Horse riding at the foot of Cotopaxi

After breakfast by the open fireplace, we were supposed to go on a 'full-day mountain biking tour'. However, since both of us have some issues with the altitude, we didn't want to take any risks and decided to leave the bikes behind. Instead, we saddled up on four legs: the hacienda also offers horse riding. We quickly signed up for the 9:00 AM excursion. The appropriate clothing was already prepared for us. Each of us received chaps (cowboy pants), a poncho, and a helmet. With the equipment, we felt really cool. Our horses were already saddled up on the meadow. Our guide explained all the commands to us and how to hold the reins, our riding positions in uphill and downhill rides, and that the horses should not eat along the way- that was also very important...!

After learning how to mount and dismount, we were assigned our horses. Our group consisted of 6 people, including the guide. Except for one person, none of us had any experience riding horses :-()! We all managed to get on the horse without any problems and off we went. We left the hacienda behind and started heading uphill. Well, what can I say, my horse somehow managed to grab every patch of grass it could find. After a while, I didn't care anymore whether it was eating or not. In the meantime, Johnny, the guide, had made a whip out of a branch for me. I was supposed to lightly hit the horse on the buttocks with it when it stopped to eat. It worked a little better. Then we came across the first gate, and the horses were standing close together and that made mine angry. It wanted to bite another horse and suddenly it ran about 10 meters away with me. Oh man, what a mess, I really didn't want that. It actually looked really peaceful, but as it turned out, my horse always wanted to be the first and didn't tolerate two certain horses beside it. It was funny at first, but eventually it became annoying because I had to concentrate on making sure it didn't run off again to bite another horse. We rode for about 2 hours over the steppes and up the mountains. What was funny was that there were some bulls grazing up there, and when they saw us, they snorted and pawed the ground. Hmm, Daniela and two others were wearing red ponchos. I just said that I was less worried if they were to come. Johnny had the bulls under control, and we rode by them without any special incidents. When we reached our destination, we were given a special tea for altitude sickness. It is made from the coca plant and is highly recommended for altitude sickness. Our guide told us some information about the area and named the volcanoes that we had a clear view of. After taking some photos and doing some stretching exercises for our legs, we got back on the horses. Now we had to go all the way downhill. The way back went almost perfectly. Johnny was in the lead and I followed behind. Then two others wanted to pass me, and the horse started biting again and ran a few meters with me. It was so exhausting to keep the animal in check. I got a terrible headache, and about 10 minutes before reaching the destination, I got off the horse and told the guide that I would walk the last few minutes. It's too annoying for me with the horse. I then walked after the group on foot and was relieved when we finally arrived at the hacienda. There, we had homemade lemonade and tea. Overall, the trip was quite nice, except if my horse had been a bit friendlier. A Canadian guy also said that my horse was really mean and that it must have been very tiring for me. But I can't change it, I still thought the excursion was great. The landscape was once again stunning, and we had a lot of fun. I'm now lying in bed, resting. They brought me another special tea, and I should lie down because of the headache. The tea actually helps. Daniela is splashing around in the spa. Tomorrow, we will leave the hacienda. We have hired a guide who will take us to Cotopaxi National Park, and then we will continue to Banos. Sending you lots of love, we are doing very well!