A "beast of burden" is the way my buddy likes to describe the animal he dislikes the most. I don't have a problem with them, but I can understand why he feels the way he does. You see, many years back, on a class trip to the beautiful country of Costa Rica, we were lucky enough to go horseback riding through the rainforest of Arenal. The problem was that he was a pretty big kid, comparatively, and the guides decided to give him what was not much better than a donkey!

Sitting atop his horse, his feet hung inches above the ground. It would have been more beneficial for him to stretch his legs out and walk along with the horse. With no prior training, we were all told to give the animal a good kick with our heels to get them to move. So as we started out, he gave that horse some strong kicks with his size twelve boots, but to no avail. His horse did not budge. As he watched the dust rise behind the rest of us galloping into the forest, he waited for the guide to help him out.

With a whip of a stick, and a "¡Va Caballo!" his horse finally began to saunter in the right direction. Meanwhile, the rest of the class was making its way over streams, and up towards the first peak. As I sat with my horse somewhere in the front end of the pack staring down into the valley below. I could see my friend, just sitting. He had given up trying, and was allowing the guide to do the work, which consisted of a constant barrage of whippings. His horse just didn't care. We approached the first rest stop and were greeted with some delicious fresh fruit. Watermelon, pineapple, and coconut provided a burst of energy for the next leg of what was intended to be a fun adventure for all.

At least a half hour went by before my friend and his horse staggered into the resting area. Within minutes of his arrival, we had all had our fill and enough rest and hopped back on the horses to resume our journey. Once again, he was left in the dust.

It was a good five hour journey in total, and nothing but a struggle for him and his horse. It was somewhat fitting, as he was well known for being a slow, laid-back person. It only made sense that his horse was exactly like him! We sat in the van at our destination, waiting for the straggler to catch up. As he approached, he was given a standing ovation for finally making it.

To this day, he absolutely cannot stand horses. He finds no value in their existence, and curses the day that his trek the the Costa Rican rainforest was ruined by that "stupid, useless, beast of burden."