During the October break, I went on the Perth Horse Riding Expedition. We went to Jesters Flat in Margaret Rivers.
An interesting thing I noticed was the importance of protecting biodiversity in Australia. When flying into Perth, we had to fill out an immigration card and part of that was about customs and declaring unpermitted items. Before landing, a video played on the flight about why it was important to declare your luggage if you did have any of the restricted items. A big aspect of that was protecting the environmental systems in Australia. For example, if you have any used sporting or camping equipment, you need to clean them and declare them in order to be checked and prevent soil contamination.
As mentioned in this article, any live animals, plant material, animal products and certain foods from overseas can carry pests and diseases which pose serious threats to agriculture and the unique flora and fauna in Australia. This is why it’s illegal to bring certain items into the country.
But the protection of biodiversity was also apparent throughout our time in the countryside. In particular, on the second day of our forest trek, we passed by an area in the woods marked off as a rehabilitation area. There was a sign that explained how this marked-off area was to be left alone, untouched so that it could recover from damage through its natural processes. I think that this was one of the big indicators to me of the importance of the environment and agriculture in Australia. Not only that but the campsite we stayed in for 2 nights, we were told, was managed by an organisation that made sure that these areas/campsites in the forest were looked after and left properly. To make sure of this, we had to leave the campsite like it was before our set-up. This meant raking up the temporary horse stables, clearing up the remains of our campfires and making sure that everything we brought was taken back to Jesters Flat.
Aside from the evident environmental importance, the central focus of the trip was horse riding. As a beginner, learning how to ride properly seemed quite daunting at first. On the first day after arriving at Jester’s Flat, we did a riding ability test. After learning the basics, we got on horses for the first time and tried putting the skills we learned into action. At first, it was hard to figure out how to properly sit in the saddle and steer the horse. It was also just nervewracking because I wasn’t so comfortable yet with being around the horses. After the tests, we were all assigned horses and tried to catch them for the first time.
I was allocated a Palomino named Creamy. Creamy was a bit hard to handle at first because she runs away when she sees someone coming towards her with a rope and she doesn’t enjoy being around the other horses all the time. Not having prior experience with horses, this was a challenge for me because I really didn’t know whether I would be able to take care of and get along with Creamy.
At the start, the instructors would help me catch Creamy so I could groom her and saddle up for the day. Remembering how to put the saddle and bridle on properly was a bit of a challenge at first. It was especially challenging because when tightening straps and getting the crownpiece over her ears, I wasn’t sure whether I was doing it right or if I was careful enough to not hurt her. I think my unfamiliarity of being around horses was definitely something that influenced the first two days of riding because I wasn’t sure if I was doing certain things right or if I even had any control over Creamy. Those two days gave me the needed time to understand how to take care of Creamy and how to ride properly. Not only the riding part but the time spent grooming Creamy also gave me an idea of how she is around other horses and what I need to be careful of around/with her.
On the third day, we took our horses out to graze after grooming and that was a time when I really need to be careful of making sure Creamy had her space. From what instructors told me and what I’d seen from those first two days, I’d figured out that Creamy didn’t want other horses behind her but she still wanted to be close to them so she would go up really close when we were riding. This was a bit tricky to work with because all horses really need their personal space so Creamy going up so close didn’t always end well. Thankfully that day, Creamy didn’t get into any ‘fights’ with other horses and was able to eat as much as she wanted. I think that this was the day when Creamy started to like me just a bit.
That day we didn’t go riding. Instead, we went to our campsite to set up for the next two days and after, we went to the Margaret Rivers Chocolate Factory and beach. All of us students on the trip really got to know each other more and we started to get pretty close. That was one of the things I liked the most about the trip– making new friends and getting closer to some.
Going back to what I said about Creamy starting to like me, I thought of this because of what happened on the fourth day. When we were getting ready to start our forest trek and had to catch our horses for grooming and saddling up, she didn’t run away when I tried to catch her for grooming. That was when I started to realise how attached I was going to get to her and being around her, and also the feeling that she started to recognise me almost. I believe the trip not only increased my comfort of being around horses but around animals in general. It made me more compassionate as well.
The rest of the trip went smoothly in terms of horse riding. We learned to trot properly and got many opportunities to practice. During camping, we had more responsibility for taking care of our horses as we had to make sure they had enough hay and water at all time. It was also really nice having the horses nearby because we could go and see them whenever we wanted.
Over the course of the forest trek, Creamy started getting used to seeing me around and started listening to me a lot more. I also got better at figuring out what she was feeling by looking at her ears. Learning that really helped me make sure she was fine when we were riding or when I was grooming her.
Overall, I think I learned a lot on this trip, not only about horse riding but also about myself. I realised how much I liked that time being disconnected from the internet and social media. It made me realise the small things that make me happy, like singing random songs with my friends. At the end of the trip, I didn’t want to leave and two weeks later, I still miss being there so much. Although I’m still not an advanced horse rider, I can say that I’m able to walk and trot properly. Maybe in the future, I hope to have the opportunity to horse ride again and get better at it.
