Tags
Cabalgata, Chincoteague, Mustang Horses, One Lovely Blog Award, San Vicente Ecuador, save the mustangs, Tope
Cabalgata in San Vicente Ecuador
Every so often, my sensitive side catches me off guard, and something triggers a release of tears that makes me ponder, “Am I nuts to let this affect me?” Recently horses seem to be a recurring theme in my life. An equestrian since early childhood, I ‘brake’ for a well-bred horse with dinner-plate jaw, arched neck and intelligent eyes.
Cowboys & Cowgirls, Giddye-Up On Down That Road!
A few weeks ago, I encountered a detour in nearby San Vicente (Ecuador), where a ‘tope’ event blocked traffic along the outgoing lanes of traffic. Not frustrated by the detour, I bailed out of the bus and began taking photos!
“Mothers, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys!”
A Kind-Hearted Cowboy
Bombarded by festive music, prancing horses and well-groomed cowboys and cowgirls, the crowd received the parade of horses with infectious enthusiasm. Pausing at random moments, the riders greeted bystanders while others swapped swigs of cold cervesas! One striking cowboy gleaned my admiration; reaching for water instead of cervesa, he leaned forward and lovingly poured the water down the mane and forelock of his jet-black horse. We traded smiles as I captured the moment, and he nodded back with a silent exchange of respect. 
Several posts about horses have recently gleaned my ‘like’ or comment prompt. Especially beautiful is Dina’s “Not Stealing But Letting Out Horses In Norway.” Visit this lovely post and appreciate how one country treasures its equine assets. 
I stumbled across a blog from Argentina that made me smile. Read, “Burnt Chicken” and enjoy Cowboy Hugh’s true story! 
What young horse lover did NOT read Misty of Chincoteague? When following the news about Hurricane Sandy, I never thought about the horses on the barrier islands. This report reflects that people still care about the Chincoteague ponies. (Chincoteague Ponies Survived Hurricane Sandy)
Hats off to Vivian: Vivian’s Posts about Mustangs
So what triggered my tears? The answer is in Vivian’s post, Where Have All The Mustangs Gone? 
My attention swiveled to the dilemma of mustangs, those classic icons that captured our hearts in movies, literature and campfire tales. The online stories saddened me; surely there’s a way to prevent the loss of thousands at risk of dying? The website Persian Horse introduces us to the mustangs with a sensitive opening. See it here: America’s Mustangs Explore more of their site, but prepare to be saddened by what you read.
For every person who turns an indifferent ear, there are others who actively work to save the horses. This story warms one’s heart. “Wild Horses Saved by…”
There are others who adopt horses that are no longer useful to their owners. I tip my hat to the folks at Majestic Mustang Rescue.
Hats Off!!
The amount of information written about the plight of the mustangs surprised me. For those who want to know more, here’s a start:
http://godguidesme.com/2012/11/06/where-have-all-the-mustangs-gone
How did the delicate balance between man and nature shift to man against nature?
To the beautiful bloggers who have touched my life through the above posts, I pass this token ONE LOVELY BLOG award in your direction. This was passed to me by two lovely bloggers, who are being thanked a second time for this honor! Check out their blogs here: http://campanulladellaanna.wordpress.com and here: http://theretiringsort.com
Passing along the awards consumes a lot of creative time, and though honored, I sometimes feel guilty about tossing that hot potato to others! By mentioning particular posts that touch my heart, I hope to compromise without following the criteria for participating in the awards.
I’m honored that so many of you are following, ‘liking’ and commenting about the subjects that are dear to me. How could I NOT have a good month of December when all of you are in my corner?
Thanks, Everyone! MY CUP RUNNETH OVER -AGAIN!
Happy Holidays, and thanks for your amazing support!
Z
For Barbara: After The Competition – Photo taken by Barbar Seibel – Costa Rica
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
What great photographs of the horses and riders. I’m glad you grapped your camera when you saw them. PS: I love my camera and keep it with me at all times.
