I admit. City slicker that I am, getting out of my comfort zone and climbing onto 1200lb animal in the West Kelowna countryside in Rose Valley above beautiful Okanagan Lake had been on my bucket list for a while. It has been a year to try new things, and since the only other time I was on a horse was when I was five years old and the carnival attendee held me on the horse by my hips while it went round the sad little turnstile, I figured it was time to take another step and go it solo for real this time out on the open trail. The awesome folks at Broken Rail Ranch were wonderfully accommodating to myself and my little crew. We had some mild mannered steeds at the ready and a pair of lovely and proficient guides to lead us out into the wilderness for an hour of mounted fun.
Those who know me know that cowboy boots are not part of my fashion repertoire but they were surprisingly comfortable and I felt a tiny bit like a legitimate cowboy until I donned the leopard print safety helmet Cheryl chose for me. We even tried the horse cookies before we fed them to our mounts. Jenny says they taste like the earth. Apparently the Earth tastes crappy because I did not enjoy those at all. The horses did, thankfully, and after a quick intro and steering lesson we were on our way into the trees.
Rose Valley has some pretty country on the trails above Bear Creek Provincial Park, particularly when the trail opened up to a rolling bluff overlooking Okanagan Lake and the city of Kelowna across the water. Shout out to our new drone operator, Kevin, who walked the whole thing and got some great footage while managing to not spook the horses. My horse, Shadow was definitely aware of it though and was just waiting for that strange big bug in the sky to make a sudden move. He was not a fan.
When we got back to the the ranch to dismount and stretch out the muscles in our legs that don’t often get bent at those angles (I get why cowboys walk funny now), I got to meet Jasper, a beautiful, but injured horse that we are hoping will be able to make a full recovery despite a gloomy prognosis. He was very affectionate; a fact that I enjoyed until he cozied up to me and stepped his hoof on my big toe. Good thing the muddy ground was soft or they would be renaming the place broken foot ranch.
Our thanks to Jeff, Crystal, Lenore and Georgie for hosting us on another fabulous adventure. If you are looking for something fun to do in the cooler weather this Autumn, a trip up to Broken Rail Ranch might be just the thing to clear your mind and experience a taste of country style freedom. Check out the Okanagan Local YouTube channel to watch it all unfold. Until next time…Live Local