I figured that there had to be something to do on all of that land so I found a place that offered horseback riding. I had been once before in the north Georgia mountains on a perfectly sunny, warm, fall day with bright autumn leaves but with a distraction caused by my ex-boyfriend. On that ride, the leader told us plainly to steer the horse around any unexpected objects on the path because the horse may not see it...and if the horse hits it, it will become spooked and take off running. Well, lo and behold, there was an empty water jug on the path. I, along with everyone else, steered the horse around it. My ex-boyfriend decided to not take any action so he could see what the horse would do. Well, the horse kicked the jug, it got spooked, and took off running. My ex-boyfriend went flying one way off of the horse, while his shoe went flying off the other way. All of the horses in the group reacted and also started running. We eventually got them to stop and he wasn’t hurt, but the experience made me a little hesitant about horseback riding with just anyone.
Ken Meeks (picture taken from atop my horse "Shot" )
So, I found a ranch in Texas with a stable that happened to be owned by a Black man, Ken Meeks. He offered the cheapest rates in the US. Just $15 per hour! $15! I, along with two coworkers, went riding with him one day. As you would expect, the terrain was very different from the north Georgia mountains. It was very interesting to see the dry flat land without trees but with large shrubs. The ground was made of white dirt called caliche (a hard form of limestone) and some of the shrubs had white branches with no leaves. At times, it almost looked like we were in a Lord of the Rings scene.
The ride was peaceful and as I watched Ken ride, I found myself intrigued by Black cowboys. Ken told me about a Black rodeo and I was intent on finding one before I left Texas. I was so excited when I learned that the Cowboys of Color was scheduled to be in Dallas the same week I was going to be there for the National Minority Supplier Development Council conference. Of course I went! Check an upcoming blog for details and pictures of the rodeo!
Ken’s ranch is in the Belton Lake Recreational Area- about 70 miles north of Austin. If you are ever in the area- I recommend that you take a ride or a lesson from Ken. Private lessons are only $25 per hour!
The phone number is (254) 287-2523.
Website: http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/HorseTrails/ken.html Post from : http://www.ventureheart.com/blog/index.php
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