When I first heard about Amigos, I was just a tad skeptical about riding at a Western place. What would an English rider like me do at a ranch? Ride on a funny-looking saddle with a saddle-horn and sit to the trot all the time? Nah. Not really my thing. (Or so I thought!)What more, I haven’t exactly had the best experiences on trails. Horses tend to like taking off with me or galloping away when I least expect it, leaving me clinging on for dear life and/or screaming my lungs out, much to the chagrin of my poor riding companions, who usually have to chase after me or wait until my horse tires out and comes back.
Amigos Horse Riding dispelled some of the weird notions I had about Western riding, and gave me the confidence to really enjoy a trek through the jungle for the first time in a really long time. For one thing, the Western saddle grew on me. It is way comfier than an English saddle and the saddle horn does come in handy at times. Just remember, don’t lean forward and impale yourself! And besides, you *can* rise to a trot in Western saddle. You probably wouldn’t want to if your horse doesn’t have a bumpy trot though, since it’s pretty comfy to sit to a trot in a Western saddle.
In any case, the owner of the place, Mousouloo (or Mos) combines techniques from both English and Western riding.
He also prides himself in his “herd” of well-trained Thoroughbred trail horses.
His motto? “Don’t worry, enjoy!” He has full confidence in his horses, and his confidence is definitely well placed. His horses are true-blue trail horses- they follow Mos’ horse to the tee. Which really isn’t a bad thing- you don’t have to be worried that your horse will run away with you or decide to race with the horse in front (which incidentally, always happens to me!) Mos also managed to find a fine balance between fun and safety- he let us canter a fair bit but was always mindful of each individual rider, turning around to check on us from time to time throughout the trail.
We usually go for the Jungle Trail ride, which takes you through the oil palm plantations to a vantage point where you can see the Johor Straits
The best part? Experiencing the sheer exhilaration of cantering through the lalang, with the wind whipping on your face as your horse leaps through the tall grass.
Amazingly, the little doggie that follows us on the trails manages to jump through the grass and keep up with the cantering horses- without getting stepped on.
The only downside? The trails are a little limited. We went on the same trail all 4 times we rode there. Unfortunately, there’s quite a bit of construction going on as well. The horses were completely unfazed though!
Amigos is not just for experienced riders. My novice friends had a great time walking and trotting through the trails under Mos’ guidance. Mos also conducts a 8-session riding course for beginners.
Happy riding!
Information:
Location: Amigos Riding is located within Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort, in Pasir Gudang, Johor. It takes about 45 min to drive there from Singapore
Price: Jungle ride –rm100 for 45 min to an hour. Basic riding course – rm800 for 8 lessons (45 min each)
Getting there: We usually grab a cab from the checkpoint, near City Square Singapore
Contact information: you can call Mos at +6012-7966 806 or email him at mousouloo@gmail.com
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