My initial thoughts on rid
ing along a Spanish beach were mixed, as despite the fact that it sounded pleasant, I couldn’t shake the image of riding a flea bitten mule along a dirty beach, as can be found in any seaside resort in Britain. What I found however was altogether different.
We saddled up our horses at the stables next to our hotel; I had selected a large, elegant horse named Don, who was nothing like the old donkey that I had pictured. We mounted our steeds and before I knew it we were off on our hour long adventure across the picturesque Spanish beach. We began by splashing through the waves at a very gentle trot, just so we could get used to the horses. I sank back into my thick Spanish saddle, which was really more like a soft, warm armchair, and let Don take charge, as he pranced around the shore. After a while we decided as a group that it was time to take things up a notch, and starting with our guide, we each in turn squeezed our horses into a canter and we were away. The 
wind rushing through my hair and the taste of salty air on my tongue we raced across the beach to the amazement of our fellow holiday makers, busy sunning themselves below us.
Despite the pace that we were travelling at, I felt totally at ease, as I was confident in Dons ability and good nature, so I just sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the ride! It felt more like a Western cowboy adventure than an evening ride along the beach, and I had to prevent myself from letting out a “yee hah” on several occasions. Before I knew it we had reached our half way point and it was time to head in towards the stables. Needless to say the ride 
back was just as entertaining, and Don had an even bigger spring in his step as he knew that his dinner was waiting for him back in his stable at home. As we allowed the horses to rest on the final stretch back to the stables and reached utter relaxation and focused on enjoying the moment, as I knew that this was not something that I was going to do every day. When we arrived back at the stables I hopped down from Dons towering back and gave him a large congratulatory pat, as he had carried me as if I was his life long master and companion, not just another annoying tourist. I handed him over to one of the stable hands and headed off to my room for a nice cool shower.
Perhaps the best thing about the way that these riding holidays are organised is that our riding guides cater to your every need, so whether you’re an adrenaline junkie with a need for speed like me, or a more relaxed individual that just wants to take in the sea air, they will adapt the ride to suit you. For more information and travel tips regarding riding holidays please click here.
Date posted. 29/07/2008