Granja Monteverde Equus — Local services in Sierra

CARE OF HORSES: Equus Monteverde, sadly, did NOT take good care of their horses. The horses were covered in ticks and our guide (the son, forget his name) did not seem to care at all when I said something about all the ticks. In conversation while getting ready to go on our ride I asked him if the horses were his babies (because ya know, it is his livelihood and he grew up raising horses) and he laughed and said no way. Bottom line, these horses were not well cared for and didn’t seem very loved either. They seemed like just a money maker to this family. Which is all very sad considering we chose Equus specifically because it was not one of the larger, more advertised horse back riding options. As we made it a point to support as many local, family, and small businesses while on our 6 week trip around Costa Rica.

THE RIDE: The horses were very well trained and the family’s property, where we rode, was very beautiful. However, our guide (the son), who spoke English, did not interact with us AT ALL. He just took us through the route and was texting/WhatsApp on his cell phone THE ENTIRE TIME!! He did not even try to point out any animals at all. The few times I tried to ask him questions, he would only give short answers and he even seemed almost annoyed that I was “bothering” him… So I just tried to enjoy the ride and natural beauty around me. However, my heart still goes out to this...

I liked the tour in general, but as someone who used to do horseback riding for a couple of years I was disappointed about the way the horses were treated. The owner interacted with them alright, but the stable and the trails we took to ride across the Monteverde countryside were both really muddy and wet. Of course this is because of the rainy season and the wet climate, but the horses had to go really steep and rocky or just WET trails with little pools of water they had to step into to move on. I would expect to not go the overused trails but rather go an alternative way to help the horses’ bones and feet relax a little. To be fair, I do not know whether every horse does this three times per day or if they have days off as well. In a Company, the employees also don’t have to work everyday and I would expect this to happen in a place where animals are working for tourists’ fun. I just had the impression that it was really heavy work for the horses to get people up and down the hills on these part rocky, part wet trails. Moreover, there was one guy on the group who constantly stressed the horse he sat on and made it gallop all the time, hit it with a stick constantly and - passing by- stressed the horse I sat on as well. I was really disappointed that neither of our two guides said anything to calm him down and to show him how to respectfully treat an animal that is working for...

Such a great time!

We all enjoyed great beauty and fun! I was traveling with my husband, mother (age 60 with severe arthritis), and two adult sisters.

My mom was able to take the lead of the entire group on an experienced horse that loved to run! She was able to enjoy the ride, and wasn't too incredibly sore afterwards. In the moment she said it felt good, therapeutic actually! Even despite the recovery/rest time required afterwards. (we saved this activity for the last day of our vacation with the comfort/well-being of her body in mind)

Our guides were great, so sweet and fun! The trail we took was so pretty; it spanned two different farms. The land is beautiful, the paths we took always looking out over stunning vistas of MonteVerde and the Gulf of Nicoya.

We walked, galloped, and trotted! Thrilling and relaxing.

Afterwards we were surprised and delighted by a demonstration on the small scale, family sugar cane farm. We processed our own sugar cane juice on the ol traditional mill and then made our own candies in the ways their ancestors did!

We have a newfound appreciation for sugar now. Such a special experience! Complimented by yummy snacks of cheese empenadas and banana bread too! All enjoyed while the sun set the sky on fire in the background. It was a sweet,...