VALLE DE BRAVO, NOV. 2009.

By the end of November in our home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, the days have shortened to gray overcast punctuated by weeklong periods of icy rain. Horseback riding is possible, but only after steeling one’s self with insulated, rainproof clothing, and being prepared to spend as much time cleaning mud off tack as riding.

As it happens, November is the beginning of the dry season in the Sierra Madre Occidental range of central Mexico. Monarch butterflies have arrived at their winter migration home in the mountains near Valle de Bravo, just 100 kilometers west of Mexico City, and each day dawns clear and bright, with the incense of pine needles and the faint smell of wood smoke from rural villages in the warm, dry Mexican air. Sun glints through the canopy of Montezuma pine and scrub oak, and majestically spectacular scenery and superb horseback riding country await the guests of Cabalgatas La Sierra in Valle de Bravo.

Our hosts, Pepe and Lucia, make their home and riding service in Valle de Bravo, nestled at the shores of Valle de Bravo Lake. Their home, Finca Enyhe, also serves as guest quarters par excellence. Each guest has private quarters and bath, with fireplaces or wood stoves lit for them prior to bedtime when the high altitude chill descends on the hacienda after sunset. Pepe and Lucia are native Mexicans and wear with pride the culture and clothing of their country and ancestry. Gourmet meals are prepared in traditional Mexican style, and each is attended by pleasant but unobtrusive staff attending to the guest’s every need. Finca Enyhe is a graciously appointed Spanish Colonial home with a swimming pool and a hot tub awaiting riders returning from a day’s ride. The courtyard echoes with the gurgle of its central fountain and the chirps of its resident parrots.

For those who think of Mexico as a country of desert and cactus, think again: the backcountry of the Sierra Madre is breathtaking in its arboreal splendor, and much of the riding is through towering pine forests interrupted by alpine meadows and spring-fed creeks. On the classical route around Valle de Bravo Lake, six days of riding takes one through over 200km of wilderness, small country farms, and an occasional village. In our ride at the end of November, Pepe directed the ride to over 10,000 feet to the wintering site of the Monarch butterfly. At this location, only recently discovered and accessible only by horseback, throngs of butterflies congregate in the trees, and hang in bunches by the thousands.

The terrain varies from steep and rocky to flat and needle-covered forest floor. The riding can be challenging, but never daunting, owing chiefly to the sure-footed and superbly conditioned horses. Steep sections are usually interrupted by lengthy gentle sloping trails or roads allowing gentle jog trots and occasional spirited canters. The weather was always sunny with a few puffy clouds over the mountain front, with temperatures at the beginning of the day at around 50 degrees Fahrenheit and in the high 70’s by mid-day.

Pepe and Lucia are talented at mating their guests with horses appropriate to their riding level. For the novice riders in our group, quiet and predictable horses that are obedient to their cues were available. Riders may chose from English, Western, or Mexican Charro tack. My horse was outfitted with a remarkably comfortable Stubben English all-purpose saddle that fit perfectly.

For horse vacationers grown dull to the hack horse that merely follows the line and gaits of the leader, there is a pleasant surprise in store for the experienced rider. My horse responded easily and predictably to English or Western reining cues and leg yields, and would provide forward working trots, gentle jog trots, loping canters, or propulsive gallops. The horses of Cabalgatas La Sierra are spirited but disciplined, and supremely conditioned.

On the trail, five star services continue. Wranglers from the service are continually available to assist riders in mounting, dismounting, and handling of the horses. Lunch breaks occurred at carefully chosen sites of gorgeous scenery. Lunch meals were also traditionally Mexican, and each meal seemingly more delicious than the last. Each was prepared over a small campfire at the lunch stop, with various combinations of quesas, chorizo sausage, strip steak with onions, mole sauce, chipotle chiles prepared to go into hot tortillas. Nuts and fresh fruit also accompanied each lunch,  and a cooler full of beverages carried on the pack mule allowed the rider a choice of cerveza, a variety of fruit nectars or soft drinks. Our hosts speak very fluent English, and provide detailed narrative of the geology and natural history of both flora and fauna of the region.

Upon return to Finca Enyhe at the end of a day’s ride, the rider is greeted by Luis the barman, who takes orders for margaritas to be delivered poolside to riders relaxing in the hot tub. Although strictly Mexican in its gracious charm, this vacation is incredibly well organized. Meals appear before one’s eyes, and rest breaks and lunch stops as well as transportation are meticulously timed and planned. At the few crossings of major highways, wranglers from the ranch appeared out of nowhere with traffic cones to momentarily halt traffic and allow safe crossing. The riders need be concerned only with arriving for meals and at their horses prepared to relax and enjoy themselves.

Our group of ten riders was experienced in horseback riding vacations all around the world, and all agreed that our vacation in Valle de Bravo exceeded our expectations in all respects. Simply put, for the rider desiring a relaxing and gracious riding vacation on excellent horses, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Roger McKimmy
Eugene, OR
USA