"Some trails are happy ones, others are blue. It's the way you ride the trail that counts, Here's a happy one for you." - Happy Trails - Roy Rogers Show
I recently celebrated my b-day by taking the Dinner Ride to Viva Fresh. It's 4+ hours round trip, which I think gives you the most bang for your buck. With this tour, you will have two completely, different experiences since you begin the ride in the light of day, with views of the Hollywood sign and Santa Monica Mountains, and on the way back, it's a nice, quiet jaunt through the dark woods. (Don't worry about it being too dark; there's plenty of light pollution in L.A. to keep you company.)
Our guide said his favorite expedition the ranch offers is the Saturday Night Sunset BBQ, which I didn't choose because it's 2 hours less of riding. He argued, "But most things are two hours. Movies are two hours. You go out to dinner for two hours. Two hours is plenty of time to ride." He said the BBQ that the Ranch hosts has great food, and made me promise to give that trip a whirl.
I'm sure it's fantastic, but I must tell you, it's also pretty cool to mosey up to a Mexican restaurant, park your horse, go inside, and eat.
Our guide told us to avoid all things "Grande", since you're expected to ride your horse back with no complications. There's a one-drink-maximum policy, so my friends and I ordered the "Grande Margaritas" to make that one drink count. It was my birthday, after all. It was an obscenely large glass filled with very little alcohol, and lots of margarita mix, which makes me wonder what kind of deal they have going on with the Ranch. I'm sure their guides don't want to hear drunken versions of "Happy Trails" sung to them on the way back.
The best thing about our guide, was the information he shared with us. He told us a bit about Griffith Park, "the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in the United States", and the critters contained within it. I made him promise to show us all the woodland creatures he spoke of, and he stepped up to the plate by presenting us with a rattlesnake, multiple deer, and a few howling coyotes. No pressure, but next time I want to see owls and Bigfoot.
Curb Your Dog
Our guide said that the tiny coyotes you see inhabiting the park have a low-life expectancy of two years, and blames the people that don't pick up after their dogs. Of course, I had to do some research, and I discovered that doggy poo isn't like horse waste that's filled with grass and grain. Canine doo-doo contains protozoans such as cryptosporidium, roundworms, heartworms, tapeworms, nasty bacteria that can cause campylobacteriosis, and the deadly parvovirus, also known as "the virus that killed Oprah's dog".
Coyotes are awesome, and it's in our best interest to protect them, especially since they eat rodents, and keep the mid-size predators in check. So pick up your dog crap, everybody! Don't just shmoosh it around with a stick when you're hiking, and leave it there. Pick it up, and dispose of it properly.
Wild Horse Rescue
Another great thing about the Ranch, is how they get their horses. Some of their animals are acquired from rescue organizations that work with the Bureau of Land Management and the National Wild Horse and Burro Program.
To maintain healthy horse herds, the BLM rounds up thousands of wild horses and burros and auctions them off to humane individuals and groups. One such group is the Warm Springs Correctional Facility's Wild Horse Program in Carson City, NV, where the prisoners train the wild BLM horses before being put up for adoption. The horses auctioned are green broke, which means they've had up to 120 days training by the prisoners, but more training is needed after adoption. I joke around about going to jail, "Hey, 3 hots and a cot," but now I'm seriously considering breaking the law if I can pet and train horses all day long.
PMU Rescue Horses
The Ranch recently purchased a PMU horse procured by the United Pegasus Foundation which rescues the offspring of Premarin mares. Premarin is a drug obtained from the urine of a pregnant mare (usually a draft horse, because of their size, produce more urine), normally prescribed as a hormone replacement for women.
After the mares give birth, the foals can be sold by the pound to meatpackers for consumption to those countries that don't have a horsemeat taboo. The UPF rescues pregnant mares and their foals from slaughter.
The good news is there are organizations out there making a difference, and like our guide said, "You rescue dogs from a pound to take home, why not rescue horses?"
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Get $5 off any guided trip by dropping my name "Adventure Pam". Sunset Ranch Hollywood 3400 N. Beachwood Dr., Hollywood, CA 90068 (323)469-5450 http://www.sunsetranchhollywood.com/
There's another Saddle Horse Adoption event coming up on Saturday, May 30th, and the bidding starts at $150 for all the lovely horses. To see if you meet the qualifications and for more information, click here to download a PDF.
Photo of "Chief" - the handsome Appaloosa I rode, courtesy of Sunset Ranch Hollywood
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