RODEO
RODEO IS MANYTHINGS : A WILD CELEBRTION, A CRAZY-STEMPEDE, A RIDE THAT BRING THE CROWD ITS FEET. IT ROUGH, BONE JARRING, DANGEROUS WORK-COWBOY OF THE RISK GETTING HURT. IT’S MOMENT OF GLORY AND DAYS OF PAIN. IT’S TAKING THE HARD KNOCK AND NEV COMPLAIN. IT’S THRILL OF A CONTEST, THE SPEED OF THE RACE, IT’S COURAGE, CUNNING, SKILL, AND GRACE, IT PRESERVING THE PAST AND TRADITIONAL WAYS. RODE IS HOW A COWBOY PLAY
RODEO AND COWBOY’S WAY
THERE’RE A LOT, TO LEARN.
THIS’S A SHORT MOMENT TO MADITATE,
BEFORE MY TURN.
NILSON CHET
Horse Riding Thailand
Tucked away in the green clad jagged foothills of Kao Yai national park or Pak Chong to be more precise is an area that has gradually taken on the appearance of the Wild West with a ranch like hotel and log cabin style guest houses and residential homes bordered by picket fences and surrounded by lush meadows like a white and yellow dotted blanket over the landscape.
Completing the picture of a live piece of the prairies is the OK Corral; a collection of stables, practice rings and beautiful horses run by Pichet , Thailand ’s one and only real cowboy with build and personality as big as any wanna be John Wayne and a cowboy hat that seems super glued to his head.
Driving along the dirt road and into the OK Corral under the high hung faded wooden sign, you really feel as if you entering an outpost in the Wild West with piles of logs waiting to be turned into a campfire, the frame of an old wagon parked askew, bales of straw stacked up against the stables, hanging cowboy leathers and country classics gently meandering out of a tape player, from the mournful croons of Dolly Parton to foot tapping banjo plucking blue grass; filling the air with a tangible taste of the west.
Pichet and his small team of horse handlers are busy bringing horses in and out of the stables, saddling them up and sharing their knowledge with young and old riding students, helping them bond with each other. Pichet’s young son and nephew also take part in all the chores and their horse riding skills and confidence at such a young age are an enviable rarity.
Pichet doesn’t just act out the part of a cowboy, he really knows his stuff as most of his early years were spent in the states and Australia mentoring the real McCoy and since Pichet’s return to Thailand he has worked hard to manifest his dream of bringing the ways of the Wild West to Thailand and create more understanding among Thais of man’s relationship with such a reliable four legged friend and was for the first time able to experience the freedom of cantering through the long grass.
The first thing Pichet points out is that Thailand is more familiar with ‘dressage,’ the predominantly aristocratic English style of horse riding rather than the more relaxed and down to earth American style.
Pichet’s burly and direct, cowboy like manner is a no nonsense approach to dealing with horses which quickly infects his students, giving them the confidence to quickly master the basics of controlling a horse and making it go where they want while riding in a position that is comfortable for both the rider and the horse.
My daughter, for example, has been riding at a Bangkok school for a few months but until our trip to Bonanza, hadn’t had the chance to go any faster than a slight trot within the confines of the restricted horse arena. Once Pichet had made a few adjustments to her riding style to a less rigid than she had been taught and peppered her with gems of wisdom about getting along with horses, she was left to roam the meadows with her new sleek black, four legged Arabian friend.
Parents thinking about putting their kids on the back of a fast moving and sometimes temperamental animal might have some reservations about safety and the correct riding equipment like boots, a crop and a hard hat are usually part of the horse riding gear seen as essentials but Pichet is of the belief that a rider’s safety also rests in his or her confidence with their horse and the mutual respect built between them.
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When first introducing a rider to a horse, Pichet will get them involved in preparing the horse to be ridden, talking them through the saddling and reining and encouraging them to become familiar with the horse by patting, stroking and talking to it.
The OK Corral’s collection of thoroughbred horses now stands at thirty two and includes a handful of tan coloured timid but playful Shetland ponies. Pichet laughs as he gestures to the grazing miniatures and recounts the cost of them and their subsequent inability to help create any further revenue. “They cost 120,000 Baht each and what can I do with them now?”
