7 Day Horseback Riding Trek Dec 3-9, 2010

Ride with us on a 7 day trek through the breathtaking mountains of Puriscal, Costa Rica
for the super low price of $1000 US

  • Marvel at the breathtaking views as you and your horse climb the heights of rugged mountains
  • Learn about local history as you follow abandoned ox cart roads
  • Bird watch as you ride through vibrant tropical rainforests
  • Discover how pineapples and bananas grow as you traverse private farms.
  • Hike through virgin rainforest at La Cangreja National Park
  • Descend into the Scarlet Macaw Corridor and visit two pristine waterfalls.
  • Experience Costa Rican hospitality and cuisine.

 Click here for a detailed itinerary  
7 Days for only $1,000 US

 Price includes airport pick up, 6 nights lodging and all meals, horses, equipment and bilingual guides.

Does not include transport back to the airport or to your next destination in Costa Rica, alcoholic beverages
 or entance fees for optional activites such as national parks, nature tours, or spas.
Posted in Cultural Excursions, Events, Hiking and Nature Exploration, Horseback Riding, natural horsemanship, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Costa Rica Horseback Trek to the Beach & Parelli Workshop with David Lichman

January 2-9 , 2011
5 Star Parelli Professional David Lichman will be coming to Costa Rica for a two day workshop Jan 8th & 9th. The workshop will be held at Esterillos Este, one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Barking Horse Farm is organizing this workshop to coincide with a 5 day horseback riding trek from the mountains to the beach, arriving in time for the workshop. Experienced riders will love our healthy, responsive horses trained with Parelli Natural Horsemanship Techniques. Study with David for two days with the horse that you have bonded with over the course of the week long trek.


• marvel at the breathtaking views as you and your horse climb the heights of rugged mountains
• learn about local history as you follow abandoned ox cart roads
• bird watch as you ride through vibrant tropical rainforests
• discover how pineapples and bananas grow as you traverse private farms
• gallop down nearly deserted beaches and play with your horse in the ocean
• experience true Costa Rican hospitality and local cuisine

As one of Pat Parelli’s top rated instructors - David has traveled all over the world helping people to get extraordinary results with horses. Teaching Pat’s system has taken him from Vancouver to Virginia and from Hawaii to Heidelberg. He has handled thousands of horses at hundreds of clinics, from every breed and discipline.

For a detailed itinerary of this amazing adventure.
Click here

For more information about David’s workshop and to make a reservation contact
barkinghorsefarm@gmail.com

Prices for 5 day Trek, David’s Workshop with your choice of Accommodations at Esterillos Este

Encantada Ocean Cottages
The cottages are large with a loft, air conditioning, and fans. They surround a pool in the center of a one acre property on the Pacific Ocean. The hotel provides a complimentary breakfast and is located a short walk to the facility where David will hold his workshop.
The price for the Trek, David’s workshop, and three nights’ accommodations at this hotel is:
$1,510

Monterey del Mar
Surrounded by lush grounds, Costa Rica’s newest boutique hotel on the Central Pacific Coast offers oceanfront rooms, an international restaurant with a complimentary breakfast, beach front amphitheater, art collections, private terrace dinners, beach bon fires, and more. In room amenities include: King size beds, private terraces, phones, hot water and satellite TV. Within walking distance of the facility where David will hold his workshop.
The price for the Trek, David’s workshop, and three nights’ accommodations at this hotel is:
$1,760

Xandari Resort and Spa
Spacious private villas all feature a large terrace from which to enjoy panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean or lush tropical gardens, private walled-gardens, sitting area, mini-bar, air conditioning plus fan and luxury amenities such as hair dryer and CD player. The generous bathrooms feature a mosaic-tiled shower that opens to a private garden. The open-air thatched palm roof pavilion restaurant and bar provides a complimentary breakfast. A short walk from the facility where David will hold his workshop.
The price for the Trek, David’s workshop, and three nights’ accommodation at this hotel is:
$2,180

Trek alone costs $1,100
and includes airport pick up at Costa Rica’s SJO airport, one night’s lodging at Barking Horse Farm, all meals and lodging during the trek and one night’s accommodation at Encantada Ocean Cottages.

Two days of Workshop with David costs $325
Prices include all meals except for those at the hotel in Esterillos Este.
Use of Barking Horse Farm’s Horses for David’s workshop is complimentary.
Transport back to SJO airport $100 for up to five in transport.

To reserve your space contact us at barkinghorsefarm@gmail.com

Posted in Cultural Excursions, Events, Horseback Riding, natural horsemanship, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Explore Costa Rica on Horseback and then take a Workshop in Parelli Natural Horsemanship!

David Lichman at his first workshop at Barking Horse Farm in 2008

 

5 Star Parelli Professional David Lichman will be returning to Costa Rica for the 4th time, in January 2011, for a two day workshop in Parelli Natural Horsemanship. Ride a Parelli trained horse on a 7 day trek from Barking Horse Farm to the beautiful Pacific coast beach of Esterios Este. Study with David for two days with the horse that you have bonded with over the course of the week long trek. What a way to start the new year!   

For a day to day description of this trek check out our updated information page!    

We will have all the details of this great trip soon!    

Subscribe to this blog to recieve updates as we post them.

