Photos courtesy of Aurora Gold.

by Aurora Gold

April 2011 — When I was younger I was always confused by car commercials that boasted about horsepower. Why would a car have horsepower? Was there a horse inside it? I was pretty sure that horses and cars were completely different things — not at all related.

But as my knowledge of American history grew and I become more involved with horses, I began to realize that horsepower is a unit of measure, but more than anything it’s a term that reminds us that America was built by horses. Only recently — say the last century — was horse transportation, be it by saddle or carriage, rendered obsolete. Or at least most people believe it’s obsolete.

Most people believe horses are just pasture ornaments — or maybe pets — that are fun to admire and sometimes ride. And sure, that can be true. But horses are more versatile than just that. Why else do you think that the Ferrari and the Ford Mustang logos are horses in action? Horses are fast, friendly, powerful — and beyond anything else, a partner in whatever you do. I can say from experience — eight years of full-time exploration via horseback — that one of the best ways to see the world and travel on paths, be they cement or dirt, is on the back of a horse.

Horses are a great form of transportation because you are never limited by the terrain you cross to get from one destination to another. Americans have used horses to get across rivers, over mountains, through crowded streets and even along icy paths. Rather than trying to maneuver a large truck through a twisty street or over a large, dirt mound, try using a horse — who has a brain and muscles — to guide you safely across any path. It’s a better bet.

With my horse B.B. — who has goat-like hill-climbing abilities — I’ve been able to stroll around the streets of Montara and Moss Beach at a relaxing walk or gallop up long, curvy paths on state park trails. She easily avoids potholes, jumps over logs in our way, weaves around hazard cones, and knows how to wait at a stop sign. My Toyota Prius, on the other hand, slides and spins if the road is even mildly wet, and does not do well off-road. I am also less liable to get a ticket on the back of my horse.

Luckily the Bay Area offers lots of trails, roads and even beaches where horses are welcomed. Horses can be ridden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, on Ocean Beach, all around Montara and Moss Beach, on Half Moon Bay State Beach, in the town of Woodside and on the Woodside trail system. I’ve even been invited to ride from Montara to Pacifica. There are only so many views of the ocean you can see through your car window, but on the back of a horse you are not only witnessing nature, you’re becoming apart of it.

Besides horseback riding, there is also the option of driving a horse and carriage. Driving a horse is a fabulous way to enjoy the company of others, experience early Americans’ main form of transportation, and enjoy the smoothness of having the carriage’s wheels turn synergistically with the clopping of horse hooves on the pavement. Most horse driving usually takes place on roads where you share lanes with cars and buses, but there are forms of horse driving where you go off road. So driving a horse has just as many options in terms of transporting yourself from one place to another as riding does.

Ultimately, if you are tired of traffic, or are tired of conforming to conventional transportation standards, try going vintage. Get on a horse and ride. Or hitch up a horse and drive. I prefer true horsepower. The power of B.B.’s legs tearing up the ground as we gallop home — and the power of the horse-rider partnership — is worth boasting about.