She Is The Sunlight [Arthur & Gwen]

New fandom! And by new fandom, I of course mean… My NEW OBSESSION!! Ok… *calms down* The outcome of this video is probably nowhere near the amount of effort it took to get it up. SV crapped on all of my footage. Several times. But as I was told earlier this evening, it just shows how much I adore this show. And it’s true. This is for two lovely ladies. Rach (HBHO) and Alex (Sparralex). Both pushed me to start watching the show, and I really have to thank them. Because of them, I’ve found two new boys to drool over. And a possible new vacation destination this summer. I love you girlies. You all know the drill. Info at the end. And of course… Made for fun, not for profit. Backup Account: www.youtube.com

Riding for the disabled – Gwen & Paul’s Story March 2009

My husband Paul was diagnosed with MS about ten years ago and as his mobility has deteriorated it has been increasingly difficult for us to go on the kind of outdoor holidays we used to enjoy. I looked on the internet for activity holidays for people with wheelchairs and saw one for a riding holiday in Arizona. We had both been keen riders and for a time Paul attended riding for the disabled. Unfortunately he had to stop as he could no longer dismount safely.

I doubted very much that this advertised holiday would be suitable but rang Have Horse Will Travel anyway. Emma assured me that this particular guest ranch would definitely be able to get Paul on and off the horse, how much he could do once mounted would have to be seen. After some discussion with Emma, she put together an individual itinerary for us and organised all the details down to the taxi!

For our first 3 nights we stayed in Las Vegas at the Flamingo hotel, right on the Strip! Our room overlooked Caesars Palace and Las Vegas was a total eye opener, more over the top than we could have imagined, lively and busy and colourful. The casinos were amazing, huge and gaudy and busy 24/7. I thought I would have to have a small go on the slots, but after I had spent a whole $5 I was so bored I had to give up – the last of the big spenders.

Emma had booked us a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon and we were to be picked up at the hotel. What we didn’t expect was the long black stretch limo and driver awaiting us – wow! We were so amazed, we had expected a taxi!  The helicopter flight was awesome, much smoother than I expected. And the Grand Canyon…… what can I say, we were boggled by it, it was huge and deep and has to be seen to be believed.

On the Sunday we travelled to the ranch. This was about 2 ½ hours away, through what at first glance, seemed dry and barren scenery. The ranch itself was as different from Las Vegas as it could possibly be – quiet, isolated, calm and above all friendly and welcoming. Carrie and Dan made us feel at home straight away and throughout our stay nothing was too much trouble for them. They have such a “can do” attitude as does every member of staff, that they make you feel anything is possible.

I really did not think they would get Paul onto a horse and even if they did he would not be able to go outside the arena. To the great joy of both of us they did get Paul mounted, on a very patient gelding called Cochise. The first time Paul just went round the arena but as he was able to stay in the saddle unaided he was taken round the perimeter of the ranch. As he hadn’t ridden for over 3 years he soon tired but the big grin on his face when he came back was something special.

I enjoyed my first ride as well, just a walking ride to allow the wranglers and Carrie to decide what type of ride and which horse would be most suitable. Jef, the wrangler on my first couple of days there was super. Once he found out I was interested in the natural history of the area he went out of his way to point out different lizards, birds, plants and a lot of other information about the area. The horses were all well mannered and easy to ride. I found the first saddle I used uncomfortable, much to my surprise, as western riding always looked so much more relaxed than English. However the second day I rode a different horse with a different saddle and it was a completely changed experience as it was every bit as comfortable as I had hoped. Neck reining was a whole new process too and took a bit of getting used to, but the horse I rode was quite unflappable and didn’t get upset at my occasional lapses into riding with a direct rein, he just ignored me!

Once the Carrie knew what we were able to do I went out on some quite fast rides. There are some wide sandy washes in the area, safe and perfect for loping (cantering to me!) and we could lope for long distances, much further than I am used to. Up close the desert is not as barren as it first seems, with many small wild flowers, cactuses of various persuasions (some very fierce) and my favorites the Joshua trees. To our great pleasure Paul was able to accompany us on the start of each ride. A couple of members of staff always walked with him and he would ride out for 20 minutes or so before turning back. He could have done the same in the afternoon, but as fatigue is a major problem he usually stayed at the ranch, often surrounded by the ranch dogs who were pleased to have someone there to make a fuss of them when the staff were busy.

The weather was sunny but surprisingly cool, so riding was very pleasant.

However it got quite windy in the afternoons and on the Thursday a real sandstorm blew up. Carrie and Dan said it was only the second time they had experienced such a bad one since they set up the ranch. Most of us passed on the afternoons ride, it was like being sandblasted and quite unpleasant, although a couple of people did go out. Unfortunately the wind was so strong that it lifted the covers from the pool and hot tub which quickly filled with sand and debris. It is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of Dan and his team that they had them cleaned out, refilled and working as normal by Saturday morning.

The food was of the same standard as the rest of the holiday – 3 full meals per day, freshly cooked (OH the Ribs… and the warm fresh cookies….. the deserts…….)and as much as you wanted. There were some really brilliant other guests, mealtimes were great and often it was hard to drag yourself away from the table to enjoy the after dinner entertainment.

I can’t praise this holiday enough, it was magic. For any former riders out there who can’t ride now because of mobility problems this place was perfect and if you can ride it’s just as great. Our heartfelt thanks to Emma for sorting it all out and helping us through some minor hiccups. We loved it!