Los Alamos Equestrian
Holidays - The Ultimate Riding Experience
Ever find your self looking out the window of your car
in another traffic jam, on another cold wet miserable
morning and think "There must be something better
than this, why not give everything up and go and start
a horse riding business in the warm Mediterranean sunshine?"
Of course most of us have the thought and then snap out
of it and get back to thinking about the real world and
the next pressing crisis at work. Well, for some mad,
inexplicable reason, or was it the sun, laid back life
style, the horses, great people, great food, who knows,
anyway we made the dream a reality and went for it.
Mind you we had a huge advantage over most people. My
sister Rachel had been living for four years in the sleepy
little hamlet of Los Canos de Meca on Spain's beautiful
Andalucian, Costa de la Luz. She had worked for a number
of horse riding holiday companies in and around the area
and had learnt the trails and tracks that wind through
the local forests and rolling hills. Now she wanted to
go to the next step and start her own riding business.
So together with my wife Rhiannon, we set up Los Alamos
Equestrian Holidays. (By the way, setting up a business
in Spain is quite an experience, but then that's another
story….)
So what are we about, well, the aim is to provide the
competent rider with an unforgettable weeks riding in
some of the most beautiful and relaxing country in the
whole of Europe. We have a mixture of ten lovely Andalucian's
and Andalucian/Arab cross horses, along with two Welsh
cob cross sisters, Polly and Careta, which we brought
over from Dorset. What a shock for them, two big English
girls around all these lovely Spanish dancers. (Sounds
like an average weekend in Benidorm doesn't it?)
All the horses are all well schooled, well mannered,
very fit and a real pleasure to ride. The only problem
you'll have is which one to take home! Err, no, sorry
you can't do that, but you can take their pictures.
The stunning scenery in which you will ride will leave
you feeling that you just have to come back again and
again. The long sandy beaches of Cape Trafalgar and El
Palmar offer the chance to experience some breathtaking
cantors and gallops. The forest, of some 5000 hectares,
is where you can see many species of flora and forna,
wild lavender, curry plants, wild broom, eucalyptus trees,
and the last wild palms in Europe along with butterflies
of every description. Trekking through the forest listening
to the Nightingales and Cuckoo birds is truly wonderful
and along the way you may meet some wandering cows and
wild donkeys too. There are many sandy tracks ideal for
long cantors and for the adventurous, huge sweeping firebreaks,
which are great for galloping up and down. The forest
stretches along hills and cliffs, offering stunning views
of the African coast and the beaches of Cape Trafalgar.
On two days of the week you will picnic in the forest,
a truly wonderful experience.
Once you are out of the forest, the surrounding countryside
is also truly beautiful. You ride along old drovers tracks
that have been in use for hundreds of years and which
enable you to see stunning displays of fields full of
wild flowers, sunflower and barley fields. You may even
see a local farmer on horseback tending to his daily work.
It is like stepping back in time, as one of their guests
commented, it's like being in "Driving over Lemons"
country. They never thought anything like it still existed.
Your accommodation for the week is the small and comfortable
family run hotel, just a few minutes drive through the
forest from the horses. Hotel El Mero is owned by Antonio,
a real "character" who makes all our guests
feel very welcome. The holiday is inclusive of food with
superb local wines. All meals are prepared fresh on a
daily basis and with a good selection so you'll never
go hungry and for the fish lovers among you Antonio selects
the fish daily from Barbate, the nearest fishing port.
There is one day off, which is Thursday where you can
visit Jerez and availability permitting a chance to see
a display at The Royal School of Equestrian Art.
When you're not riding you can lounge around in the sun
with a nice cold beer or maybe go to the beach. We have
mountain bikes available, or if you want to go further
afield, we can arrange car hire for you.
To find out more about the area why not log onto www.andalusia.com.
In all it adds up to one wonderful weeks riding in breathtaking
scenery, great food, great wine and of course great company,
but don't just take my word for it try it for yourself.
You can find out more about Los Alamos equestrian holidays
by visiting their website www.losalamosriding.co.uk
or emailing andrew@losalamosrding.co.uk.
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