Nov 19 2009
Cozumel, Mexico – a horseback riding vacation that wasn’t
Horseback Riding Vacation in Cozumel, Mexico
My first cruise to the western Caribbean and I was looking forward to a return visit to Cozumel, Mexico. What does a cruise have to do with a horseback riding vacation? Each day the Princess Cruises Crown Princessdocked in port, I was fortunate to take a shore excursion. During my day in Cozumel, Mexico, I was looking forward to a day of horseback riding in Punta Sur State Park.
Red Flag Warning
I had sent an e-mail to the tour company, Sunshine Tours, to let them know that I would be taking pictures and videos for the articles and blog posts that I would be writing for my newspaper and magazine columns, as well as for the Writing Horseback website.
First red flag, I never heard back from Sunshine Tours. As my passion is horseback riding, I decided that the company must not be web-savvy and put it out of my mind. In addition to my bathing suit and caribbean attire, I packed a pair of jeans and closed toe riding shoes. Briefly, I considered wearing my Ariat riding boots on the plane, but decided that I didn’t want to carry around boots in my bag.
Horseback Riding Shore Excursion Cancelled
The night before our ship was to dock in Cozumel, Mexico, a friend told me that she had seen a note on the bulletin board stating that my horseback riding shore excursion had been cancelled. I immediately went to the cruise ship desk to find out what happened to my horseback riding vacation.
Turns out the folks at Princess Cruises run a pretty tight ship. It appears that the horseback riding tour operator hadn’t turned in some necessary paperwork.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed. When I walked into downtown Cozumel and saw the horse and buggies lined up on the main street with the ocean and cruise ships behind them, I thought about making a t-shirt.
“I went to Cozumel, Mexico and all I got was this t-shirt with a picture of a horse.”
I will be back, Cozumel and I will go horseback riding in Mexico!
Photo courtesy of Nancy D. Brown
Sorry the horseback riding didn’t work out on Cozumel – I have a friend (who also loves horses!) who did the horseback riding tour on their stopover in Cozumel and she really loved it and said that the lunch (included) was great. Oh well, maybe next time!
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To all who loves horses and horseback riders,
I don’t think that these tourist places are all that humane. I was in the Bahamas a few years ago. I wanted to take a carriage ride through Nassau, but one look at these poor horses conditions were not acceptable. Emaciated, tired and holding up their legs one at a time. I felt like I was watching Gone With The Wind, when she kills the poor horse on their way back to Tara. Their Shoes were very worn and some looked like they had not been watered or fed in a long time. I wanted to do something, but what? Watch out for the natives treatment of their animals!!!
Animal lover
Hi Stephanie,
As a fellow animal lover, I would not support any business that abused or neglected their animals. As consumers, it is our responsibility to speak with our voice and our dollars if an operation isn’t treating their animals with respect. Thanks for your comment.
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