Thanks, Mary! Every time I ponder leaving my camera behind, I pause and then say, ‘No Way!” There’s always a great surprise waiting around the corner, or amazing light and shadow!
Thank you so much for your comment, z
wait wait wait….WAIT!!!!!!!! how ’bout your riding in Costa Rica???????? In our sweet little village…… When absolutely NO one had any idea of your background?????? and the pics I took???? You’ve got to put those on here too!!! Not because I took them But because of what YOU did!! Come on Zeebra show them all …you are wayyyyyy to modest!!!! but I love ya!!!!
You have me laughing, amiga, which is needed after I revisited those other blogs. Thanks, your comment came at a great moment!
Ok.. maybe i will go back and inject one more photo at the end.. just for you!
Stay tuned!
Thanks,
Z
Okey Dokey…I LOVE seeing the compassion you have with the local people……. You have it all!! Hey what are friends for?????? Well in my book….it is tears,,,.smiles…… hugs….laughter…and a huge amount of courage …. and especially LOVE! Your are one in a million Lisa….. I thank God many times over for your friendship, your insight and perspective of feelings…… not just for people but other living beings on earth!!! I totally KNOW where your heart lays!!!!
thank you, barb; you – the mighty hummingbird – are forever zipping here and there helping others! so.. is it time for a lucy and ethyl dash to help with mustangs? wonder what else can be done?
thanks so much for injecting your great and kind spirit into this post!
love
z
Thank you for this sensitive, intelligent, inspiring and beautifully illustrated post–and for taking the initiative to increase awareness of the plight of our mustangs. Warm regards, Vivian
And thank you, lovely lady, for bringing it to my attention. I am not too crazy about all of the tears I’ve shed because of this, though it’s a purging for sure, and I hope that those amazing mustangs will benefit from our posts.
Lisa/z
Thanks Lisa for the picture…..For you who don’t know this wonderful lady……she just gave a young man “her award for winning” a competition in a rural village in Costa Rica……..She knew she outclassed him…… but she wanted him to have the award!!! Am not even sure if this young lad even knew he came in second ………what a lady!!
Thanks Barb! You captured that moment, and that’s all the prize that I needed! The memories of that day will always be sweet.
That comment is soooo YOU Lisa!!!! And it is one of my sweetest moments just watching you and capturing that on camera!!
Ah, but you had insider info and knew what was coming! You’ll have to help me write about that day! I remember the cloud of dust after I finished, and everyone staring with mouths agape!
Z
YES I did have inside info about your many skills ….but…..I did not know what you had in mind to do when you won! And YES I did enjoy looking around at all of our many friends and seeing their mouths agape…..and then the thunder of applause when you did what only Zebra would do……That young man will always remember that wonderful moment in his life….thanks to you! And of course your wonderful/beautiful smile when you handed all of this over to him…… love Hummingbird aka BB
I used to be such a horse-lover when I was a kid, but since then I’ve drifted off into a world without horses. Beautiful post, Z. It brings back some happy memories. 🙂
thanks, amiga. so did you read the ‘misty’ books?
i’m glad you enjoyed the post!
z
Yes, I did, and it’s so strange that you mentioned it just today when I just wrote a blog post about those books yesterday: “what do i desire?” Serendipitous. 🙂
Your pictures could have been taken in my town, Cody, WY, especially over the 4th of July. There are a lot of horse lovers here and we have wild horses outside of Town. By the way, what is a “dinner plate jaw”?
Living for 4 years in Arizonia as a youngster, I decided I wanted to be a “cowboy” when I grew up.. But unfortunately I never could find my seat..my horse loving daughter started riding when she was five and heard those magical words ” she’s a natural” while mom..15 years later, still couldn’t find her seat…tried again 20 years later..still lost..
