Cattle cutting, cowboys and very chilled horses

It must be something to do with being in California, but all the horses I have encountered in this state have been remarkably chilled, never turning a hair at traffic, other horses or all the bustle of a busy yard. Or 'barn', as stables are called here. After meeting the hounds and horses of the Santa Fe Hunt in San Diego, I took the train up the coast to visit Laurie Brumage, a fellow member of the Santa Fe who lives in San Juan Capistrano, one of the most historic towns in the US. Adobe homes built by Spanish missionaries are preserved here, and Los Rios Street, a charming, tree-shaded lane with quaint wooden homes, is the oldest in California. You can even have an English-style afternoon tea at The Tea House (www.theteahouseonlosrios.com), complete with fine bone china. 

Los Rios Street

The Tea House. If there were cucumber sandwiches available, 

even Lady Bracknell would approve

Laurie's barn, Sycamore Trails Stables (www.sycamoretrails.com), is a vast complex, with 10 barns holding dozens of horses each, seven arenas, covered and uncovered, and several turn-out areas and round pens. There are horses everywhere, hacking to schooling sessions, letting off steam loose in a small arena, jumping, on horse walkers or just being led back to their stables from the sunning pens. Every single one seemed to be quiet, interested in everything, but never spooking. My old pony, much as I loved her, would spook at a clod of earth if she caught it at a funny angle, but here, the sunshine and laidback attitude seems to have infected the horses as well as the people.

Laurie and Peri in Californian mode

Looking smart!

It translates into the style of riding, too. Jumping Laurie's horse Peri, an extremely handsome Clydesdale x Thoroughbred, I barely had to touch his mouth. Horses are taught to be ridden from the seat, and 'washing-line reins', so derided in British Pony Clubs, are no handicap here, even on the hunting field, although I would have to have a little more time with Peri before I set off after hounds at a gallop 'on the buckle', as Laurie does! Such a light hand allows the horse to work freely, and is becoming increasingly seen in dressage. After all, at the Olympics last year, it was Charlotte Dujardin's soft touch and Valegro's relaxed yet correct outline that won us the gold over the more rigid German and Dutch riders. 

Me jumping Peri - no contact needed!

English-style is hugely popular round here, and most riders aim to compete in some form, with almost everyone having a personal 'trainer', who will give them lessons and often accompany them to shows, giving advice on every aspect. In fact, few horses get the chance to experience the wide-open spaces seen out hunting, and I hope the Santa Fe manages to tempt more and more out of their arenas. For many non-hunters, equitation classes are the favourite, in which, I gather, style of going is marked and riders aim for a smooth, almost robotic rhythm over fences. I cannot judge without having seen such competitions for myself, which I hope to do, but I couldn't help a smile when I heard that, in some classes, marks can be awarded for a particularly luxuriant tail... 

A double of cowboy-themed fences in the Front Jumping Arena 

Chilling in the creek

In Western riding, the relaxed style comes to the fore, with the horse's outline being long and low, and control coming from the seat and positioning of the rider's weight - although being relaxed doesn't mean it is any less skilled or effective. This was brought home to me deep in the Californian desert at Reed Valley Ranch (www.reedvalleyranch.com), owned by Santa Fe Hunt follower, Georgia Storm. On a blissfully sunny day, fellow hunt members Jane Langridge and Byron Ayala, top Chinese rider Logos Hall and I (all friends of the ubiquitous Aidan O'Connell!), joined Georgia there to try our hand at Western riding and cattle cutting. 

One of the Reed Valley Ranch buildings

Inside the main lodge

An oasis in the Californian desert, Reed Valley is a classic, comfortable and beautifully decorated cattle ranch, open to guests who want to escape the urban sprawl along the coast. It was easy to imagine Georgia and her three sisters living a 'Little House on the Prairie' childhood there. A top-class showjumper, Georgia is equally at home on a Western saddle, and she and ranch manager Don showed us just how effective seat and weight could be by turning 360˚ inside a tractor tyre, walking sideways over a log and pivoting on a stone slab a foot square, all without touching their horses' mouths. We also had a go at cattle cutting - a favourite rodeo class - and, for complete beginners, weren't too bad! It involves moving cattle from one pen to another one at a time, taking it in turns to choose a beast and herding it through the gate, keeping it moving by positioning one's horse in the optimum position to the side and rear of the bullock. It's a lot harder than it looks, but enormously satisfying when it works.

Don pivoting around a tiny stone slab

Following Georgia and Don along a trail

Byron, Georgia, Jane on Blue, Logos and me

For me, it was wonderful to have a chance to try the saddles (and practice lifting them - they weigh a helluva lot more than English saddles), as, in August, I will leave San Francisco to experience life as a wrangler at Bitterroot Ranch, Wyoming (www.bitterrootranch.com). After a taste of the lifestyle at Reed Valley, I'm more excited than ever about fulfilling my childhood dream.

Me on Rem - short for Remington

Who needs a gym when you've got Western saddles to hoist?