Seeing Vieques from the back of a local Paso horse was hands-down, the most outstanding adventure I had on the island. We went on a sun-set ride with the Esperanza Riding Company, led by Virginia hailed, Caribbean cowgirl turned Elizabathe Buyrn. Elizabeth has called Vieques home for over ten years, and during that time, built up a wonderful herd of horses for her company. When we were there, the count was at 32!
I’m always a bit weary of trail riding companies, as not all treat their horses well. In Elizabeth’s case...let’s just say I want to come back as one of her horses in my next life! This is a very well-cared for, happy crew of steeds. Right from the beginning she set the tone by asking us to lower ourselves carefully into the saddle, so we wouldn’t give our horses a ‘chiropractic’ adjustment. The horses (or kids as she refers to them) are quite the characters, read their descriptions here. I was partnered up with lovely Zorro, the ‘ladies’ man’.
The ride took us first through the hills, overlooking the south side of the island, where we saw a red-tailed hawk take off right in front of us. We went through the town of Esperanza, stopping to pick some fruit right from horseback (great vantage point), and made our way towards the shoreline. We rode along two beaches that can’t be accessed by car, just when the sun was setting. My heart still explodes, just thinking about it. Although mostly at a leisurely walk, we did experience the paso corto (a smoother version of the trot) a couple of times and that was a lot of fun, too. Eventually we went through a gate and found ourselves right inside the vast coastlined, incredibly beautiful pasture Elizabeth’s herd calls their home.
Two-hour trail rides are offered at 8AM and 4PM daily; to avoid mid-day heat.
Reservations are required! Maximum tour size is 10-12 riders.
Group trail rides costs $80 per person. Private trail rides costs $125 per person.
Happy Trails!
A heartfelt thank you to Discover Puerto Rico (@DiscoverPuertoRico) for 3 days in beautiful Vieques and a fun stop-over in San Juan, Puerto Rico. And thank you Elizabeth from Esperanza Riding Company (@ERC_Vaqueras) for an unforgettable adventure on horseback!
