Need to rent a horse to do the pilgrimage HELP!

[gabspiach]

Hello all.
My plan is to do the Camino to Compostela in May 2010 with my husband. My dream has always been to do it on horseback. I have been looking for almost a year, and have found nothing.
I found one place that rents horses for a large group of people with guides and sight seeing tours, but i do not want to do that. I am more spiritual when i'm alone. I want to be able to find the way there on my own without a guide, and to be just me and my husband, and our horses.. Does anyone know where i can do this? Im planning to start my trip in Roncesvailles. Im travelling from california, and to bring my horse there would be to expensive for me to do. If anyone has ANY information on where i could rent a horse, or if you know fo someone who would be willing to rent me a horse it would be greatly appreciated.
Please contact me via email: Caribbeaner@gmail.com
Thank You everyone for reading this!
Best of luck to you.

 

[sillydoll]

I'm not sure if you have looked at these sites but they might help, especially the first one. Good luck!

http://www.elcaminoacaballo.com
http://www.turismo-rural.com/natulacaballo/index.html and
http://www.csj.org.uk have “The Way of Saint James on horseback: the complete guide” Javier Pascual:
Hire horses: http://www.gallopgalicia.com/

 

[katiedeEEUU]

Camino on Horseback!

So my dad and I are going to Spain in exactly 2 and a half weeks, and we've been trying to figure out how we're going to do this Camino de Santiago. We don't want to do the whole thing at all, just a maybe a days worth and we want to do it on horseback. Google has been 0 help. We just want to do one little part of it, and have the experience. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Thanks,
Katie

 

[sillydoll]

Very few people do the Camino on horseback. Those that do, either have their own horses or they go with a Company that provides horseback Caminos. If you can't find a place that will rent you a horse for one day on the Camino it probably doesn't exist! Walk your one day instead, then plan for a longer horseback Camino at a later date.

 

[zammy]

I feel fine with cows "lefovers" on the trail, why add horse's souvenirs? and it is dangerous too, it's enough that we have all those bikers silently risking us that we need horses too?

 

[wayfarer]

We met one group this year doing the Camino with horses (not on horseback) Having spoken to two of them I can tell you the logistics are huge. They carried their equipment on the horses and walked with them. They also had to have two friends with a van and horse box to take the horses around large towns and cities and also to drive ahead and arrange a place to camp and feed and keep the horses. It may seem like a romantic idea but it will not be fun. Its a bit like all the people we met that were doing the Camino because they had seen the movie with Martin Sheen (The Way) The reality was nothing like what was portrayed in the movie and a lot of them ended up in trouble because they were not well prepared. My advise for what its worth is do it on foot. You will meet great people on the way and that is the real spirit of the Camino.

 

[oursonpolaire]

In five Caminos, I have only encountered horseriders twice. One was a Spanish military historian with an army remount (apparently Spain has one of the world's largest cavalry arms), and using military and Guardia Civil stations for support as he went along (he told me that there are always younger recruits or guards who were more than happy to help him with a horse). The other was a group of Dutch riders who were on the Cami de San Jaume near Loarre-- they too had a support vehicle with a farrier, and were part of an organized tour. I do not think that it is a place where one can casually or without much planning pick up horses for a few days.

 

[scruffy1]

It seems so well romantic. Has nobody read :
"Travels with My Donkey: One Man and His Ass on a Pilgrimage to Santiago" by Tim Moore? True not the same animal and true not the same time frame but even a quick glanceit would give the strongest willed second thoughts on the subject.

 

[newfydog]

I met a guy on horse one year. He borrowed the horse from a friend, because the horse had done the trip before and knew the way. Even then, he had an assistant driving, arranging stops and taking care of the horse each night.

 

[annakappa]

I feel fine with cows "lefovers" on the trail, why add horse's souvenirs? and it is dangerous too, it's enough that we have all those bikers silently risking us that we need horses too?

Well I would rather have horse leftovers than human ones!!
Anne

 

[vagabondette]

Agree, I'd prefer horse droppings to human. I'd also prefer horse to bike.