Rancho Loma Bonita, Cancún, Mexico
Visited: August 2007
I visited Rancho Loma Bonita, or Pretty Ranch Hill, in summer 2007 with my family. Only I went horse riding though, despite trying to cajole my family into it too. Instead they chose, quite wisely, to sit in the shade on the beach and sip ice cool drinks whilst I enjoyed a fantastic riding experience.
There were around 30 horses at the ranch, all looked well cared for and healthy although they have the frame to be expected from Central America, slender but not skinny. You are assigned a horse according to experience, which the staff take at face value, so be honest about what sort of horse you'd like to ride as some of them are real live-wires or more quirky than you might expect. Mine was a chestnut mare called Texas with a thin white star on her face and a bold character. The tack was western style and you get the option to ride with or without a hat, and as a fearless (or foolhardy) nineteen-year-old I went for without. The first part of the ride was nothing too exciting, a walk down to the coast's soft bright white sand and the iridescent ocean through tall palm trees. The horses are then tethered in a corral on the beach, and you get hiked up onto a horse without a saddle and taken into the tropical waters bareback for a refreshing splashy dip.
There is also an option to pay extra for a gallop along the beach, which I did with Texas. As there were very few riders with experience it meant I got to do this solo led by just the guide and his horse Guitar. I asked my Dad to take some photos of me as I was galloping on the beach and at no point am I or even any hooves in any of the photos, Texas was clearly just too speedy for a photoshoot.
There were around 30 horses at the ranch, all looked well cared for and healthy although they have the frame to be expected from Central America, slender but not skinny. You are assigned a horse according to experience, which the staff take at face value, so be honest about what sort of horse you'd like to ride as some of them are real live-wires or more quirky than you might expect. Mine was a chestnut mare called Texas with a thin white star on her face and a bold character. The tack was western style and you get the option to ride with or without a hat, and as a fearless (or foolhardy) nineteen-year-old I went for without. The first part of the ride was nothing too exciting, a walk down to the coast's soft bright white sand and the iridescent ocean through tall palm trees. The horses are then tethered in a corral on the beach, and you get hiked up onto a horse without a saddle and taken into the tropical waters bareback for a refreshing splashy dip.
There is also an option to pay extra for a gallop along the beach, which I did with Texas. As there were very few riders with experience it meant I got to do this solo led by just the guide and his horse Guitar. I asked my Dad to take some photos of me as I was galloping on the beach and at no point am I or even any hooves in any of the photos, Texas was clearly just too speedy for a photoshoot.
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