Last week three friends and I went horseback riding with Outback Trails, and what a wonderful experience it was.
They offer several different types of rides for all experience levels. My friends and I are fairly experienced and we chose the Jungle Adventure ride. They have two rides per day and we chose the earlier one during the cooler part of the day.
It’s about a 40 minute drive from Placencia and we started out early. We packed a picnic lunch, water, swim suits and towels and bug spray. The stables and common area was very inviting with lots of shade, washrooms and a picnic table. We were greeted by a flock of Guinea Fowl who were very busy looking for insects to eat.
And in a nearby tree – a Toucan! Something I haven’t seen yet since we arrived in Belize. He spent some time posing very nicely for us, moving his head slowly from one side to the next in order for us to get his “good side.”
We were given helmets and waist packs to put our things in (water, glasses, phones, snacks etc.) and then shown to our horses who were very friendly and well behaved.
A quick group photo
before we mounted and were on our way with our guide, Ken. He was very friendly and knowledgeable about. Any question we asked about the horses, or the vegetation, he had the answer for.
We headed out through an open field towards the rain forest
past paddocks of other horses and this cute little foal.
and then the entrance to the jungle trail
where we encountered many different types of trees
vines, flowers, tiger fern etc.
About halfway down the trail, we came across this huge Ceiba tree, the national tree of Guatemala, Ken said. He added that The Ceiba was the most sacred tree for the ancient Maya, and, according to Mayan mythology, it was the symbol of the universe. The tree signifies a route of communication between the three levels of earth. Interesting, huh?
He very kindly took some photos of us
before moving on to our next stop – the Sittee River
where we stopped to give our horses a drink.
It was here that we dismounted to give our, er, behinds a rest from the saddles and to stretch our legs. We were pretty hot by that time and two of us changed into our swim suits and cooled off. The water was crystal clear and wonderfully cool
Refreshed and rested, we mounted our horses once again and headed back to the stables. When we reached the open field again, we were given the opportunity to canter back to the stables.
It was about lunch time by then and we all unpacked the picnic items we’d brought and had a little feast.
All in all, a really great morning with of fun and laughter. We all agree to come back next month and try out another trail.
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