My 42nd birthday was on October 30th. Double 21. It feels like yesterday that I was just 21, and it is quite confounding to consider otherwise. Attending a Carrera de Cintas in the countryside of Costa Rica, beside a huge volcano made for a very Feliz Cumpleaños (Happy Birthday!).
With age comes realization. One of the things I love about being in my 40s is knowing myself better. Seeing patterns that have formed over time, and now are undeniable, if sometimes predictable. One such pattern for me, is the occasional quest to do something completely unexpected and out of the ordinary in the name of adventure and growth.
For this birthday, I set my heart on participating in my first Carrera de Cintas. The opportunity arose while visiting La Carolina Lodge by Volcano Tenorio, a couple of weeks earlier. Alejandro, the boss of the farm at La Carolina Lodge (one of our favorite mountain getaways), proudly shared with me that his hometown of El Pilon de Bijagua was having an event called the Carrera de Cintas. This is a horse-centric event where cowboys and cowgirls gallop as fast as they can towards a piece of rope strung tightly between two poles and attempt to stab a chinese-chopstick-style-wand through a hoop that is no larger than a fat-fingered-wedding-ring as it hangs from a clothes-peg. Sound easy?
Alejandro is a horse-man through and through and this event is something he looks forward to every year. This year was to be tough for him though. He told me how his favorite horse, named Mar de Plata (sea of money) had been his best lucky charm for years. He had won so many of these Carreras de Cintas on that horse and had garnered himself quite the name and reputation for being top dog…. or should I say Stellar Stallion?
Sadly this year, just a few months prior, Alejandro lost his horse to an infection, the very same day that he lost his best canine friend too. He expressed how heartbroken he was, to the point he didn’t want to get out of bed at all for a few days. Those who know Alejandro, know that this man is a hard-working man who ALWAYS gets up and always gets to work. His famous saying is that he loves his life so much, that his work isn’t work. He has so much passion for what he does- caring for the cows, the pigs, the horses, the crops. He loves connecting with the guests, showing them his world, and changing theirs. He is a special guy, and most certainly, one of the biggest draws for returning guests to La Carolina Lodge- along with the other sweet, patient, and welcoming staff members who have been there forever.
As soon as Alejandro said that this event was happening in his hometown, and it was the date of my birthday, I knew I just HAD to go. And those who know me well, know that I love a bit of competition AND have a solid history with horses. My style of riding growing up was English style- dressage, showjumping, and cross-country jumping.
Western style, such as this particular event is completely foreign to me- not to mention that I rarely ride these days! All I knew was that I wanted to go, see Alejandro in his element and, of course, find myself a horse to borrow to challenge myself into doing something completely different on my birthday! I didn’t know how, who or where, exactly… but I knew it was meant to be so just trusted the process.
The day of, we really were not clear on where this event was supposed to take place. Alejandro, like many older generation country-folk in Costa Rica, is not at all savvy on the cell phone. I had tried to call him, sent him messages but no luck, so we went in blind!
We knew it was in the vicinity of La Carolina Lodge, in a town called El Pilon de Bijagua. This town barely registered on Google Maps, with the only indication that a town of that name existed there, was a local, small, state-run medical clinic called an EBAIS. Off we headed, for the 2.5 hour journey from home, to find the field where this event was to take place.
When we were unable to find the field at our first pass-through, we stopped at a little shack where a well-seasoned and weathered man sat, offering information about the area. He manned this ramshackle tourist information booth of sorts. I jumped out of the truck and asked him where the Carrera de Cintas was. My heart sank as he looked blankly at me and said in his deep country Spanish that he had no idea what I was talking about! I started thinking of my birthday Plan B and thought ‘Oh well we’ll just go hike around the Rio Celeste’, which wouldn’t be half bad, as it is the most stunning turquoise-colored river, but I was fired up to ride!
Not wanting to give up, I suggested to Ian that we turn around and as we turned, I looked up a rocky side road and there were two very nice white horses with two very well-dressed cowboys atop! I figured these guys weren’t out herding cows in those fancy outfits, so I asked Ian to stop the truck (again!) as I’m getting out to go talk to them! This time, we were in luck, and when I asked them where the Carreras de Cintas were, they pointed up the road and said where to go- just a kilometer away. As we turned back onto the main road, there was a horse trailer- so we followed that and found our destination.
