaint little resto where they had snacks and drinks. I didn't want for them to wait too long. And besides, it was fast approaching closing time.

My dad and mom, at The HorseShoe Bar and Saloon

I asked what time it would be most advisable to end our late afternoon trot, and our guide, (whose name sounded like "Autarch" - I asked him three times to state his name, now I think I should have asked him how to spell it!)  said horses sense a lot of things at nightfall, and are easily spooked.  That made me instantly request that we turn back! The last thing I'd want is to have my tiny little girl riding on a spooked horse in the fading light. So we rode back to "town" way before sunset.  I wondered if my baby Guijo had awakened from his nap. I would have wanted to get him to ride as well, but he dozed off peacefully throughout our entire visit.

Outside the "Sheriff's Office" with Narra wearing both our helmets.

Our first visit to El Kabayo was a very pleasant one.  The ride through the countryside was calming to the nerves. It makes me miss our old home in Lipa, Batangas, where there was an expanse of green everywhere I looked. It makes me think long and hard about our lifestyle choices.  It's not good to live in regret, but I must admit that there are many things about staying in Pasay that's regrettable: the lack of fresh air, the lack of space, the lack of exposure to nature - lack of peace and quiet!  I feel very apologetic to my husband because it was because of me that we left Lipa, where the solitude got me depressed. I asked him to move closer to De La Salle University where I worked, and now that I'm not working there anymore, we feel stuck in a location we never dreamed of as our ideal place for raising our kids.  The trip to El Kabayo just made me miss Lipa all the more. I realize that our short stay in Lipa is the ONLY period in my life when I was able to breathe through both nostrils consistently, for an entire year! - without the interruption of the all too regular nasal congestion, sneezing, and runny nose.

Narra and her Lolo Walter, at the "parking lot".

So I have this vision in my head, of seeing our kids flying kites, of running in grassy fields, of our dogs being free to run in the open, instead of being in chains.  Having this breather in El Kabayo reminds me that we can choose to live a different lifestyle, one that is closer to nature, and freer from urban confines. Sigh, a breather can be a dangerous thing. It can plant seeds of doubt, or should I say seeds of dreams. I already had my chance in Lipa, before moving back to Manila, now do I want to move back out of the city? Back in Lipa, there were riding stables all around us, and we saw horses every day! I guess the grass really is always greener on the other side. So I hope we can find a happy spot in the middle, to straddle both worlds. For now, I will have to grapple with the fact that we took a short break at El Kabayo, and I enjoyed the ride, perhaps a little too much.

Narra loved the kid-sized patio furniture.