Internship - Week 1

I am interning at Makena Ranch down in Makena, right in the middle of La Perouse Bay and Ahihi Kinau. The area is surrounded by a lot of a'a. My drive to work hugs the coastline from Kihei, past Big Beach, and onto La Perouse Bay. What a drive! The waves are so gorgeous in the early morning, but it's important to keep an eye out for ignorant tourists. Makena Ranch hosts trail rides for people visiting the island.


The first week of my internship was a lot of fun, but there was a lot of new information to take in. I had to wake up at 5:30 that morning and drive a half hour to wear I was beginning work. It was a bit difficult, but after my dose of caffeine and sausage biscuits I was ready for whatever was to come my way.

There are ten horses in all. I was scared to death I would not be able to remember their names but after only a couple hours I knew who was who. I was working with a lady named Lynn that morning. She showed me the basics of what was to be done while they were out trail riding - mucking, feeding, filling up water buckets, sweeping, recycling, and whatever else needed to be done. Saddling up the horses wasn't exactly a picnic. They all have their own bridles and saddles (which I'm still remembering whose belongs to who).

After they returned we put the horses up for the day and I went home. I really enjoyed working my first week. The hardest part about working with so many is that they each have their own personalities. It's like working with 1200 pound toddlers. They are all very sweet though, and much easier to deal with than some people.