"Mexico Horse Vacations” & “Riding Holidays Mexico" are luxurious horseback riding vacations, first class riding holidays, offered to people who would like to discover Mexico on a horse. It takes place in Valle de Bravo, a town located two and a half hours west of Mexico City, on the Sierra Madre Occidental. The town is 6,000 feet above sea level and during the trek riders go with horses up over 10,000 feet where fir trees grow and where the Monarch Butterflies come to look for shelter from November to March of each year. The different altitudes create an amazing variety of microclimates where riders can find thriving examples of cold and warm climate species. The sloping terrain allows to easily go from one microclimate to another; riders will have the opportunity to see all what grows around fir trees up in the mountains and come down to the sugar cane fields, all during the same week.
A weather as the one Valle de Bravo has is hard to find anywhere in the world. Winter is warm and sunny during the day but cool enough at nights to enjoy a fireplace in the wonderful Finca Enyhe. Autumn and spring are almost the same, with glorious clear blue skies and refreshed verdant countryside. Some beautiful clouds may be formed by mid-day and a rain may fall down for a couple of hours but again the sun will be shining, creating magnificent sunsets with orange and purple-pink clouds mixing together.
Mexico has the greatest variety of pine and oak trees in the world. More than seventy types of oaks and almost one hundred varieties of pines. Over sixty percent of them are endemic from Mexico (they only grow in this country). An incredible diversity of plant life is the most striking feature of Valle de Bravo. Lots of fruit trees grow in this area; the very well known avocado, orange, lime, lemon, mandarin, plum, apple, pear, peach, berries, and the most Mexican guava, cherimoya, guanabana, jicama, mamey, zapote and chayote. All of them grow together with the most exhilarating and colorful variety of flowers shading the paths and trails where the ride develops. "Mexico Horse Vacations” & “Riding Holidays Mexico" maintain and train a group of different types of horses from which Trakhenners, Thoroughbreds, Quarters, Appendix, and Criollo horses can be found; all of them in perfect conditions to work in the different types of terrain found during this one-week horseback riding vacation. The horses are between 15-17 hands of height and have temperaments from very calm and quiet to quite spirited. Western, English, and Mexican Charro tack is available. The Mexican Charro saddle is similar to the Western, mainly being the difference on a bigger horn and a wider seat. Whichever is the tack that the rider chooses for the riding holiday, all saddles have a comfortable sheepskin seat saver, a "manga" (raingear), and big saddlebags with plenty space for the rider's personal items including the water bottles for the day.
The variety of flavors of the Mexican kitchen is offered to the guests during this unforgettable horse vacation with hygienic procedures and the home made food gives them the opportunity to taste different dishes every day. Breakfast includes real fresh fruit and juice, egg dishes, sweetbreads, coffee, tea, or milk. Lunch is a picnic on the trail after three hours riding. It includes fresh fruits, Mexican tortas and tacos, and a variety of cheeses, meats, cold sodas or beers brought along by a pack mule that also provides horse-shoes, first aids kit, medicines for the horses, and all what might be needed during the daily ride out in the forest. Having eaten and rested the riders get mounted again and continue riding for two or three more hours. Horses stay for the night out in the woods attended by the wranglers while the riders are taken back by car to the town of Valle de Bravo. Some riders may like to mingle around the town and afterwards calmly walk back to Finca Enyhe. Some others may prefer to enjoy a spectacular sunset while drinking a Margarita or Tequila by the side of the swimming pool. Every day, exactly at seven thirty, all riders have together a delicious typical Mexican meal inside the magnificent dinner room with its big table and old furniture. During dinner a wide variety of traditional Mexican dishes are served accompanied by red and white wine.
A Monarch Butterfly reserve is visited during the time the butterflies hibernate in the high altitude fir tree forests. The butterflies, seeking for warm weather, arrive from the eastern side of Canada during the last days of October and depart by March 21st. Riders can see them hanging by the millions on the fir trees. This is considered one of the most intriguing and fascinating natural migrations in the world! This reserve is quite new and not well known or visited by many people; therefore, riders can enjoy the butterflies in their natural habitat.
The hosts and owners of "Mexico Horse Vacations” & “Riding Holidays Mexico" , Lucia and Pepe Schravesande, speak fluent English and personally take care of all the details of the accommodations, meals, route, horses and tack. A team of smilingly and gracious wranglers make all the work of cleaning, feeding, and saddling the horses. Every day the group is accompanied by one of the hosts that guides through the route and by two wranglers that help the riders whenever they may need it. On one of the days, after six hours riding with spectacular views, riders return to town on a boat that crosses the lake; a delightful and relaxing experience after a long day on the horse!
This is a first class service that provides the guests with great horses, well kept tack, spectacular views, delicious Mexican food, beautiful and comfortable accommodations, and the traditional Mexican hospitality in one of the best weathers you can find in the world.
"Mexico Horse Vacations” & “Riding Holidays Mexico" also offer a "RELAXED RIDE" for riders that would like to have less riding hours per day. This way they can have more spare time in order to visit the town or relax and enjoy the facilities in Finca Enyhe. Please visit the "RELAXED RIDE" chapter for more information.
