Tour of Dad's Childhood, part 2

After stopping in at Helen and Ernie's old cafe, Dad and I headed to the horse track and casino, Ruidoso Downs. When he was a kid, he'd sneak around back to get closer to the waiting horses. He and his buddy would pick up dozens of betting tickets off the ground, hoping to find a winner.



While we were there, the riders were just practicing. I don't want to say "jockeys" because it was clear that some of the riders were quite tall and therefore must be trainers or something else. They went around in both directions, some sprinting, some trotting, and some running sideways (inexplicable to me, a non-equestrian). Three riders lined up in the starting gate, and Dad drove over, into the valet parking area, to get a closer view.



Three riders got ready, and the gates were open! Three horses ran their hearts out around the track... but only two riders went with them. One fell off about 15 feet out of the gate. Poor guy.

As he limped back to the gate, his friends teased him in Spanish, calling out, "Hey, cowboy! Cowboy!" and he'd say back, "You bastards!"

Another rider finally led his horse back to him, the crowd dispersed, and Dad and I were on our way to the next stop.