A little riding and a lot of bones

I just got back froma cool weekend. I went out to a local holiday ranch and had a weekend of horseback riding, and hung out with a bunch of women from work. We ate a lot, drank a lot and found time between horseback riding to play pool, go on hikes, play pictionary and play a new game called Bunnock or "bones".
Bones is a fascinating game that is simple to play, but challenging and fun for everyone. (Man, listen to me-I sound like the back of a game box...)The game involves a set of 52 bones divided between 2 teams of 4 people. Each team has 8 red bones (2 per person for throwing) and 2 blue marker bones and 16 white bones. You set up all the white bones in a row and plac ethe two blue marker bones 16 inches from either end of the row of white bones. The teams then stand 30 feet away and toss the red bones at the lines of bones to knock them down. The catch is, the blue ones have to be knocked down before any other ones and if you accidentally hit a white one first, it gets stood up again right next to the blue ones. You continue playing and throwing (each team takes turns with their bones set up at their opponent's feet) until the first team to knock down their bones wins.....


Sounds easy, I know, but the bones are of different weights and because thay are bones they are uneven and often bounce off in wierd ways, making it all that much harder. The set is actually made of real hardened and treated horse ankle bones. You can apparently get "fake" ones, but a set of real bones is a real prize to be had here in prairie land - there is actually an annual bones tournament in Macklin, SK. I hadn't heard of it until I moved to Saskatoon, but I think I'm hooked. It's a great game that can be played by everyone...challenging but fun. The way we played where you get a drink every time you knock down a bone *definitely* added to the challenge of the game!!
I had a fantastic time riding horses..it's been years since I've rode a horse. We got to ride twice for about 2 hours and spent lots of time on the farm playing with their 8 zillion cats, pigs, chickens, roosters, geese and ducks. There was even a donkey named Larry. I was excited to find that they have sled rides and rides all year - even at Christmas time...I'll definitely be back with friends or family. Everything was simple but fantastic. I feel recharged and ready to face the world....after a nap.