Colombia has passion running through its waters, it doesn’t matter where you go or what you are doing the people are driven by a passion I rarely see anywhere else in the world. This is what drew me to Colombia 5 years ago and why I have been coming back every year since.
This adventure began 18 months ago when Jackie and I decided to take a group from her hunt to Colombia for a riding adventure. Back then it was only a dream but now were in Bogota escaping into the local markets discovering fruits most people had never seen before, so ripe and sweet like nothing you would find back home.
The next day we embark on our riding adventure, our head cowboy Chalas arrived to greet us at the hotel, I have known him for 5 years now and his smiling face and passion for horses makes him a total dream to work with. We had a very special day ahead, visiting one of the top Paso Fino stables with world champion horses that we not only got to see perform but also got to ride. This would never be allowed in the top showjumping yards in the UK but in Colombia people want you to really experience everything. They say that on the best horses you should be able to carry a cup of coffee without spilling a drop, and its fair to say on these horses there is no doubt that would be possible. As we journeyed on, chatting away in excitement about these fantastic horses and thrilled with our interaction with them, we made our way to our first Hacienda (farm house) where we would be spending 3 nights. After delighting our taste buds with a delicious dinner and lots of wine we went to bed with warm hearts and an anticipation of our first day riding.
We were a group of 17, which included our 3 cowboys and myself. The rest of the group had all come from Kimblewick Hunt so they were brave and very good riders. Sometimes this can prove difficult as the rider can expect more from their horses, however we had no issues here. These horses are not trail ponies, they are crossed between Colombian Criollo and other breeds, the result being they are responsive, fast on demand and incredibly sure footed. On the ride we would cross through mountain deserts, heavy wooded forests, towns and villages and who knows what else. These horses had to be able to do it all and sure enough, they really could and with style!
She was called Atarraya, meaning fishing net. She used to be a cattle herding mule (who knew). Day one she was great but a little spooky, but that was ok she just liked to have a little look at things, just like her rider! At this point I wasn’t sure that Chalas was totally correct about how fantastic they were but never the less I trusted him so gave her another day. The thing I quickly learnt about a mule is that they grow a bond with you over the days; this is very similar to the Mongolian horses we ride. With each day my respect grew and a comforting mutual trust is formed. Day one a bit spooky by day six she would trust me through the hardest of trails, and I would trust her. She was so light to ride, she neck rained better than many polo ponies I ride and she was so sure footed on the difficult trails. If I could I’d take this one home!
The first couple of days riding we explored local towns and the beautiful countryside of Ubate, north of the capital Bogota. We headed up into the mountains with exceptional views over the valleys, stopping for coffee in beautiful little villages that had ancient cathedrals and rocks with markings from Colombias indigenous tribes. We didn’t know what the markings meant but we enjoyed letting our imaginations go wild like the surroundings making up tales from the past.
In the evening of the second day we headed out to play the local game of Tejo I mentioned earlier. I love this game, the three main elements being explosives, rocks and beer. Its not possible to simply pay money to play Tejo, what you must do is buy at least half a crate of beer…my kind of game! The ‘pitch’ is much like a cricket strip. There is a box of clay at each end and a steel ring in the middle with four explosive pockets. You are split into two teams and you take it in turns to throw your Tejo (metal rock) at the explosives. The old timers, much like the old French boule players, will attempt to explain the slightly complicated rules system but the main aim is to make the explosives go off. The general rule is that the more beer you drink the better you get. So we literally started the evening with a bang and on return to the Hacienda we finished it by dancing in the courtyard to traditional Colombian music, it was a magical night indeed!
On day three of the ride we said goodbye to our first Hacienda and embarked on the trail to Villa de Leyva. Our first challenge was to cross the river, there was a steep slope down to the river where we popped across to the other side. The up was a different approach, we dismounted and walked ourselves across the rest of the path. The horses and mules amazingly lead themselves up the path to the grass on the other side. The rest of the morning, on our four legged friends we climbed up the mountains higher and higher. The views were incredible. We knew it would never be possible to do them justice on our cameras but yet we tried. Although I had seen these views many times before it would never get any less beautiful looking over the vast green mountains.
After our delicious lunch in a potato field, cheeses, hams and salad on a classic red and white checked blanket, we started our decent to the valley where we would spend the night. There is always a story like this on any adventure, this time its about me! On the way down to lunch I had a little slip with my saddle where I had ‘tactically dismounted’. Chalas put on a crupper to hold the saddle in place for the afternoon as we had a long downhill. Mules don’t have withers so there isn’t much to keep the saddles in place. As we started heading down the hill and we hit a particularly steep bit. Several of the others had successfully made it down and it was now my turn. Off we went and I had nearly reached the bottom but my saddle started to inch forward, with a squawk from me the saddle popped me out the seat and I forward rolled down the hill, very graciously of course! It is probably the funniest fall I have ever had! Totally unhurt I stood there laughing to myself as we popped the saddle back on. As we continued on down the hill, John a hunt master for over 5 year quickly spotted the problem. My very clever mule had worked out how to get her Cropper off. So off we hopped and we got some more straps, this would not be happening again, and sure enough the rest of the ride went without a hitch!
That night we spent in the most beautiful Hacienda with blue railings and comfy beds. The dining room had a huge banquet table and roaring fire as we devoured the most delicious food. As the evening wore on the music started and
We continued on our ride through lush green valley’s and stunning mountains staying at haciendas and enjoying the most fantastic food prepared by our wonderful chef Dani, he was a master in the kitchen creating the most delicious dishes. Everyone agreed that we would love to take him home too! The group all had their own tales to tell so we never would tire of the conversation. We had Hilary a former stuntwoman, Polly who had sailed the Atlantic 4 times and 4 former hunt masters. This adventure was never going to be dull!the dancing begun, I love to dance so for me there is no better way to end the night!
Our last day riding was one of the most exceptional. It took us into the Desert Mountains near Villa de Leyva. The landscape was phenomenal the horses still so sure footed on the tails. It was fascinating that there was no sign of wildlife in this area but if you looked just a little further into the horizon you could spot the tropical forest over in the next Valley. I have never been able to get my head around this, a desert on one side of the valley and a tropical forest on the other.
The trip wasn’t quite over, we had a night that would be forever remembered in Villa de Leyva, the original capital of Colombia and has the largest cobbled square in South America. Needless to say it is also incredibly beautiful. We had a dinner of pizza, aquadiente (local fire water) and tequila, we danced under the stars to live music and the magic of Colombia embraced us.
I’m writing this from the coast where five of us continued our journey that is sadly very nearly over. I’m already dreaming of coming back to show even more people just how magical this destination is. For me it will never be good by, just Hasta Luego. (until next time)
Why not join us for a ride that will change the way you look at the world and will fill you with a passion for a destination where the only risk is not wanting to leave