Genuine Horsie Ride

After breakfast we went for a stroll at the beach. There were a few people who approached us and asked if we wanted to hire their jet ski or beach bike. There was also a lady who asked if we wanted to have a massage or reflexology done. All these didn't interest us.

A scrawny man dragging a horse towards us attracted my attention instead. Zara loves the Baby Einstein Old McDonald video. I thought this is a good time to introduce her to a horse. I asked how much it'll cost for us to ride on it. RM30 was the price. The man said our whole family could ride on the horse together. That would cripple the horse maybe, I thought.

I was keen in riding the horse with Zara, and asked Daddy if it was ok for him. He wasn't keen at all, saying what if Zara is allergic to the horse, will it be dangerous etc etc. Well, we won't know if Zara was allergic to horses if we didn't try it out, and I checked with the scrawny man if it was safe. He assured us it will be, and that the horse will go real slow. I then agreed to his price for a ride with Zara.

He helped me up the horse, then daddy passed Zara to me. I made very sure Zara was sitting comfortably (or she might move around complaining later), and I had my arms around Zara's waist. Daddy had to go back to the room to get the cash as we didn't have any on us.

The horse started trotting as the man dragged it. We were going slowly, but it was still quite bumpy up on the horse. I told Zara this is a horse, and sang bits of the Old Mc Donald song to her. She squealed a little, tried to pull the horse' mane, and also touched its coat of rough short hair near the saddle. She was comfortable, and not afraid to be so high up.

After about 10mins trotting at the beach, the man took us back to our hotel. We had to wait for another 15mins for daddy . The horse was getting impatient, and was thumping the sand with its hoof, and then bit off the attap roof of a nearby shed. The man scolded the horse, and then slapped its forehead.

Upon seeing this aggression, Zara too started scolded the horse. "AIK!" "AIK!" she shouted, and then pulled its mane. I have to tell her not to do it, instead I told her to 'sayang' (pat lovingly) the horse.

Eventually, daddy arrived with the money (apparently, he also went back to the room to take his bath causing the delay). After dismounting from the horse, we got Zara to thank the horse, and pat or 'sayang' it again. She did that gently, and I was very pleased.