Horses continue to be an important part of life for the locals living out their days in rural Nicaragua. It’s the rainy season here now. And truly our first ‘real’ one with heavy mud, rivers bursting their banks and flowing too fast to pass on foot. It reminded me of the role horses play on this muddy stage as they can still make their way.
Most of the back roads follow the ever-changing river bed or are no longer impassable by truck – so it’s no surprise that horses are the transport of choice. Horses are a tool of the trade for those wanting to get their rice or beans to the market as well. But now instead of loading up the sacks and riding all the way to town (10+ km and 2 hours) they tie up their beasts to the rails and catch the bus to town. It might take just as long to make the trip to town by bus… but we know for sure the horses prefer waiting for their masters to come back from town then to make the journey themselves.
Horses and their contribution to life here is most definitely one of the attractions we had to this community in SW Nicaragua. And still is.
A special thank you to Danger Jill Robinson for this article about her horseback ride with Rancho Chilamate earlier this year. We love a cowgirl that loves speed :)
but it Helps to Give a Horse to the Church.
Last year in early August I went to Masaya to buy a couple of saddles and happened to mention to the saddler (Juan), that I was looking for a couple of horses of good size. He was quick to tell me that he had a couple for sale – “quarter horses” – he assured me. So I went to his place nearby to have a look. The pair had been working for Juan pulling a coach in Masaya and looked to be good and strong, not too old and not skinny like so many I had looked at. I rode them to see how they were under saddle and they seemed pretty good. The bigger one held his head in a dramatic dressage posture which gave him quite a regal look and the smaller one appeared to have some Arab blood with a pretty head and an erect tail. So, I started low…and he started high…and we finally agreed on a number and I paid him and came back the next day to trailer them the 2 hours back to Rancho Chilamate.
So, them both still having their testicles, or “huevos” as they are locally known, we set about to castrate them old school style except that we used a crimper rather than a scalpel, mainly because it was the rainy season and we were concerned that the incision would have a tough time healing with all the rain and moisture. Also, with the crimping method they are able to work after a month vs three months to heal an incision. Anyway, after they were all healed up we put them in the string along with the other 8 and got them working. The smaller one, Apache, never did come to the realization that he no longer had his manhood and continually wanted to get confrontational with the other horses while enroute to and from the beach. This belligerent attitude was no problem for me, or any of my ranch hands, but did prove to become quite tedious for guests with little or no riding experience. The larger one, Santana, became very mellow but developed a tendency to “crow-hop” when on trails where some stick or bush would inadvertently brush against his hind-quarters. Perhaps this was a reaction to being a coach horse and having his backside whacked too much during his years in Masaya. Anyway, it soon became evident that this pair wasn’t really suited to trail rides with riders that had little experience and so I decided to sell them and look for some more mellow trail horses. I put the word out in the community that they were for sale, but had little or no interest. Meanwhile they weren’t working but were still eating their share of hay and portions of pellets (kind of like leaving your car running while you’re not using it), and I was getting desperate to get rid of them.
So I had an idea – as I was sure to lose a bundle by selling them anyway – I decided to donate them to two local churches (one to Las Parcelas and one to Las Delicias), so they could raffle the horses to raise money for church improvements. I talked to the two Pastors to see if they were interested and they were thrilled with the idea. We agreed that to keep it affordable for the congregations they would sell 200 tickets at 30 Cordobas (about $1.50), each, thereby raising 6,000 Cordobas for their respective churches, and somebody would walk away with a good horse for 30 Cordobas!
Both horses are currently living in their new homes and both churches are currently enjoying the fruits of an injection of funds for improvements…and though I miss them, I am currently enjoying no longer feeding them – and I wish them a long and healthy life.
After 3 years living in Nicaragua – the Predator/Jurassic Park-like sounds made by the Howler Monkeys resident in our area can still be very intimidating. On our ride this week we came upon this amazingly vocal group of Howlers. We heard them LOUD AND CLEAR. It was a real treat for Bryce, Heather, Bronwen, Sean, Bree and Matt who were riding with us that day. Well a real treat for me too!
They were in a large Saba tree near the river which from what I gather have a new leaf this time of year of particular interest to the monkeys.. and thus the territorial calls.
A large Boa Constrictor was part of our 2nd intermission show for Hockey Night in el Campo.
Vancouver Canuck fever had reached Rancho Chilamate. Our hometown hockey team is kicking some serious butt and the energy made it all way here to rural Nicargua. Jamie and I call it Hockey Night in El Campo and last night was game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks.
A few days earlier our internet crapped out just as the game was starting and we missed the whole thing – only to wake up the next morning and still not know who won as the internet was still out.
But tonight we settled in again to listen… yes, listen – not watch. Our internet is not strong enough for ‘streaming’ but we thankfully found a great local Vancouver radio station, Team Radio 1040, which provides a great uninterrupted feed. And that Shorty can sure call a game. He definitely creates the picture we don’t have:)
It was a tough game with a 3-0 score after the 2nd period for the Sharks. Bummer.
We had turned up the computer speakers to add to the atmosphere of the game so it was no surprise we didn’t hear the panic calls from the chickens in the coop. Cesar, our guard this evening, just called on the radio to say he found and killed an intruder in the barn. An intruder?? He was about 6 feet tall… I mean long. It was a Boa Constrictor.
Do we want to see it? Heck ya.. and some photos too! Cesar had found it wrapped around one of our chickens doing it’s constricting thing. A Boa? I just had the revelation of the feathered ones we throw around our necks – never put the two together until I was drawn to placing it around my neck. The snake was incredibly heavy for its size and one could easily imagine the strength it possessed. Weirdly the snake left no smell on our hands. It made me think that I should know more about these amazing creatures. What a great 2nd intermission show!
And so back to the game on the ice. Canucks rallied but lost. Hockey may be part of our Canadian culture, but down here in Nicaragua – the only thing on ice tonight is a big snake that should make the dinner menu tomorrow.
After 3 years living in Nicaragua – the Predator/Jurassic Park-like sounds made by the Howler Monkeys resident in our area can still be very intimidating. On our ride this week we came upon this amazingly vocal group of Howlers. We heard them LOUD AND CLEAR. It was a real treat for Bryce, Heather, Bronwen, Sean, Bree and Matt who were riding with us that day. Well a real treat for me too!
