Riding with Arab Horses by the Sea

by Cami

I’ve always been in love with the Arab horse, by the special way they look. They are very particular, very sensitive, and they can run as hell! I’ve only been in an Arab two times in my whole life: once, when I was very young, one of my best friend’s godmother (this was a very short ride); and the second time, also young, a fat mixture with an Arab in a friend’s farm. It was about time to ride a real Arab in an amazing place, the Centinela del Mar. And what other riding partner but Majo was there to do it? Boots on.

The lodge where we stayed was called El Tinto. Now, don’t get confused, this wasn’t over the beach but it was really close. It’s 15 kilometers away from it. This place is amazing, it’s from a Switzerland guy that goes only during polo seasons. When there is no polo, he gives the lodge to Andy and Mora and their family to organize some horse riding. They live in Haras San Andres del Moro, where they raise this beautiful horse. Their place is very close to El Tinto, just five minutes away in a car.

Andy and Mora are the most caring father and daughter. They have been living here all their life. Most of their family helps with the riding, one of their sons is the cook. Luli, Andy’s wife, is a lovely woman who actually runs Endurance with her horses (Mora also used to run). When it’s eating time they prepare the food and actually sit with you and make the lunch or dinner a lot more fun.

Centinela del Mar is 100 hectares right by the sea. It’s very close to El Tinto lodge, a really good ride from the farm to the sea. It has a church, where they actually use it even for religious retreats, and some “houses” spreaded without any logic. They are small, even some of them are train wagons that are just a little house. It’s a really attractive place, with the sea on one side, and all its wind and sky; and on the other the farm, with its trees and fields and crops all along.

The thing is we were late when we arrived, so we had only one day of this stunning ride. We went directly by car to grab the horses where they were waiting at a friend’s lodge a little before the sea. We couldn’t see the sea (I needed to put this, hehe!), but we were a few kilometers away. What we could see was where the horses were! Oh yes, they were there! Mora grabbed some halters and went to look for them. I asked Andy, who was helping with the bridles and saddles, if I could go with her, to which he replied most kindly of course. When I got near I saw the power and uniqueness and strength they had. They didn’t stay calm and let them grab them, they were all running like crazy! Also, they were taller, just a bit. This was made on purpose to make them better to run Endurance (they all run races as they told me).

Now, a little tip: these are not horses for beginners! These are for real riders. When you’re on top you have to be very careful to be aware of any movement they can make. They are always asking for more, and some can be scared of anything! Between Mora, Majo and me we grabbed three of them that Mora told us. One of them was Mora’s mare. The name I think it was something like Mora Fuchan (it was very similar to a horse of mine in my farm, Cronos). Mine was another mare, Mora Patagonica, a lovely chestnut. And Majo’s horse was called something like Moro Chan, a dapple gray horse. They were three beauties, ready to go!

We helped them put the saddles on. They were specially made for this: they were very light and comfortable. When they were ready, it was time to mount. I went first, and I did it very carefully. I put one foot on the stirrup, went up, let him move and held him, and then I put the other leg around him. It was OK. When Majo went up her horse did a little jump, but nothing dangerous. Mora said that Majo’s horse was a little more scary than the other two. It was important to listen to everything she had to say about any of the horses. Once we were all on top, the ride began.

As soon as my horse started walking I felt like I was riding a cloud. It was as soft as I had ever thought! They were amazing. On the other hand, the view was incredible, with meadows that slowly started having a form, slowly transforming into a sand dune from a crop field. As it appeared in front of us, the sand dune, my horse took a splendid gallop to the top. I was not prepared for this! Ups and downs they were all the same: let me run! And I did. It was so much fun to go throw them, Mora Patagonica wanted to be first in all of them.

Once the sand dunes passed we were on the impressive and stunning beach. It was huge and there was nobody there, NOBODY! We could ride for hours and hours and we wouldn’t see anyone. And the sea was surprising, if you looked for just a minute you could see bottlenose dolphins swimming all around; and if you looked more, you could even watch sea lions. Mora said she once saw whales.

The first real gallop was here on the beach. It was just perfect! The three horses were with full energy, whenever you thought you had to stop they would ask you to continue. It was a never ending gallop. We went a long way, 20 kilometers approximately. In more or less the middle of the road there was like a big float ball in the middle of the beach. It was huge and really old. We took some cool pictures there and then continued galloping. The climate was perfect, not too cold and not too hot. We were accurate with what we were wearing.

After less than two hours we had reached a stream that was getting into the sea. This is how Mora knew that in that place her father would be waiting for us to eat. Watching the sea to our left, he was at the right, in the sand dunes, where there were bushes that gave some shadows and you could actually tie the horses there. He had gone there in the truck, he had brought a disc and all the food and drinks. We went there, got down and loosened the girths a little and left the horses tied up with just the halter. We were more than ready to rest, relax and drink a little wine while we spoke about everything.

The food was amazing and the wine was just flawless. When we finished eating, Majo and I went walking to the sea to touch it. It was far away! It surprised me that it was warm, very warm. I know that the Argentinian sea it’s usually cold, but this was not at all. Maybe it was the cold we had outside that made the water feel nice. I said “the cold” because we had a little jacket and clothes on, but it wasn’t a cold day. Then we went up the beach again and started getting ready to go back.

Turning our way around was awesome due to some facts. First of all, we were more relaxed with the horses. Actually, we almost galloped the entire way back, it was incredible how much they could run. Second of all, the little wine we had had, it was special at least for me, to relax and enjoy in a deeper way. Thirdly, the hour, it was the special hour to observe and sink your eyes on anything and it would be beautiful. I like to ride during the sunset, or getting close to it. We arrived back to the dunes, back to transforming into fields, and finally, back the corrals. It was marvelous.