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Beachfront Properties & Real Estate In Ecuador
Ecuador Articles
Like many of Ecuador's famous haciendas, Hacienda Alegria is a family-owned and operated working ranch and organic farm. The owners, Gabriel Espinosa and his wife Paty, continue the traditions of his ancestors, where horses are paramount.
The hacienda specializes in horseback riding adventures, some only a day in length and requiring a minimun of skill. Others involve advanced horsemanship and days in the saddle.
As Gabriel says, "You will be welcomed with a roaring log fire in the sitting room, and in your bedroom when the nights are cold.
La Alegria can accommodate up to 24 people both in the farmhouse and a recently completed extension. The extension has been tastefully restored with solid cypress floors and beams and modern en-suite bathrooms with plenty of hot water and powerful showers. We have split-level family rooms which sleep five in comfort.
Paty and her staff provide full board if required. All meals are tailored for hungry travellers, riders and hikers, and combine delicious Ecuadorian and international cuisine."
Facade, Hacienda Alegria
As Gabriel says, "We offer traditional hospitality with a touch of luxury at our beautiful hacienda. We cater for independent travellers and larger groups and can tailor a package for most requirements. Above all, at La Alegria we specialise in horseback vacations amid the majesty of the high Andes of the Equator.
Hacienda La Alegria is a working dairy farm and visitors are invited to tour the farm (and participate at milking time if they wish!) We are also interested in taking on volunteers looking for work experience with the horses or teaching english and promoting sustainable ecology at nearby village schools. Please email Gabriel at info@alegriafarm.com providing your details and an indication of when you would be interested coming."
Hacienda Alegria Entrance
Once you walk through the hacienda and into the gardens, you're surrounded by lush growth, a care for the environment and the promise of exciting adventures to come.
From the garden you can see some of Ecuador's most famous volcanos: extinct Ruminahui (4712m), Pasochoa (4250m), Atacazo (4463m), and in the distance, Cotopaxi, at 5897m the highest active volcano in the world.
Location of Hacienda Alegria
Hacienda Alegria is located about an hour south of Quito, in the famed Volcano Alley.
"The hacienda is close to the village of Aloag, on the west side of the Panamericana highway 40 km (25 miles) south of Quito. Buses leave Quito on average every ten minues and take approximately one hour to Aloag, where we will be happy to pick you up. If you book in advance we may also be able to pick you up from Quito."
Riding Excursions
According to your time and riding expertise, you can choose a gentle ride around the hacienda, a longer ride into the "fabulous riding country, with cobbled tracks winding through lush farmland up to the rolling paramo (high grassland) and the rocky summit cones of the many extinct volcanoes that line both sides of the Machachi valley.
At Hacienda La Alegria our horses are very important to us. Most have been bred here on the farm from mixed Criollo (native South American), English Thoroughbred and Arabian stock, resulting in a near perfect combination of toughness, agility, calm temperament and "mountain sense". Beginners and experienced riders alike have found them easy to ride, willing and good mannered. If you have previous riding experience you will be given plenty of opportunity to canter.
We have a range of tack including North American style, English style, Mclellan calvary, Chillean and traditional Ecuadorian "Chagra" style with its intricate leather-work and saddle horn."
Or you can opt to take part in the hacienda's annual events that require skill, stamina and effort.
Rodeo Roundup
The annual rodeo is not a competition between riders to see who can outride the other.
The Ecuadorian rodeo is a traditional roundup of cattle and wild horses from the highlands, bringing them down through spectacularly scenic country to a ranch or hacienda. There are two held each year, one in July and the other in November. Both are superb opportunities for visitors with riding skill to participate in the roundup and ride along with a chagra. or Ecuadorian cowboy, as guide, teacher and caretaker.
Wild Horses
These wild horses are part of the annual rodeo. The rodeo involves riding from a gathering spot up the páramo, high plateau, to the high ridges surrounding the local mountains, climbing from 3600 to 4000 m. or over miles of open grassland, to round up the huge herds of pure and mixed Ganado Bravo, fighting cattle and herds of wild horses.
Chagra
Chagras are skilled Andean horsemen. Dressed in llama or goat-skin chaps, astride a well-trained, responsive mount and using trditional saddle with intricate leather-work and saddle horn, these horsemen are prepared and able to deal with any situation. Mounted on their Andean Criole, Pinto and Paso Andalusian, or Quartercross horses, and wearing a poncho and hat low over their eyes, the chagras can entertain you with tales of horsemanship and rodeo-ing.
Rodeo - The Annual Cattle Roundup
If you participate in the rodeo, you'll be working. You'll view vistas of Andean valleys and snow-capped volcanoes, particularly Cotopaxi, since much of the roundup occurs in Cotopaxi National Park. When the cattle are surrounded, or rounded up, then comes the descent, herding thousands of cattle and horses down the hillside to the ranch. This can take days, depending on the amount of time it takes to find the cattle, their "willingness" to be driven, and endurance. Prepare to camp along the way.
Retun to the Hacienda
Following your choice of riding adventure, mild to adventuresome, you'll return to Hacienda Alegria with plenty to tell.
Enjoy the amenities of the hacienda, the attention to detail and perhaps spend some additional time enjoying the hiking, mountain biking and trips into the Ecuadorian cloud forest.
"La Alegria also runs a programme of fun, educational summer camps for schoolchildren from the locality and the coast. The camp offers children the opportunity to have an unforgettable, healthy, character building holiday in the mountains. Activities include hiking, mountain biking, horseriding lessons, horse care, camping and excursions to the surrounding mountains and cloud forest and local sites of interest. There is an educational focus to the camps, with a strong emphasis on ecology and conservation. For more information about Alegria Camp please contact Paty on info@alegriafarm.com."
Ecuador Articles