Riding holiday - Spain

Well what a week! Absolutely fantastic and I can highly recommend this if you want to de-stress or unwind from the ‘rat-race’ and enjoy a fun week with some complete strangers, although not so strange as we all have one big thing in common, yes you guessed it…horse riding, not the other riding, although that would also be welcome! So where do I start telling you about this week? Maybe a bit about the location, or a bit about the people, or maybe just the weather (as it’s a lot better than in other parts of Europe for this time of year), or maybe just ramble on and hope you can get the gist of what’s going on. Okay well hold on to you reins it’s going to be a bumpy ride! Before I begin, you may be asking why a horse riding holiday? Well why not! Have you ever experienced one? No neither have I and as it’s been a while since I last rode a horse, well actually about 9 years ago when I lived in East Sussex in England and thoroughly enjoyed it then. So I thought… do I put this idea to bed and never ride again, or do I actually do something about it? So as you see I chose the later. I then checked out what was available as I had no idea where to go and what to look for. Luckily for me there’s the internet and Google, so after a relatively simple search I found the ‘Rancho Ferrer’ in Rubite near Granada in Spain. I checked out some others but found this was the best bet as it is run by an English family (Mike and Annemarie) and the village is mainly (I stand corrected), all English Ex Pats, but still with a real Spanish touch. I then picked a singles week, which does not mean you have to be single, it is mainly applies to individuals rather than families, which was perfect and booked up the next available slot, which was November 18th, (this was back in September as they are very busy). Having arrived at Malaga airport, I met up with other riders arriving from the UK. Lucky for me our flights were around the same time, as I was flying in from Basel in Switzerland, so this worked out nicely. Once we met Bob (our chauffeur), Chris & Jane (a couple), Mia (who unfortunately arrived first so had a 2 hour wait for the rest of us, we set off for the Ranch, which is around a 2 hour car journey away and pretty remote to say the least, but this just added to the beauty and tranquility of the place and not the typical Spanish ‘Costa del Sol’ holiday. Arriving around 10pm we met up with the others that had arrived earlier in the day and got ourselves settle in for the night in our own quaint villa apartments, ready to start the riding the next day, being Sunday. I could not wait for Sunday and it arrived to a marvelous sunny and warm day. So jumping out of bed I was full of excitement and a little trepidation as it had been a while since I last rode and I did not know if I would be up to the standard of the other 6 riders. I had breakfast, from our lavishly stocked fridge and thought I would follow this with a few stretches I had learnt at Pilates to try and limber up a little so I was not too stiff on my horse. We all met at the stables around 9:30am and were split into two groups as this was easier to manage us and all the horses. My group consisted of: Eta (our young group leader who is only 20 and lives at the Ranch), Jane & Chris, Kirsi and myself. The second group was lead by Maria consisted of: Emma, Mia and Seonaid. We had initially been allocated horses and depending on how we settled in with these would determine the group we were in and whether we kept the same horse for the duration of the week. For me I had Rubio, a beautiful temperament (big) white male horse, who became my best friend and buddy this week as we both bonded and had a mutual respect for one another. It also helped that I always brought him an apple a day and let him make many ‘pit stops’ for snacks on route. As we set off, one behind the other, I did have some fears that I may fall off, especially as the Ranch and village is situated up in the mountains, and all the excursions were up and down the mountains, along tight and narrow pathways with sheer drops and very rough rocky tracks. As you see from the pictures, we all wore our own riding hats, gloves and appropriate gear, yes very sexy! The first day was a familiarisation of rider, horse and terrain, so was only about 2.5 hours and nothing too exhilarating or challenging, but still nothing to what I was used too. Having all arrived back, safe and sound, we then had the afternoons free to entertain ourselves until 20:30 when we all meet for dinner in the bar. Seonaid and her husband Ian (their second time at the Ranch this year, and for Ian a non rider stuck to hill climbing and sightseeing), had hired a car so they went off exploring. Chris & Jane made use of the apartment, the sun terrace and the local surroundings, and as Kirsi (our Finish lady, now living in Holland) had a car, Emma, Mia and I accompanied her on some trips to other Spanish villages and towns. We went to visit several places, such as; Bubion, Motril, Castillo Árabe (a castle) and saw the snow on top of the Sierra Nevada mountain, all very beautiful. I was surprised to see how inexpensive everything was, from food to drinks and most things in general. It goes to show that Northern Europe, Switzerland, the Netherlands and especially the UK rip you off for the price of goods. We enjoyed a drink and free tapas in the bars for four people for around 4 Euros. Even with food and drinks for four people it was around 15-20 Euros, so very cheap. After each day’s riding I relaxed in the ‘hot-tub’ watching the sun set over the mountains and the magnificent cloud formation as it changed shape and colour. As if horse riding was not enough, I was encouraged to go mountain biking to the top of the mountain, which on a horse is a challenge but cycling, well I think you have to be crazy, cos this nearly killed me as my legs were already spent with the riding. But to my amazement I made it and enjoyed the downhill through the pine trees back to the village, although this was not for the faint hearted as this was not easy with the narrow tracks and rocks. Yes Mum I did wear a safety helmet! When Friday arrived I was sad this was going to be the last day and last ride, although the longest as we were out for 5.5 hours, and having a break for a picnic for lunch was much welcomed. My right carf and my back ached before we set off, due to the double dose of exercise on Thursday, but we all made it back safely to the Ranch in one piece, so the week was pretty much error free and no major injuries. The evening entertainment was a free forum, so we could do as we pleased within reason, so after dinner and a few glasses of wine we played silly games, such as, Trivial Pursuits, Charades and Pictionary, which was great fun with plenty of joviality and laughter as the local villages often came down to the bar and joined in. Other highlights were the food, this was fantastic and Don (the Chief) made some very special local Spanish dishes. Annemarie our hostess also cooked on Don’s day off and made some exquisite deserts, so I’m sure we all put on weight this week, so the horses must notice this by Friday and would be glad to get rid of us, well at least until the next group turn up. I can not endorse enough the great week I had and I would highly recommend it. This was all made possible and special thanks to everyone I met, the horses of course, the weather, food and Spain.