An aromatic mixture of grilling hamburgers, native sage
grass, horses, and the spicy zest of pepper trees wafts through the droughty
and dusty air at the Dapplegray Community Horse Arena. The loudspeaker
announces raffle winners in a low-fi crackle. It’s downtime before the last
event of the rodeo horse show. Girls sit on horses under Pepper trees to escape
the heat, their mounts aimlessly shuffling their hooves and sniffing the disturbed
ground in hopes of finding an alfalfa cube or two in the chalky dust. Others
lean up against tree trunks or hang on the white split rail fence of the riding
ring. One girl primps her horse’s mane, colored bright pink to match her own
tank top. An eye-catching and fashionable pair they are.
[VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP]
“Mom, did you get my ribbon?” asks one young girl helping
pack items in carry-all bags.
“Yes honey, I put it in my purse.”
Adults laugh and chat as they bustle in and out of the
community kitchen. A sign next to the small food prep kitchen warns: Beware of
pickpockets and loose women. Everyone is chatting; sharing a joke, smiling, helping.
It feels as if one is standing in the middle of one big family of brothers,
sisters, and extended family but no; the event is an annual fundraiser for the
Dapplegray Lanes Property Owners Association (DLPOA). This is what a neighborhood should feel like.
“One of the best things about being here in the Rolling
Hills Estates community is places to have great community events involving
horses,” said Jim Moore, co-owner of Cowboy Boot Camp, a business that teaches
riding to any and all who want to learn. “We are so fortunate to live right here where
we can bring out families and neighbors and get together around horses… even if
you hit the ground,” he said referencing his fall that was caught by this
reporter’s camera. Moore and his wife, Lori Barnett, who are both equestrian
experts, own and operate the riding school together.
The worst part of falling was the embarrassment of the being
the only one to hit the ground during the event. “It makes for great video but
it’s not so great when you’re trying to teach people how to ride,” chuckled
Moore. To Moore’s credit, the horse that
shook him off was arguably the most spirited horse to compete.
“It’s never about if you are going to fall; it’s when you
are going to fall,” Moore says. “The important thing is always getting back up
on your horse and completing the event.”
Moore’s affable nature and humility underscore his credibility
not only as an equestrian expert, but as a role-model for those he teaches. “It’s
never the horse’s fault; it’s always the rider’s fault.”
While it may not be the old west exactly, the cowboy wisdom
permeates everything around us as we stand amid a warm and supportive
community. Accept responsibility; get back in the saddle and finish what you
started. It’s old cowboy wisdom that can only be passed on by example.
Type comment here...
3 comments:
Very nice writing; it gives one a sense of being right in that peaceful atmosphere. It's nice to know there's still a little bit of country spirit in the midst of the city.
To the least of my knowledge, would there be an underlying commitment to the simplicity of old west values in the madness of urban LA.
Ruth has a knack for bringing out realities that otherwise would be shrugged off or ingnored. Her sense of wit and invention, ie. "The loudspeaker announces raffle winners in a Lo-Fi crackle.", put you right.in the saddle of the story here.
This is a great example of how there are things below the ostensible surface which, without the diggings of creative journalism, would not be given notice.
To the least of my knowledge, would there be an underlying commitment to the simplicity of old west values in the madness of urban LA.
Ruth has a knack for bringing out realities that otherwise would be shrugged off or ingnored. Her sense of wit and invention, ie. "The loudspeaker announces raffle winners in a Lo-Fi crackle.", put you right.in the saddle of the story here.
This is a great example of how there are things below the ostensible surface which, without the diggings of creative journalism, would not be given notice.
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