Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13, 2017

flying from Saigon to Sydney to Port Macquarie in Australia,
so impressed with Quantas Airlines going thru immigration,
baggage, catching a shuttle to the domestic terminal,
and security, all in record time

my goal is to ride on all the continents,
North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and now Australia,
doing what I enjoy the most, traveling and riding horses

after arriving at the Port Macquarie airport,
I was met by Max in the early afternoon,
a great goodwill ambassador for Australia

while driving to Dooragan National Park,
I learned from Max that ninety percent of the population
lives on ten percent of the East Coast of Australia,
and then enjoyed my first cup of coffee at the “Holy Goat Cafe”

we drove to the Kerewong Farm to meet my host,
Kathy, a friendly Dutch woman, and lover of horses,
who fell in love with Australia and opened Southern Cross Horse Treks

Kerewong Farm is on sixty acres and
the home to her working and retired horses grazing in pasture
and backing  up to the Kerewong State Forest

I enjoyed a bottle of Coopers Brewery while munching
on white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies,
as Kathy introduced me to her dogs, Bowie and Jedda

for dinner we enjoyed salmon with cauliflower veggies,
and my first Australian chardonnay wine,
with ice cream and fruit for dessert

Kathy told me that since I am the only rider for the week
I am the lucky rider of the legendary “Jimmy”,
a celebrated Arabian horse with his own fan club and blog

 

Monday, August  14

waking up to the sound of the Kookaburra calling each other
and ready for a breakfast of eggs, cooked how I liked them,
toast, Australian bacon, and unlimited  brewed coffee with warm milk

we then walked to the barn to meet a grey Arabian named “Jimmy”,
he was handsome and “smart” and liked to “take advantage of his riders”
just for his entertainment when the rider wasn’t paying attention

I knew it was necessary for me to have a “heart to heart” with him
and let him know what I expected from him and reinforced by
reward and consequence with him during our first forest ride

our first lunch was enjoyed with Max who came to meet us,
and after Kathy tied the horses to the trees without saddles and bridles,
we ate our salad and our cheese and avocado sandwich with fruit juice and coffee

after lunch we continued our ride
up and down the hills in the rain forest and
then the drier Eucalyptus vegetation in the State National Forest
with Bowie blazing the trail

on my ride, I saw my first wallaby
and knew then I was in Australia and kept my eyes open,
hoping to see my first sleeping koala

 

Tuesday, August  15

after breakfast, I walked down to the barn to meet “Nadal”
who is named in honor of his Andalusian heritage
and we begin our climb up the highest mountain
in the area, Comboyne Mountain

Nadal was “head strong” and we reached the top after about three hours,
crossing streams and going up and down hills
with the endurance saddle rubbing against my inner thighs

we were met by the Australian Ambassador who brought us lunch
and we relaxed eating and looking over the mountains and the Lorne Valley
while our horses had a relaxing break

Max had brought Jedda to run with Bowie along the trail,
Bowie who was suspicious of people and had people “issues”
and Jedda who was “people friendly” and kept Kathy company

we walked down the mountain and after reaching the ranch,
I took a shower to relax my sore muscles and
warm up by the fire in the wood stove in the living room

for dinner we enjoyed a salad with salmon, pine nuts, and pumpkin
and a chocolate and coconut lamington cake for dessert,
baked with love by Diane, Max’s wife

 

Wednesday, August 16

today was our long ride to the Bago Vineyards and
I learned  that endurance riding was not for me,
now I just  want to  “sit loosely in the saddle and enjoy life”

I enjoyed talking, laughing, and listening to Kathy
as we rode back to the farm with the cool moist breeze of the forest
compared to the heat from the higher elevation

we rode for a total of about six and half hours
and I was so glad to see the ranch as we walked down the road home,
knowing that I would soon be sitting next on the floor
with the heater in my room warming me up

 

Thursday, August 17

we got up early to start our trip to the beach,
after loading  the horses, “Jimmy” and “Kuda” into the horse trailer,
Kathy drove to Dunbogan Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park

I enjoyed riding on a beautiful beach with nobody else,
walking, trotting, and galloping on the sand
for about eight kilometres with the sun shining in perfect weather

We stopped at Diamond Head to enjoy lunch in a postcard picture

I will never forget our ride back to the trailer,
trotting so we would not get trapped by the high tide and
feeling Jimmy and I were a team with him collected under me

after getting home to have another evening sitting in the living room
by the fire in the wood stove, drinking my latte coffee and
writing to my friends and listening to Ian Tyson sing cowboy songs of the West

 

Friday, August 18

I woke up to a windy morning on my last day of riding
and we decided on a short  ride after breakfast
in the Kerewong State Forest in the Lorne Valley

while walking and keeping Jimmy away from Kathy’s horse,
Kathy and I talked about the horse trekking tourist business
with  the challenges of managing her horses, her customers,
and all the moving pieces to create a successful riding experience

in the afternoon Max took me shopping
for an authentic Akubra Lifestyle hat and I again appreciated his taking the time
to make my trip time in Australia special and memorable

after I got  home  wearing my new chapeau,
I thanked Kathy, in her visitor’s book, for sharing her time and her horses,
with me and gave her a copy of my book as a thank you  

I noticed on the poster hanging on the wall that said
“Sit In The Saddle and Enjoy the Ride”
and we then stepped outside to  see the Southern stars in the sky

Max and Diane came over for my goodbye dinner
of beef stew, carrots and broccoli, mini brussel sprouts
and our nightly dessert of ice cream and fruit,
along with  wine and laughs about becoming “bullwhip heros”

after packing on Saturday morning  we stopped in at the Koala Hospital
and walked through a restored home built in 1870
for the Flynn family that came to Port Macquarie to start a new life

after waving goodbye, I sat in the lobby of the small Port Macquarie Airport
thinking about our forest rides, our mountain ride, our winery ride, our beach ride
and how hard Kathy works taking care of her horses and customers

I thought about my new friends that I  made in Australia
while “sitting in the saddle and enjoying the ride”
and how relationships with people are as fulfilling as riding horses

     

“My Poem To Jimmy”

“as the newest member of your Fan Club,
I agree your a handsome grey
with a history of being a horse show star

at Kerewong you can enjoy people riding you
with your pointed ears looking forward,
always looking around knowing you are in charge

sometimes not liking people and deciding to bite them
and always needing to remind other horses
to follow you on the trail or you will kick them

you remind me how we are all flawed
and to be your fan club members,
we need to learn to love all of you “

Diary by Tom Yeager
Pictures taken by Tom Yeager and Kathy Holtrust