Horse Riding Holidays in URUGUAY

Uruguay is a perfect place for a horse riding holiday. Horseback riding is an integral part of the culture in Uruguay because raising cattle is big business and the gauchos still depend heavily on horses to handle the cows. Riding is taken for granted, almost like walking in other parts of the world. The Criollo horses are ideal for the terrain and will carry you comfortably through the hill country of the interior and along the white sand beaches of the coast. They are reliable and responsive mounts and the traditional saddles are very comfortable. Uruguay is not as touristy as some of its larger, more well know neighbours. This allows our clients a better experience of the authentic culture of the country and the genuine friendship of its people. The food is excellent - lots of tender organic local beef as you would expect and plenty of freshly caught fish. The climate is mild all year round making ideal conditions for riding. So in summary, we end as we began - Uruguay is a perfect place for horse riding holidays.

By South American standards Uruguay is small -  it is approximately the same size as Great Britain. In South America only Suriname is smaller. It has just one land border - with Brazil in the north. To the south east lies the Atlantic Ocean and across the estuary of the Rio do la Plata to the west & south is Argentina. Many folk from Buenos Aires, both locals and tourists, hop across to Montevideo, Uruguay's capital, for a day trip. Uruguay is known for its glorious beaches - about 300 miles worth! Uruguay is officially called the 'Eastern Republic of Uruguay' because it lies to the east of the River Uruguay and the name means 'river where the painted birds live'. Half the population live in Montevideo which is a lively city with a wonderful 9 mile beachfront. Another town you may well know is Fray Bentos - though perhaps you know it more for the canned beef company that took its name. The vast majority of the country is sparsely populated and is given up to grazing sheep and cattle and much of Uruguay's economy is based on the exporting of livestock and related goods. 

Traditionally it has been more affluent than most Latin American countries and is known for its advanced education, its social security systems and its liberal laws on social issues. In fact, Uruguay was one of the first countries in South America to introduce a welfare state system. Recently the recessions of Brazil and Argentina have hit Uruguay hard but the economy is now improving again. Tourism is welcomed as a source of income and is on the increase.

Europeans arrived in what is now Uruguay in 1516. It was fought over by Spain and Portugal, Spain being the eventual winner and as a result the official language of Uruguay is Spanish. The Spanish imported cattle which became a source of wealth and led to the current dependency on livestock in the country.   

Add-ons
Unicorn is always delighted to arrange extensions to your equestrian holiday in Uruguay. You may already know what you'd like, but our team are also happy to offer suggestions. How about extending your stay with a few days in Montevideo. Perhaps you're inclined to hop over to Argentina - it's so close, just over the river estuary. You can take a day trip, but we recommend at least 2 or 3 nights in vibrant buzzing Buenos Aires. If the packed itinery of our equestrian vacation hasn't tired you out, we can arrange various water sports activities that might! Whatever your requirements, just give us a call to arrange any of these and we'll add them to your riding holiday in Uruguay.