Riding in Belize

I've actually ridden horses in several countries: the Canary Islands (Spain), Ireland, Scotland, and now Belize! Even when I don't get to ride, I am always searching for horses wherever we travel. Hubby knows how much I enjoy the ponies so he's usually on the lookout as well.

One of the things that I found most interesting about Belize's style of equine care was how most horses were grazed. Everywhere we went, we saw horses with ropes tied around their necks staked out alongside the road. Belize is quite green, and grass grows lushly everywhere. Most Belizeans are relatively poor so they take advantage of what mother nature provides.

Belizean "pastures"

Our guide explained that most of the horses were used for working on farms; they carry produce into town and help plow fields. Many are used just for fun. In either case, the method of feeding is the same. Someone has the task of moving the horse from place to place so it can graze during the day. Water is either brought to the horse periodically, or he is led to the river where he can drink.

For the most part, the horses looked round and fat. There were some though that were painfully thin. Our guide said that the thin ones were either old or had lazy owners. The gray pictured above is tethered exactly like all the others we saw: no halter, just a loop around the neck.

We saw many types of animals along the road grazing: chickens, goats, pigs, and horses. Everyone in the village knows to whom each animal belongs so there is no theft.

There are about 20,000 Amish living in Belize.

You probably know the Amish don't like to be photographed so these photos were taken on the sly.

While this man sells his produce, his horse will graze throughout the day.

As much as I love horse-keeping in far away places, I did a terrible job of taking photos! We stayed six nights at duPlooy's Jungle Lodge and I never took a single photo of their barn or the horses at pasture. We were just too busy! Here are the photos that I did take:

Hubby on Hidalgo

Our trail ride, several hours, took us to explore Xunantunich, one of Belize's most popular Mayan ruins. Knowing we were taking this ride, I brought my helmet from home and wore it even though the guide gave me a "whatever" shrug.

I am riding a nice little mare named Ginger

Leaving the lodge ... Hubby followed by Kirk, one half of the couple we rode with.

We rode with a nice couple from Michigan, Kirk and Suzanne. Neither of them have really ridden, a time or two maybe. Suzanne was pretty nervous about riding, as many novices can be. When she saw me wearing a helmet, she quickly asked the guide if he had one for her, too. I was really happy to hear her ask and told her what a thoughtful choice she had made!

Our guide in front with Suzanne following. You can just make out the sign on the tree pointing to Xunantunich. Notice Suzanne's helmet!

Ginger was a lovely sand color ... I not quite sure if she was considered a palomino or not.

The trail meandered through a wide variety of footing and scenery. Some of the trail was wide and open, but other parts were rocky and somewhat steep. A few sections were quite muddy, as you would expect in the jungle, but the horses were very sure-footed.

Hubby did a great job controlling his horse!

The horses were actually quite nice. They were very steady, but were quick to take advantage if left to navigate on their own. My own little mare quickly realized that I wanted to get somewhere and happily passed the many grazing spots that called her name. Suzanne's horse was more of a problem. Once he realized that she had no concept of kick and pull, he wondered off the trail whenever and wherever he wanted to. Eventually, the guide got tired of waiting for her to catch up and simply ponied her horse along.

Hubby, who is not a rider and hasn't been on a horse in at least ten years, did a great job of keeping his horse on the trail and moving forward. His comment was something to the effect of, see, I listen! Meaning that when I think his eyes have glazed over as I discuss picking up the canter or doing 20-meter circles, he might actually be listening!

Hacking through the jungle

Lots of rocks and slippery mud, but Hidalgo just marched right along!

He was a cute little gelding.

Even though it was a slow ride, I enjoyed myself!

Ginger climbing through the branches ...

After turning off the gravel road, we ambled along for a while until we got to a newly fallen tree. Our guide was a bit surprised to find our way blocked. He tied his own horse to a tree and started snapping branches and shoving debris out of the way. He rode his own horse through the branches, but it wasn't pretty. He quickly decided it was safer to have all of us on the ground as he led each horse through.

Coming out safely on the other side.

The little building to the left is actually a butcher "shop." Cattle are raised in the adjoining pastures and then butchered right here. Although it's pretty hard to see in the photo, Xunantunich can be seen in the very center of the horizon (click photo to enlarge). We eventually stood on top of that temple and could see this clearing.

Once we got to the main road, we were picked up in a van and driven the last two or three miles. The horses were tied to trees while the guide took a break. Later, he led all of the horses back to the lodge while we went on to visit the ruins.

Tying Ginger (on the left) and Hidalgo to the trees.

Ginger was a very nice mare!

And here we are visiting Xunantunich, pronounced shoo-nan-too-nitch. And yes, we climbed this pyramid!  That's how we got the great view of the butcher shop. El Castillo, at 120 feet tall, is Belize's second tallest structure.

This pyramid is called El Castillo

Lunch was at Benny's Kitchen, an open air restaurant famous for Mayan and Creole dishes. Hubby had the Mayan dish, pibil, which is pork cooked in an underground oven. I went with our guide's choice and had the fried chicken. Instead of riding the horses back, we opted to take the van as it was air-conditioned and much faster!

Hubby, Kirk, and Suzzane enjoying lunch

It's always great fun to ride someone else's horses, but I am always happy to be back home with my own two boys.