Riding Vacation in Paradise – Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala

February 22, 2007 -- As fellow horsepeople, I'm sure you can empathize: When you're used to going, going, going all the time during your regular life, it seems nearly impossible to sit back and relax while on vacation. That being the case, you can understand why I would volunteer to report on the riding tours I took while on a cruise this week in the Western Caribbean.

View from the top of the trail at the Amatique Bay Resort in Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala.

© 2007 Stacey Nedrow-Wigmore

Some might ask, Why would you WANT to ride while on vacation? I have a few answers: 1. It is too darn cold and dark to ride much at home after work during the winter. Granted, the winters in Maryland are nowhere near as cold as our northern neighbors--about 50 degrees warmer, actually. But, it's still cold. Therefore, having an opportunity to ride in the wintertime when it is both warm and light out is a luxury. 2. Writing about the riding on sea days gives me something to do other than getting too much sun on the Lido Deck. And finally 3. On previous vacations--particularly on smaller Caribbean islands--one of the best ways I've found to see a country is from the back of a horse. You have access to areas that cannot be seen from the seat of a tour bus, and I feel I've gotten a much better sense of what the day-to-day life away from the touristy areas is really like.

To set the scene, I am on a Holland America ship en route to Tampa, Fla., after a lovely--but too short--week away from the ice, snow and sub-freezing temperatures. The journey began in Tampa, headed to Key West, Fla., then off to Belize City, Belize, then south to Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala, and finally to Costa Maya, Mexico, before our current run back to Tampa.

I didn't ride in our first two ports of call, as Key West isn't known for their horses--chickens and six-toed cats perhaps, but definitely not horses. No riding tour was offered by the cruise line in Belize, nor did I find one separate from the offered excursions that looked very enticing. My husband and I had a great time anyway and got to see Mayan ruins, feed howler monkeys and generally learn about the country from our lovely guide Gilly who we tracked down at the Wet Lizard Bar...but that's another story.

Once we hit Guatemala, I was getting a little antsy to get in the saddle. I had high hopes for a great tour, but I probably should have expected little and hoped for more as the riding turned out to be a disappointment. Essentially the tour was a plug for a lovely resort, and the riding was an afterthought. But like golf, a bad day riding is still better than a good day at work, so I suppose I can't complain much.

Horses at the Amatique Bay Resort in Santo Tomás de Castillo, Guatemala.

© 2007 Stacey Nedrow-Wigmore

After our ship docked in Santo Tomas, we were ushered to a waiting speedboat ready to take us to the Amatique Bay Resort. We sped across the bay and were greeted by a lovely lighthouse as we entered the cove where the resort was located. The non-riders were dropped off on one side of the cove, and then our group was taken over to the other side where the horses were lined up tied to a fence awaiting our arrival.

My first impression was that these guys really needed some groceries. Granted they were of small build, but you could clearly see hipbones protruding. However, they were well groomed and had freshly roached manes and shaved tails--I assume to make it easier for upkeep. Upon closer inspection, the overall condition of their feet also was poor. I picked up a hoof after my ride and saw that the shoes were crudely made, barely held on (you could hear the shoes clinking and they were held on by a prayer) and the feet were either overgrown, had very questionable angles or both. However, the horses seemed pretty content overall--and I'd already paid--so I hopped aboard.