We thought the location would have more fanfare – we had gone right past it earlier in our hunt, not noticing it at all, as it was an empty field where we were looking for something that appeared more rodeo-like. It was an empty field with a makeshift shelter from the sweltering sun. The ground had been prepared by a backhoe, carving out some parking space and a temporary road within the field. But no one was there when we passed by earlier.
Our biggest mistake was being on time. The event began, we were told, at 12 noon. It was now 12.15pm and we were only the 3rd vehicle to arrive, including the commentator!! In all the entire day, it was only this that made me feel out of place- not the fact we were almost the only foreigners there! Not the fact I was the crazy blonde Aussie chica asking everyone if she could borrow their horse! Being on time to a country Costa Rican Cowboy event – THAT is what really set us apart from the locals! Everyone was so welcoming, and in such good spirits, inclusive and content.
I was on a mission to find myself a horse to ride, and to say hi to Alejandro of course! The first people I approached with my mission to find a horse to ride were those nicely dressed cowboys who pointed us in the right direction earlier. Their response was quite tepid, their faces showing conflicting feelings- on one hand, they wanted to please, and on the other hand, they wondered who was this random Gringa and could she even ride a horse?!! They were not offering their sturdy steeds up for me so off I went to inform the commentator, Alex, of my mission. He said he would make an announcement.
Next, I found a group of local ladies sitting together in the shade, and not knowing anyone, I went with my gut instinct to sit and chat for a while, particularly because one reminded me a lot of my Aunty Glennis! Her name is Maria and she exuded kindness and a gentle nature that was truly so welcoming. Her mannerisms, her posture- completely my Aunty Glenny and so I stayed. I was offered a seat, and introduced to the crew. It turns out that Maria and her family are from a neighboring town, the challengers to Alejandro’s team! Her daughter Maria Jose was wearing a shirt from the documentary movie Walk-Ride-Rodeo and we got chatting about how the star of the story came to Costa Rica and stayed where she worked, and she proudly showed me the autograph on her t-shirt.
Of course, I told Maria of my hopes to ride a horse in the event and she suggested that I ride her son, Matias’ horse. I would pay for his entry fee: he would ride ‘sponsored’ for part of the event, and I would ride for the other part. If he wins any prizes, he gets to keep them, including the prize money and everyone leaves happy. I really only wanted to go a couple of times, to give it a shot, so this worked out perfectly!
Normally, before an event, one would ride the horse to get accustomed to their nature. How they move, how they respond, and of course, to make sure they aren’t a crazy nut whose mission it is to get their rider in the dirt as swiftly as possible! I didn’t get a trial run on this one.
I completely failed to do my research on the rules, so it was a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of day, and a crash course in how to not look like a fool. Basically, there are two essentials to a successful run. One- you must gallop fast. If the judges deem you to be too slow, even if you do manage the magical maneuver of spearing the ring successfully, you will not be awarded the credit for that ring. Two- once you do actually stab the ring onto your mini jousting-pole that resembles a chop-stick, you must hold the little stick up in the air for some time afterward, at least until the judges see it.
My horse was a white horse with scars all over his face because white horses in Costa Rica get sunburned extra badly. He was a good, responsive boy and went fast when I asked him to. Finn said I wasn’t really going fast, but that is the duty of a 14-year-old son, to ensure his momma doesn’t get too happy with herself on her birthday haha!
It was interesting to observe the techniques that the best riders displayed. One of the best guys was super tall, but as his horse galloped towards the rings, his upper body was as still as a log on a beach. He and Alejandro were among the top 3. I flapped about like a vulture honing in on some dead prey, but at least I didn’t look completely out of place.
I could barely even SEE the rings, let alone poke a chopstick through one. But I pretended I did and held my arm up afterwards and most everyone laughed with me. It was a thrill, a big rush and a whole lot of fun.
The commentator had everyone sing happy birthday to me, and then asked me to say a few words at the end of the day. Alejandro was super chuffed (a very Aussie/ British word that means happy) that we came and visited, participated, and saw him in his element.
I am so grateful to Maria and her family for taking me in for the day, and making my birthday dream come true. Matias in the end did win a prize on one of his sponsored runs- a really nice saddle blanket for his horse! Their entire team included me in their team photo, which was super special.
The entire day was so joyful, heart-filling and perfect.
If you would like to be kept updated on when and where these events take place (Guanacaste), send me an email and I will connect you with Maria! Maria and her family are also opening a little B and B in the area of Volcan Tenorio, so if you are in the area, reach out and I will connect you!