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Bareback horse racing in Baguio
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Darting between jeeps and avoiding pedestrians, 15-year-old Bryan Lee is riding like the wind. His horse Palomino appears unperturbed by the chaos of the city as he and his master gallop towards their date with destiny. It's the day before the big race that Bryan has been looking forward to for months. 
The son of a doctor, Bryan will be racing against the pony boys of Wright Park in Baguio, youths toughened by poverty and the daily chores of caring for dozens of frisky horses. Bryan is like any shy teen-ager who likes hanging out with friends. But he also has the blood of the Ibaloi cowboy streaking through his veins. 
Before the Americans arrived a hundred years ago to build Baguio, much of Benguet province was cowboy country. Horses and cattle ruled the land where Session Road and Burnham Park are today. Today the grazing lands are all gone, replaced by pavement and buildings. The horses are now confined to small spaces like Wright Park where children and their parents can ride them while being pulled by pony boys, most of them descendants of Ibaloi cowboys. In their spare time, these young men ride their wards around the park at break-neck speed and race against each other. Howie Severino and his team decide to focus their lens not on one of the Ibalois but on their adopted brother Samson, a stable boy from Pangasinan who has learned to love and ride horses like a native. And now he dreams of locating his long-lost youngest brother and teaching him to be a pony boy in Wright Park so they can finally be together. Every year, the pony boys' association invites visiting racers to challenge them in a gymkhana, a traditional series of races on their dusty home track: Wright Park's riding oval. Bryan won a big race last year and now a year older and stronger, he is favored to beat the pony boys again. But the locals are determined to win this time, pairing their fastest horses with their most skilled riders. Samson is preparing his favorite horse Silver Blade to beat all challengers and has recruited the Ibaloi champion Paul Bagnos to ride him. Bryan's grandfather too was an Ibaloi cowboy but he died before Bryan was born. But even before his teens, he learned to love horses and soon became one of the fastest racers in all of Benguet. His father is a local politician, his mother a pediatrician, yet his best friends are fellow horse lovers, some of them out of school youths who care for the horses owned by others. Bryan is idolized by a talented girl rider younger than he who has also entered the races in Wright Park, one of the few girls to do so. Shaila Esteban too is the apo of Ibaloi cowboys. But her strict father is threatening not to permit her to be absent from class on that day. On the day of the races, a crowd has gathered to see if Bryan continues his winning ways. It's uncertain if Shaila will be excused from school. Silver Blade appears to be in tip-top shape. A series of surprises awaits the protagonists. It becomes a day Bryan will never forget, and not for the reason he was hoping for. (This I-Witness documentary airs Monday night, 12 midnight Manila time on GMA7, a day or two delayed on PinoyTv overseas) Executive producer: Nowell Cuanang Cameraman: Disney Carreon Researcher: Cris Sto. Domingo Writer/narrator: Howie Severino Vintage photo courtesy of Jack Cariño.
The son of a doctor, Bryan will be racing against the pony boys of Wright Park in Baguio, youths toughened by poverty and the daily chores of caring for dozens of frisky horses. Bryan is like any shy teen-ager who likes hanging out with friends. But he also has the blood of the Ibaloi cowboy streaking through his veins. Before the Americans arrived a hundred years ago to build Baguio, much of Benguet province was cowboy country. Horses and cattle ruled the land where Session Road and Burnham Park are today. Today the grazing lands are all gone, replaced by pavement and buildings. The horses are now confined to small spaces like Wright Park where children and their parents can ride them while being pulled by pony boys, most of them descendants of Ibaloi cowboys. In their spare time, these young men ride their wards around the park at break-neck speed and race against each other. Howie Severino and his team decide to focus their lens not on one of the Ibalois but on their adopted brother Samson, a stable boy from Pangasinan who has learned to love and ride horses like a native. And now he dreams of locating his long-lost youngest brother and teaching him to be a pony boy in Wright Park so they can finally be together. Every year, the pony boys' association invites visiting racers to challenge them in a gymkhana, a traditional series of races on their dusty home track: Wright Park's riding oval. Bryan won a big race last year and now a year older and stronger, he is favored to beat the pony boys again. But the locals are determined to win this time, pairing their fastest horses with their most skilled riders. Samson is preparing his favorite horse Silver Blade to beat all challengers and has recruited the Ibaloi champion Paul Bagnos to ride him. Bryan's grandfather too was an Ibaloi cowboy but he died before Bryan was born. But even before his teens, he learned to love horses and soon became one of the fastest racers in all of Benguet. His father is a local politician, his mother a pediatrician, yet his best friends are fellow horse lovers, some of them out of school youths who care for the horses owned by others. Bryan is idolized by a talented girl rider younger than he who has also entered the races in Wright Park, one of the few girls to do so. Shaila Esteban too is the apo of Ibaloi cowboys. But her strict father is threatening not to permit her to be absent from class on that day. On the day of the races, a crowd has gathered to see if Bryan continues his winning ways. It's uncertain if Shaila will be excused from school. Silver Blade appears to be in tip-top shape. A series of surprises awaits the protagonists. It becomes a day Bryan will never forget, and not for the reason he was hoping for. (This I-Witness documentary airs Monday night, 12 midnight Manila time on GMA7, a day or two delayed on PinoyTv overseas) Executive producer: Nowell Cuanang Cameraman: Disney Carreon Researcher: Cris Sto. Domingo Writer/narrator: Howie Severino Vintage photo courtesy of Jack Cariño. 
