Last weekend Shawn & I escaped with some good friends to our favorite retreat just south of the border, Rancho La Mentada in Baja, Mexico. La Mentada is a 13,000-acre guest ranch, 2 hours drive from the San Diego border. We left our worries behind as we drove down the Baja coastline and went back in time to experience life the way it was in Old Baja on a working ranch.
When we arrived at La Mentada I took my watch off, breathed in deep, and everything slowed down. There I gave myself the gift of time and quiet relaxation. Six cozy rooms were ready with clean sheets on the beds and fires in the woodstoves. Our horses were saddled up, waiting to ride. Our meals were being prepared in La Cocina. There was no electricity, no phones, only candlelight and kerosene lanterns lit the rooms. Mexico is the land of Manana; there is always tomorrow so no need to hurry today.
Enrique, our host and owner, grew up on La Mentada. He carefully and quietly sizes up guests, matching each to their horses. He doesn’t talk much at first, and after watching him work I understand why. He was too busy observing everyone to be sure they were well taken care before they ride.
La Mentada has a class-A string of Ranch Horses. The horse’s work is vital to the ranch. They are responsive, surefooted, and well cared for. All horses neck rein and handle easily in curb bits. They are versatile mounts. They walk right through deep streambeds, they place their shod hooves solid on rocky mountain trails, they boldly work a cow and they stand steady as you throw your rope. Enrique and his father have used each horse for work on the ranch so they know their dispositions well. The horses are not pets: they are livestock. When their work is done they are turned out on the ranch’s 13,0000 acres to graze and live as a herd with green grass, fresh water running in streams and room to run. If you look deep into their wise eyes you can see they are content in their world. Every horse should be given a life such as this.
My mare, La Negra, was just over 14 hands high. When I met her Enrique asked me to wait a moment as he swung a leg over and took off at a canter across an open field of wildflowers. Everyone in the group got a chuckle at this; Beth Anne's horse might be a wild one. But Enrique returned and handed me the reins, assuring me she was good to go. La Negra was a hotrod, idling patiently and waiting for me to wave the red flag. I do believe I rode as fast as the wind this past weekend. When we were galloping across a field with the group, she was always out in front. She could poor on the speed so fast and easy it was just flat out thrilling to ride her. Unlike my horses at home, she had experience moving at speed over the ranchlands because the never faltered or shied and she was easy to rein in if I needed her to slow down. She gave me lots of practice in riding a fast horse, balancing myself and focusing way ahead to plan our path. When you are traveling at a gallop, obstacles come up really quick. If you try to steer the horse too much you get in their way. It takes a lot trust and feel to gallop your horse over that kind of land.
The ranchland we rode through changed from high rocky cliffs to low open pastures to swift running streams and waterfalls. Sage and scrub cover the ground between the Oak and Sycamore trees, but the brush is never so thick that you can’t ride through it. In Mexico they control the brush with fires so that the cattle have ground to graze upon and in turn we have room to ride. In March the soft, green earth and the cool misty air made for near perfect riding conditions. Enrique knew we wanted to work with cattle so he tracked down two small herds and we drove them back to the Rancho for roping practice.
Upon returning to the Rancho, we all gladly dismounted after a long day in the saddle. We ate well that night: tacos, chili rellenos, beans, rice and homemade salsa. We always eat too much at La Mentada because the food is so darn good and that hard riding in mountain air makes us hungry. We lazed around by the campfire afterwards, visiting about the day’s adventures and the history of the ranch. La Mentada has been a working ranch for 80 years. It is family owned and operated, which makes each visit a personal experience. Our family of hosts takes great pride in offering their ranch to us and they always have funny stories to share in both English and Spanish.
I believe Shawn and I would go to La Mentada just to ride with Enrique, even if we had to camp on the ground. Thank goodness Raul and Caroline have built such comfy casitas that we don’t have to. We plan to return to La Mentada each year. In fact, some of us were joking that we need to find a way to visit Enrique each month for his cowboy school. We know that if we could just spend some time with him, we would surely become handy with our horses and our ropes. If you love to ride a horse through wide-open spaces, and you like sound of the Spanish language, you are welcome to join us for a trip to La Mentada. Visit our website for photos coming soon. The entire album, photos courtesy of Garry & Ann McClintock, is at the barn so be sure to ask for it next time you visit Rancho Doblado. And you can visit La Mentada’s website at www.bajaranch.com
Los vemos pues!