I love horses , just wish my bottom felt the same way..:) Great post ! Thanks for the info on the other blogs, got my tissue ready.. Mary
good morning!
when growing up, i ‘took’ a lot of people riding. i remember every so often someone would ride, and never seemed to sync with the horse. i can’t explain that, aside from comparing it to how some people sing well and some (like me) love music but just can’t hit those magic sounds!
as long as the love is in your heart, we can still be touched and affected by those activities we never mastered!
thanks for your comment, amiga!
z
I grew up around horses, spending summers with my uncle who raised, trained, and bred horses. I mucked many a stall! And I was taught to respect and admire those animals. (By he way, you deserve every award you have been given….and then some.)
Hugh, if I am ever having a bad day, all I have to do is go back and read your sweet comments, and I will be smiling again! Thank you so much!
Z
Life has many paths, and now that I’m older, I wish mine had taken me through the land of horses. When I moved to rural Texas and began understand the beauty and mystery of horses, and the bond that forms between horse and rider, it was too late. No cowgirl life for me!
But still I love horses – not so much the competitions (other than rodeo – I have this inner barrel racer inside!) but the working horses that range through the west. Texas has the history of the vaqueros, of course – a bit of flavor of spice that makes life even more tasty!
One of my favorite singers is Ian Tyson, the Canadian cowboy, and one of my favorite of his songs is Jaquima to Freno . Sometimes it can bring chills or tears to my eyes. I think you’ll like it.
You are such an artist with words! I am sure you would have been an amazing barrel racer!
I loved the musician and the song and images that went with it. Today the internet is feeling pretty frisky and is loading YouTubes really well! Giddye-up!
Thank you so much for pointing me (all of us) to this song!
Z
This made me think of a song I’ve heard. The video is a little ( just a little) racy but it brought a smile to my face after reading some of this sadness.
I will check some of these sights when I have a little more time.
I hope this video works.
Every so often YouTuibe tosses back a snitty black screen that says, \the uploader has not made this video available in your country.’ I am familiar with the song, so thanks for trying!
Z
Ahh the memories you brought swirling back in my mind! Before daylight rides, Greenville every weekend for horse shows, swimming horses in the barrow pits, riding through the cotton fields and adorning our horses’ bridles with wild flowers, picking dewberries from horseback for Mom’s dewberry cobbler, swinging off horseback on the rope in the tree at the McClellans, moonlight night rides after sneaking out of your bedroom window….sigh…and lately, several times, in my dreams I have been searching for Blue. Each dream is the same; an old falling apart, dusty barn and a bare pasture with no grass. I call for Blue and search frantically for him; I know he is there but he doesn’t come. I wake in the morning feeling so empty and missing him. Of all my horses, he was the one who knew me as well as I knew him. Yes, you are a true horse lover and fearless in your riding skills. Toche’ Lisa!
Wow. Your comment touched me deeply, but the latter half brought tears to my eyes. There’s more to that dream than just a mystery.. you’re looking for something, though part of it has to be about losing Sam as well and you’re feeling very much alone, even if you’re surrounded by your family. That’s my ‘off the cuff’ reaction. So if you were looking for Blue, surely Sunup would have been near!
Yes, we had a rich childhood, amiga, and many times I recall you trusting me as I rounded the barrel for barrel pickup- or I trusted you to do the same!
Blue was a great horse! Gentle and solid and trusting. Dear Sunup was a bit more loca, though she could run like the wind, couldn’t she?
Thank you so much for your comment, and I am sure you enjoyed every image on this post!
This is for you and Blue Steel, amiga:
Love,
Lisa
Great photos, wonderful. Thanks for sharing the magic of that day with us.
Con mucho gusto! Thank you for your comment! Z
Again, the comments you evoke from people are such an interesting part of the post. I’m not a “horse person” but I do admire them. A while back, while traveling alone in southwest Utah I saw a notice in the small town where I was staying that a local man would take people for rides into the sage – I did it and loved it – he was a very quiet man – just the two of us – the best was when we waded through a creek. Indescribable, the feeling of being on/with the horse through the medium of water rather than air. A photo I took of the man on his horse, ahead of me, is on the wall as a reminder. I like the image above of the cowboy pouring water on his horse’s mane –instead of reaching for that beer – and the silent nod. I get that.
