Happy holidays!

Happy holidays from all of us at Equitrekking! We are taking time off to enjoy the holidays with friends and family and hope that you are too. Best wishes for good riding in the New Year!

Seville Countryside Ride, Spain

Today I went riding with Gerry Corbett and Alfonso of Equiberia to old haciendas in Seville’s countryside. The blue skies were beautiful as we rode through fields of orange and olive trees to one of the oldest haciendas in the area.

This hacienda life isn’t bad. Good food is grown out in the countryside with nice olive oil and wine. There are horses and lots of room to ride. It is typical for some Spaniards to stop for a snack on the trails. Our snack consisted of Iberian ham, manchego cheese, olive oil chips and manzanilla, a type of dry sherry. We then rode to a further historic hacienda where we had a late, long, Spanish lunch before venturing into Seville.

Donana National Park, Spain

Today Fernando of Epona took us to ride through Donana National Park on the Southern Coast of Spain. I have ridden in Donana before, but the park is huge, so on my ride with Fernando, we went to a different part of the park. Our entire crew had to ride to film here, as we were riding through an area of high dunes, inaccessible by any vehicles. We rode to a deserted beach. In the distance, I could see resorts and development, but where we were able to ride, there was no development and few other people.

To see more photos from Donana National Park, check out our companion coffee table book, Equitrekking Travel Adventures on Horseback and our season one dvd, which includes our first Spain episode. Both make great holiday gifts for horse lovers!

Rock climbing, Palisades, Quebec

Today, we did some major adventure activities in the rocky Palisades in Charlevoix. We were supposed to go sea kayaking, but the weather was not cooperating for us, so we instead moved to the Palisades to do a combination of trekking, rock climbing and zip lining. Because it is rainy out, it is sort of treacherous to climb around on slippery rocks. The system that they have set up here though makes it safer and they even do these activities in the winter!
Thomas helped us all get on our harnesses and hard hats and taught us how to open the carabineer with one hand (we would need to do this later, so that we could use the other hand to hang on). We would be attached to a series of cables that run up the side of a mountain and climb up to see some gorgeous views.
Tonight we had dinner at the local landmark, the Fairmont in Charlevoix. The food was very good. I tried some of the locally produced cheeses, as well as a sweet strawberry tart. There are some good eats here in Quebec.

SICAB, Seville, Spain

Today I went to SICAB in Seville. During this multi-day exposition, owners bring their best Spanish horses from all over the world to compete in dressage, carriage driving and various other shows and disciplines. There were hundreds of beautiful horses showcased here. I walked through the area of mares and foals, before watching some dressage and some two-year-olds compete. It is quite an event, organized by ANCCE, the organization that handles the stud book for PRE horses.

There is also a lot of shopping. Vendors from all over bring clothing, jewelry, saddles, chaps and more. SICAB happens every year and is a great place to see some of the most beautiful Spanish horses in the world. Plus, it’s in Seville, a fun city to explore on foot.

Ranch du Fjord, Quebec

I couldn’t see very far in front of me this morning. A low mist covered the wonderful views of the St. Lawrence River, as we drove to Ranch du Fjord, located on the coast in Charlevoix. This ranch raises Haflinger horses, a strong breed originally from Austria. I was aboard a Paint/Haflinger mix named Sultan, who at 6-years-old was adorable with lots of future potential. Five of us rode down the wooded trails towards a big, beautiful waterfall in the forest. Part of the trail runs alongside a rushing river. Since it is fall, the leaves are changing here, giving me lots of beautiful colors to observe as we ride.

At one point, Emily, a local veterinarian who rode with us, said that we should take a few minutes to backtrack and ride along the shore. The mist had lifted, but the clear views probably would not last long. We picked up a trot and headed to the coast, past the cows and horses in the fields, who curiously followed us. It was low tide, but still pretty, as we were able to see the tree covered coast wrapping around in the distance.

Taking advantage of being back at the barn, we let the horses have a rest and had lunch, before heading back towards the waterfall. The terrain here is hilly. It’s mostly shaded trails, but the forest is not dense, so there are great opportunities to see the surrounding mountains, river and open fields. All in all, the ride was peaceful, but my favorite part was being beside the waterfall at the end of the ride.

Ranch Masif du Sud, Quebec

Today I went riding with Danny at Ranch Masif du Sud in the Appalachian Mountains about an hour from Quebec City. The ranch offers riding vacations lasting from one to five days through mountain trails. It is simply beautiful here this time of year, because the leaves are changing.

I rode Sunny, a 10-year-old tan quarter horse and Danny was on Rocky, also 10 and a Quarter horse. The horses were great. We left the ranch and crossed two streams before getting to a long flat stretch, good for some cantering. Sunny was fast and fun.
There are tons of different rivers in this area, that is also known for its maple syrup production. Danny’a family, who have been leading riders here for over 15 years, have their own sugar shack and manufacture their own maple syrup. At a high spot overlooking the rolling, poppy yellow, red and green leaves on the trees, we sat and had a snack of French bread coated with some of the ranch’s maple syrup. It was super tasty and sweet, just the jolt that I needed on the trails.

Danny said that people use the maple syrup on everything around here. He puts it in his coffee, which actually sounds good. They also slather it on bread, like we were doing and use it on other desserts, meats and more.
We also rode down to a spot to pan for gold.

Danny taught me some panning techniques, and I was able to find some small specks of gold. No big nuggets, I am sad to say, but enough speaks so that once I put them in the small container that Danny gave to me, I saw a little sparkle. How nice!

St. Fabien, Quebec

Today I rode Canadian horses with Melissa at Ranch CR in St. Fabien, Quebec. This is a diverse farm with 66 horses, cows and crops, plus an old mine and a high spot with views of the surrounding farms and the village of St. Fabien. Every village that I have seen in Quebec has a big, beautiful church. The big white church with red shingles that stands out in St. Fabien is no exception.
On the grounds of the ranch, there is also a large cross on the top of a hill. This cross was placed there by a priest in the 1950’s, who wanted to put the area on the map. At night, it is lit up by lights. When they were digging a hole in the ground to put the cross up, they found valuable metals, including lead and baratine, which spurred mining on the ranch grounds.

I rode a Canadian horse named Mustang to the top of the hill by the cross to take in the views. Since we are here for the changing leaves, the trees are a vibrant red, orange, dark green and lime. We had lunch on top of the hill, taking in the views, before heading to the shore of the St. Lawrence River and Bic National Park. Here, we were able to ride beside the water along rocky cove.