Pucon, Chile & The Horseback Riding Adventure

Horseback riding through mountains, forests, and rivers seems tranquil until….

In 2009 I took a backpacking adventure into the wilderness of Southern Chile. I went during their fall season, so the weather was just a bit mild but not too hot to feel terribly uncomfortable. So the outdoor activities were endless. Many new exciting activities were shown to me, therefore as being a huge outdoor person I took full advantage in trying them all. One activity in particular caught me a little off guard.
During one of the days I was touring in Pucon, Chile I decided to take up horseback riding with a bunch of other individuals whom I met during my trip. The horseback riding adventure was to show us the beautiful countryside, mountains, and rivers. It was excited to see more of Chile but also to go on a horse again. It has been years, since I last galloped and I knew this was the perfect opportunity to get my riding love back. Well that’s what I thought.
We spent over an hour riding until something whacked the back of my neck, had me flying of just seeing dizziness. All I remember is the tour guide telling me as she was standing over me, ” You got good luck”. I was like huh, what!? So what happened was the horse behind me had it’s horseshoe fly over one person and hit me directly on the back of my neck. If you have ever seen a horseshoe well they are heavy and made up of just metal. You can only imagine how much pain I was in afterwards. Although, apparently, if a horseshoe hits you, it is a sign of good luck….. which equals a little pain too! It sure didn’t feel like good luck to me!
The very next morning I woke up to a purple/green bruise on my neck that did not look very appealing. Yet, I must say occasions like this can really make adventure/travel story.