I am not surprised that you get it! it’s so nice to cross paths with noble people, especially those who put animals’s needs in front of their own.
have any of my paintings inspired you to pull out your watercolors and start painting again? i hope you’ll reconnect with that side, what a gift that’s awaiting rebirth!
z
Love, love it! THANK YOU, Z!
thank you as well! Z
Beautiful! Thanks for this post and the photos
you are welcome! costa rica has some amazing topes/cabalgatas, though i have never heard of any in panama. you’ll have to keep your eye out for them now that the rainy season is behind you. they are usually held on weekends during the full moon.
z
Such a touching post Z. Horses are such beautiful animals, so gentle yet so powerful. I have always felt that you can easily communicate with a horse without any words, just be looking into their eyes.
Hank, Marie and I had a strange burro experience near that snow-capped cotopaxi. it was trotting down the foggy highway, and we stopped to snap its picture. it acted as if it wanted to go with us, and for me, it wasahard to leave it behind!
ah, so many images, so many posts, and not enough hours in each day!!!
thanks, amiga!
z
I loved your photo of the burro on that lonely foggy highway. 🙂
just a few days ago i finally had time to go through the bulk of those images. i have some great ones of ole shaggy burro! thanks! z
OMG, I couldn’t believe this, such a beautiful, sensitive, touching post! And you have mentioned meee, honoured me as well, well thank you from the deepest of my heart, you made my day now!
Fond greetings back to you
very happy in the Far North
Dina
your personality shines through this comment! your post is truly beautiful, and i am honored to point others in your direction!
it’s a bit too cold here this week on the ecuadorian coast, but i’ll bet it’s much colder where you are!
happy holidays!
lisa/z
Reblogged this on Where God Takes Me and commented:
On Wednesday I received a note from Lisa at Zeebra Designs and Destinations that she had stumbled upon my post, “Where Have All the Mustangs Gone?” Lisa wrote that she was inspired to publish a post in response and I’m honored to share that with you. Many thanks, Lisa, for your beautiful post and for helping to broaden awareness of the plight of our mustangs. — Vivian
thank you, amiga!
i think that issues like this cause people to look the other way and not get involved. i am surprised that this did not ignite more alarm/shock/indignation.
creative solutions to spreading this story are still incubating.. surely we’ll find a way to stop this madness.
thanks again,
lisa/z
This is an excellent post. I’m guessing all of the animals on the planet will go peacefully on about their intended lives when we humans finally understand the distinction between living in harmony with animals/nature rather than assuming that other living things (and people) are our playthings to ignore, mistreat,discard or destroy at will. Thanks for your efforts in that area, with affection, Penny xx
thank you so much for your comment. i think sometimes ‘we’ have to step far away before we can see from a different perspective. .. ‘slowing down’ is also important, when we do that, we notice the subtle nuances of life and nature that we’d otherwise miss.
thanks for your comment; hope it’s a good day for you!
z
I hope your day and week ahead is good one for you also! I totally agree with your thoughts!
Congratulations! It is my pleasure to nominate you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Well deserved! For more information please visit: http://orbsdelight.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/very-inspiring-blogger-award-nominations/
YEAAAAAA Z one more nomination!!! Congratulations!!!! Totally deserved!
hey amiga!
you are too funny! thanks so much!
you might recognize an image on this page as well!
http://www.letsbewild.com/photo-challenge-winners/challenge-9-peaceful
thanks so much for your great cheerleading abilities!
from ‘vista alegre’
z
I am delighted for your visit and liking my post Farewell….Wishing you a beautiful new year.jalal
and the same to you! thanks! lisa/z
Those pictures remind me to watching American Cowboy Films and those only what I can enjoy watching people riding horses. Great pictures ! and thank you for giving me chance to share and read a well prepared story.
thank you for such kind words! this area of ecuador has an ‘old west’ feel to it, and on weekends many men ride their horses or burros or mules into town to trade their farm items, buy supplies, drink a few beers, and return to their farm! i enjoy the slower pace of life.
thanks again!
lisa/z