Horse Girl Thoughts

This past weekend me and two other students chose to use our first free day in Cusco to go horseback riding a little bit outside of the city. The ride was approximately 3 hours, with a few stops to visit sights such as the temple of the moon and other scenic sights in the sacred valley. As someone who has been riding horses for most of their life, I was very excited to compare the differences between the horses and style of riding in Peru and in the United States.

From the very beginning I noticed that there were many physical differences, such as different tack than I was used to, the horses were generally much smaller than mine, and it seemed that basic safety equipment such as helmets were not always used. However, as we began the ride and chatted with our guide, it became clear that what was very similar to the US was how much this man cared about his horses.

Throughout the ride he told us about his ranch and how it was over 60 hectares, and how he owned over 30 horses, but only rode about 20 of them as the rest were babies or too old. As we rode we also saw other ranches where horses were tied to poles and already saddled, with no riders. Our guide told us how as tourism has increased over the past few years the number of ranches has also increased, but these new ranches solely care about profits and not about the animals, and this is why they are treated so badly. However, he told us that his ranch had been in his family for over 70 years and he had grown up riding and caring for these horses, and it was obvious that he cared more for the animals than just a source of income.

This experience with our guide has opened my eyes to both the positives and negatives of tourism, and the affect that tourism has on more than just the economy of Peru. I was glad that I was able to discuss this with our guide, in order to see a true Peruvian's perspective on the increase in tourism in his country, as well as being able to appreciate how he has maintained his family business, while still managing to adapt to the reality of the modern world.