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Dia de San Ignacio del Labrador

 

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All through the country side of Costa Rica, in July, the oxen teams and their intricately painted carts are readied. The big event is San Ignacio Day. It is the day that the hard working oxen receive a blessing. Oxen are still used by farmers all over Costa Rica. They pull carts laden with sugar cane to be processed into sugar, they pull plows to ready the fields for planting, they pull trees out of the forest to be used for lumber. It is not just a man’s job, women and children also learn to drive the oxen. The ox is an integral part of Costa Rican farm life. In this deeply Catholic country their blessing is taken seriously. Olivia and I rode Beau and Paloma to the nearby town of Guayabo to take part in the event. Over a hundred ox carts made a long parade down the main highway to arrive in Guayabo where the priests, standing in the bed of a pickup truck, splashed each oxen team and their owners with holy water. A dozen or so horses (and even a dog) were blessed that day, including Beau and Paloma

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Looking for New Pastures for the Horses

We had a great season with visits from guests, volunteers and interns from all over the world. Now the rainy season is upon us full force and our favorite trails are getting muddy.  The horses have served us well over all kinds of terrain and over great distances. They deserve a break. We spent the week visiting nearby properties looking for large pastures with varied vegetation and terrain where the horses can follow their natural grazing tacks and live in a more natural way.  After visiting several properties we chose a 300 acre piece with varied vegetation, forests and streams. Our volunteers will be  feeding and checking on the horses daily and we will still be riding them at least once a week to keep  them ready for next years riding season which starts in December.

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We just got back from our 7 day horseback trek through the mountains to the beach!!!

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 Olivia and I were joined by Karen and her daughter Sarah from Pennsylvania and by our intern Alanna from Arizona and our Costa Rican wrangler, Eduardo. We had a fantastic trip! The first day was spent at the farm matching up the riders with their horses. On day 2 we started out from the farm high in the mountians. Over the course of the next 5 days we passed through a variety of ecosystems. We spent the nights and had our meals with wonderfully hospitable folks in their homes.  On day 6 we arrived at a comfortable beach front hotel on one of Costa Rica`s most beautiful Paficific coast beaches. Day 7 was spent riding the horses for miles along the deserted beach and then playing with them in the waves. This is our last trip of the season due to the arrival of the tropical rains. Our next trips will be starting up in December 2010.

Posted in Cultural Excursions, Events, Horseback Riding, natural horsemanship, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

We welcome our new intern Alanna

Alana comes to us from Arizona. She will be with us for three weeks and will be riding with us on our week long trip to the beach. We will be heading out on the adventure on Mon, June 13th. Welcome Alanna!

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This week our focus has been on getting the horses ready for the week long trip to the beach which we will be leaving on this Monday, June 13th. We have been exercising them in the ring and taking them out on short trail rides. We condition scored, weighed (with a weight tape), adn deparasited all the horses too. Our friend Don Aladio turned 90 this week and we joined him and over 100 other guests to celebrate!!

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Equine Dentistry

Less rain this week so we were able to get out on more trial rides. Volunteers Pete and Haley joined us for a ride to a neighbor’s farm to observe a visit from the equine dentist. 

Haley

 

This horse had two upper molars removed a year ago due to abcesses and has now developed some complications. The dentist found tooth fragments on one side and the lower molar on the other had grown so long due to the space above that it was damaging the upper gum tissue. It sounds bad but he thought it was easily cured with appropriate treatment. 

The initial exam

 

Back on our farm we did some bare foot trimming on some of the horses.

Trimming hooves

 

Trying to protect one of the gardens from the intense rains we get in the rainy season we covered the roof with plastic.

Posted in Farm life, Gardening, Horseback Riding | 1 Comment

Getting ready for the week long horse back ride to the beach.

We took the jeep on a road trip to deliver horse feed to the stops we will be making on the ride to the beach in June. We set out early and the clouds added a mystical beauty to the already majestic and familiar views. Our volunteer Ron took some beautiful photos.

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It was a full vehicle, 5 adults and 10 ducks. The ducks were going to their new home with our friends Joshua and Yemaya at Verde Energia  www.verdeenergia.com . Just in time since 9 more ducklings were born on the farm this week.

The rainy season is definitely here now. This week was especially rainy. Too wet and muddy for trail rides, instead we took advantage of any short break in the rain to exercise the horses in the ring. 

Pete brought the billy-goat over for some first aid and a hoof trimming the same morning we made home made doughnuts.

The cloudy wet weather was perfect for transplanting young starts into the garden, 200 lettuce starts, peppers, tomatoes and some spinach too.

And out youngest rooster, Little Richard, crowed for the first time!

Posted in Cultural Excursions, Farm Animals, Farm life, Gardening, Hiking and Nature Exploration, Horseback Riding, natural horsemanship | Leave a comment

Trail Rides and Horses for Sale

We went on three trail rides this week. The first one was a farewell ride for our volunteers Claudia (from Mexco) and Joan (from France). Next Brenda and I took Beau and La Linda out for a training ride. We were focusing on Beau´s brakes and Linda´s go. It was a strange combination but a good ride. Lastly we rode over to John´s place to check out the pinto mare and her baby that he is selling.

We also found a starving stay dog and took her in, we named her Buttercup.

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