The meals were catered, and we joked about the extra weight that our horses needed to carry from all the delicious food we were eating. There was fabulous entertainment, from raffles to cowboy poets and singers. Those of us who were camping even went into Benson once to use the showers at a truck stop.
And the variety of riding opportunities! Five rides or so were offered daily, so we could choose our speed and distance. I took along several tubes of the calming paste for Alegro, but never had to use it. I guess he's weathered enough big group rides now that he's decided to relax and enjoy them.
It didn't hurt that Terry's Peruvian Paso mare, Isabella, was along. Well, the honest truth is that Alegro and Isabella were inseparable at Tierra Bella, so Terry and I decided we'd have a better time if we rode on the same trail ride each day.
I was sorry I missed the "entertainment" offered by several riders, whereupon a few women didn't manage to dodge tree branches quite well enough to avoid ripping their clothes; one unlucky rider had no alternative but to ride back to camp in her sports bra. A few horses managed to ditch their riders; the most serious incident required a participant to be evacuated by helicopter to a Tucson hospital. Fortunately, her injuries weren't life-threatening.
The most disconcerting sight was that of empty water jugs and abandoned clothes littering the trails closer to the highway - signs of the illegal immigrants who pass from Mexico into the United States. Such immigrants use the ranch country to make their way up to the big cities. (We riders agreed: No matter what opinion you hold of illegal immigration, it's depressing to see signs of people trying to survive this perilous journey.)
Although it's the Tucson Saddle Club, I was amazed at how many people from outside Tucson pay to join our club just to come to Tierra Bella. In fact, in 2004, about half the riders were from out of town. Tierra Bella has become so popular that the maximum capacity of attendees was reached four months in advance of the ride. You can bet that Alegro and I will be among the first to sign up for 2005.
Jule Drown is a freelance writer based in Tucson, Arizona. To pay for her horse habit, she works as a nonprofit agency executive. She may be reached at juledrown@juno com
