My boyfriend’s experience of riding rested on a single hair-raising hour with a pair of feisty Arabs (horses) on a windswept Moroccan beach. So I was stunned when he volunteered for a 90km, 3-day trek in France – the annual transhumance from the mountains of the Mercantour National Park down to the coast. A transhumance is the movement of livestock such as sheep, cattle or horses from lower pastures to higher summer ones then back down again in the winter. This particular expedition is run by horseman Denis Longfellow who has lived in the Mercantour for most of his life and who is well practiced in the centuries-old tradition. His 16 horses make up one of the last ridden herds in Europe to live wild in this way.
I hadn’t really taken into account the word ‘herd’ – steering a team of mostly riderless horses down steep ravines can be quite an experience when you’re used to the ‘English’ way. Plus I had someone in tow who was even more of a liability. But I quickly learnt that the horses were sure-footed and agile and by our first lunch stop, glugging back pastis perched on the side of a mountain, it was clear my boyfriend was a natural. His trusty steed Angelo had shown him the joys of galloping and after that there was no stopping them.
The Mercantour National Park itself is a stunning land of contrasts. On our first day trekking through the rugged awe-inspiring mountain ranges it snowed. By the third day we were cantering through evergreen glades in the warm Autumn sun and stopping off to drink from streams in thick green valleys.
Perhaps at the height of Summer it has it’s down points – being so beautiful and so close to the likes of Nice and Monaco maybe the coach trips roll in - but we were privileged to be off the beaten track with leaders who were passionate about their home. Arriving at our host gites each night we had certainly earnt our supper and we ate and drank with the locals who welcomed us with open arms.
In my opinion there’s no better way to travel. We covered more ground than would be feasible on foot across terrain that would be impossible by bike. It’s challenging and fulfilling - you need a certain level of guts and fitness - and you really do ‘bond’ with your mount. I would recommend it to anyone who has a love of the great outdoors and a sense of adventure, even if you are an inexperienced rider. I came home vowing to get straight back into riding again with a boyfriend happy to come along as cowboy whenever I wanted.
Find out more about riding in the Mercantour, or taking part in the next transhumance,
here
By Kate Moore, responsibletravel.com October 2008.
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