The Shetland ponies actually form part of a grander plan to add more to the immediate area in the way of facilities, activities and horses in a western like setting, complete with its own ghost town resort. This will give visitors a better chance to get more involved with the horses and do a variety of outdoor activities.
Days at the ranch usually start with a morning horse trail off into the surrounding fields and foothills. Other activities that Pichet promises to start before winter include a horse drawn ‘Wagon trail,’ each wagon just right for a small family to climb aboard and get a taste of that pioneering spirit. For stargazers, campouts are a great way to spend a clear tropical evening; around a campfire, sharing stories and retiring late into your tent.
Pichet also has plans to go mobile with a truck that will transport horses and ‘knock-down’ training rings so he can travel to do demonstrations. This venture is not one spurned with an interest in generating money but Pichet wants to get out there and show people in universities and the like that this is one kind of occupation or career some might find is just right for them and it also helps bring horse riding closer to the masses.
Most of the OK Corral’s hoses, apart from the Shetland ponies, are Arabian horses; the oldest known breed of riding horse and have evolved a very close relationship with humans for thousands of years. They were originally bred by the nomadic Bedouins as war mounts for long treks and quick forays into enemy camps in the harsh desert conditions of what is now Syria .
It is the Arabian horse’s pure bred intelligence, gentle disposition plus their large lung capacity and incredible endurance that has forged such a close relationship with their human owners and that made them such prized assets among tribesmen and historical figures like Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Alexander the Great and George Washington and historically, no greater gift could be given than that of an Arabian mare, which often have no price tag.
As far back as the seventh century AD, the prophet Mohammed proclaimed that Allah had created the Arabian and that those who treated the horse well would be rewarded in the afterlife. This coupled with the Koran's instruction that "no evil spirit will dare to enter a tent where there is a purebred horse," helped form the strong bond between horse and human as the severe climate meant the nomads would share food, water and sometimes even their tents with their horses, which is also said to have instilled the high intelligence of the breed.
“An Arabian will take care of its owner as no other horse will, for it has not only been raised to physical perfection, but has been instilled with a spirit of loyalty unparalleled by that of any other breed."
The athletic build of Arabian horses is marked by a distinctive dished profile of large, lustrous wide-set eyes on a broad forehead with small, curved ears, an arched neck and large, efficient nostrils.
Riding training is what Bonanza is all about, not just a place to ride but somewhere where people can learn everything from how to saddle a horse to staying on when they rear up on two legs or perform jumps.
“In the United states , places like this are called ‘riding clinics,’ which means a place where all aspects of horse riding are covered. Some people might already have some control over a horse but have never learned to trot and others may have more skills and want to become trainers themselves. Sometimes, horses need training too and a new owner might bring a new horse here to be broken in. Of course people need to learn other things about horses like saddling them up and changing their shoes. We do all of that here in the Western style that I have learned in Australia and the United States .”
“For me, the maintenance of a horse and building a close relationship with it is the most important aspect of horse riding and that’s what I want the people who come here to know; that they must learn about this before they even get on a horse.”
One way of demonstrating this to newcomers is Pichet’s horse show, which he calls his ‘Western horseman demonstration.’ “I tell them the whole thing; how to get along with a horse, how to maintain a horse, the primary basics for horse back riding and some of the more advanced tricks too.”
The show also includes a demonstration of Roman horse riding, which is one rider standing astride two horses as they run side by side in tandem; a very difficult trick that takes a lot of practice and is usually reserved for the realms of Hollywood stunt men. This spectacle also adds a bit of excitement to the show and gives people the inspiration to perhaps take up horse riding.
Pichet’s motivation for sharing his knowledge is to promote safety and understanding among riders, wherever they ride. It also makes good business sense and has become Pichet’s trade mark that riders trained by him carry with them in their riding style when they ride elsewhere.
Future expansions of Bonanza include more places to stay so guests can spend a few days immersed in the ways of the West, have the chance to build relationships with the horses and experience a whole range of horse related activities.
The OK Corral welcomes visitors any day of the week but it is good to make a booking though to make sure you'll get a chance to ride.
Pichet usually leads a group out on a trail in the mornings then spends the day training groups and individuals in the art of Western riding.