Posted on May 30, 2013
Having attended the Riding Holiday Show in November 2012, reading Jennie Phillips’ story will certainly inspire you to enter any competitions that come your way! You really never know if it could be you…
Having pondered the prospect of a riding holiday for some time, in 2012 Jennie Phillips decided that she was going to investigate what was on offer and attended the Riding Holiday Show on the recommendation of a friend. “We travelled to London and when we arrived we got a raffle ticket to enter us in a draw for lots of different prizes. I didn’t think any more of it and enjoyed a lovely day looking at the various destinations on offer. One particular venue stood out for me and that was Los Alamos in Spain, so we took information away to consider and that was that! Not that long after I received an email saying I had won a prize at the show,” Jennie goes on to say. “To be honest I didn’t believe it was real and left it in my inbox for a few days. On reading it further I realised it was genuine and was absolutely delighted. The prize was a weekend break for two people at Los Alamos in Spain, the very trip we had been looking at anyway!”
Jennie and her friend decided to extend the short break to a weeklong stay and pay the difference. “The whole trip was brilliant,” she says. “ There are thousands of acres of sandy forest tracks available to ride on, as well as the beautiful beach fronts! The horses were really fit and up for it, while still being well behaved and safe. We rode for about four hours each day and the hosts could not have been more friendly or helpful! We could see why people return time after time to Los Alamos, in fact there was another lady staying at the same time as us who was returning for her tenth time! She had even bought her horse from them and taken it back to England!”
“The riding was really exciting,” Jennie states. “The beach was brilliant and Jose, the guide, knows the horses so well that he can offer great instruction without you feeling as if you are in a riding school. I would class myself as an intermediate rider, I have ridden all my life and competed in eventing and dressage at a low level, and the riding was perfect for me! There were some really exhilarating moments, one time we galloped through a big lake – it was unexpected but fantastic!”
“I can’t say enough for the people at Los Alamos,” Jennie explains. “The food was really good, it was relaxed and had everything you could want to eat and drink, the family run set-up was brilliant and they even took photos of you on the beach that you could buy and take away as a memory of the trip!”
“I definitely have the bug for riding holidays now,” Jennie says. “While I would love to have the chance to go back to Los Alamos, I would also like to try something new, perhaps France or Italy next, or maybe even Ireland! I had such a good experience through In The Saddle that I can’t wait to get out there and see more!”
