Horse riding in Sete Cidades, on São Miguel, the Azores, is in my top five most magical experiences. Our friends from the Azores Adventure Island Tours organised this for us. Starting from a stable up on one of the island’s many volcanic peaks, we rode back in time through beautiful rolling pastures. Our guides, whose family’s equestrian background goes back a few centuries, rode along, never too far.
Sete Cidades – A Gem Lost in Time
Sete Cidades is a rare gem in the Occident, one of the few places technology and development have not affected. Sure, it has some of the trappings of modernity – electricity, refrigeration, the internet… However, the way of life remains the same now as it was a hundred years ago. Our guide, André, told us that in this village, bread and milk still came delivered to each door, fresh, every morning.
The residents here are mostly old folk who have been around for a long time. I recall André telling us that there were a few individuals there who were almost centenarians. Impressive, considering that the population of Sete Cidades isn’t very large.
It was magical riding down into the village on our horses. There was only the very occasional car we encountered which broke the illusion of us being back in the 1800s or even before. Mostly, we saw no other modes of transportation apart from the beasts we rode.
Horse Riding – It Is a Workout As Well
Horse riding is hard work, especially if you lack experience. You need a strong and supple back and thighs that have stamina and, not to mention, preferably a cushioned bottom. I count myself as very fit, but horse riding makes you use all the little muscles in your body that are not often exerted. They engage to stabilise you on the animal as it walks, trots or gallops.
We took the horses to Lagoa des Sete Cidades. It’s actually two ecologically different lakes joined by a narrow strait. I can’t remember clearly what was so different about them. I thought one was shallower and greener while the other was deeper and bluer.
Our guide took us around the lake and we paused by the river bank. We were instructed not to get off our horses. Too bad, since by this time, my leg was cramping badly. I wanted nothing more than to stand and give my knees a rest. Still, I wouldn’t let a bit of physical discomfort dishearten me. The beauty and magic of it all were worth it.
My favourite part of the trip was when we had ridden out of the village and were riding up over a ridge that circled the settlement. Here, we had an unobstructed view of the quaint little white houses far down below, the hilly rise that surrounded it all, and beyond that, the deep blue expanse of the Atlantic, stretching out into eternity.
What can I say, if you visit the Azores and get a chance, go horse riding – you will not regret it.
