Octavio came riding by the casa we were staying at with friends. He had a very pretty younger stud with very good manners that he was riding. Being a horse owner myself I walked over to say hi to him & his pretty boy. With my broken Spanish and his patience we got the idea of a ride the next day for myself & him. He promptly showed up at 9 the next morning with two well behaved geldings. Octavio & I worked at a broken Spanish & smiles conversation most of the way. I only took an hour walk with a little trot or two up the sandy/rocky beach. It's very beautiful in Troncones & have been here a few times over the years. Octavio we'll take you on 1, 2, 3 or more hours for riding. His stable is by the bridge. The horses are smaller then horses in the US. He takes care of them well. They are not going to look like your big racing thorough bread or large rumped quarter horses at home. These horses are a smaller breed. Most of the horses are Calm & sweet natured for a nice little ride. read more

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We don't speak spanish, so I think things would have gone better if we did. My problem with Octavio, the owner, was that once we had paid and were on his horses, he didn't look back at us to make sure everything was okay. (I was on a horse with my 2 year old). We had 'rented' two horses with my father on the other. I guess we should have been more clear beforehand, but really the grandfather was there to ride beside us, so he could see his grandson on a horse. Instead all he saw was my back for 99% of the ride. I would have maybe tried to do some funky sign language, but its clear Octavio isn't the kind of guy you chit chat with - even if you did speak the same language. One day walking around the city of Troncones we saw his shop. The horses looked terrible. One tied to a random tree, and another actually lying down on the ground. I wish I hadn't supported his business. If we go to Troncones again, we won't use Herradura read more

This was a great experience and I will try and do it justice. To start, we learned about this opportunity through one of their team promoting rides on the beach (he was on a horse). I usually don't sign-up for activities like this but the young man was very friendly and not in any way pushy. With my limited Spanish I learned that the rides were best in the morning or evening. I signed up then and there for a morning ride for my family of four (I should note that once I was back at the hotel I learned that this is a family outfit run by Octovio and Lucia Izazaga [sp?] and they were well liked and respected by the community). Two riders, Octovio and Lucia, arrived about 10 minutes early for our morning ride. The horse and gear were all in good condition. For my youngest they brought a lovely little pony which was perfect as he got to ride all by himself. We headed to the small town of Majahua which leads to a long flat beach. We had this all to ourselves with the Pacific on one side and the sun coming up over the hills on the other! Then even let my eldest canter a bit (as she has some riding experience) which was an amazing thing to see and for her to do. The small birds running in the surf, the gliding pelicans, the empty beach and the sound of the ocean made everything pretty perfect! The ride was about an hour. Our guides did not speak any English and we had limited Spanish but this was not a problem. If you don't speak any Spanish you may want to arrange this through your hotel (or with someone who does speak Spanish). This is what helped us arrange the best time for the light and also get a small pony for our youngest. I would highly recommend this for anyone who has kids or who wants to take a romantic ride on the beach. We will be doing this again when we return! read more