Sunday, May 2, 2010

Bronc Rider

Day: 21
Dates Remaining: 25

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of a friend e-mailed me to invite me on a date to his family ranch. Unsure of what to expect but excited about this adventure, I eagerly agreed. I'm sure glad I did because it was a fantastic day and by far one of the most unique dates I have ever been on.

Being Alberta, we had to drive through warm sun, a dark rain cloud and a hailstorm before making it out to the ranch. After the drive and a nice tour of the ranch, Bronc Rider saddled up a couple of horses for us to go ride.

Not having ridden a horse in umpteen years, I was slightly nervous to climb on the back of this animal. Nonetheless, I overcame my fear, got on the horse and rode out of the barn area. Before I made it very far, I heard a commotion and turned around to see my date's horse trying to buck him off. It was at that moment that he acquired his name, Bronc Rider.

Being an experienced horse rider, he managed to stay on the horse and regain control of the animal. It was very impressive.

I got a bit of a feel for being on a horse while we rode out towards one of the many fields at the ranch. This was when the date got even better. Not only were we riding horses, but we were also heading out to the field on a mission. This wasn't just any mission but one that required us to find, among hundreds of cows, three particular cows with foot rot and pink eye.

Feeling like a real cowgirl decked out in my cowboy boots, I checked out the cows for pink eye and foot rot (not that I have seen either of these on a cow before). We made our way through the field until we had to go through a river crossing. I thought a river crossing was scary on a mountain bike but being on a horse is a whole notch up on the scale of nerve racking experiences.

My horse wasn't keen on the whole concept of crossing the river so he was taking his sweet time deciding where to cross and how to go about it. My very beginner horse handling skills weren't helping the situation but before I knew it, he decided to cross the river. If only he could have wandered through it. That would have been too easy. He somehow thought it would be brilliant to jump across, nearly sending me flying off his back. My heart skipped about a hundred beats.

It took me a few moments to recover from my near cardiac arrest before I could enjoy the ride again. But suddenly the excitement levels were up again because I found the cow with pink eye! Jackpot!

We tried to force the cow out of one field and into the next but she wanted nothing to do with our plan. Too bad Bronc Rider forgot his rope because it would have been quite a show to see him rope up the cow and drag it back with us. Nonetheless, we found the cow with foot rot and were able to get her into the next field. What an adventure!

Now, you may think that at a ranch everything is hard core and muddy. That's what I thought until I visited this stylish ranch. Not only does this ranch have class but it is also fully equipped with a glorious hot tub. Let me tell you, this place is paradise. Bronc Rider and I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the hot tub before heading back to the city.

So when you think a date is going fantastic, why not introduce him to a bunch of close friends? There was a bit of a celebration for a friend tonight so I brought Bronc Rider with me for the BBQ.

He fit right in with my friends. It was phenomenal. They loved him. His great sense of humour and witty nature made for a night of good laughs and great company. I couldn't have been happier.

After having such a lousy day yesterday, it was refreshing to meet someone who was so organized, generous and a fantastic date. And really, how many people can say they rounded up cows on horseback on a first date?

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