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Saddle Up, Caballeros!

International Living Postcards-- Saturday Edition

Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006

An empty stucco building in a small Bolivian village, circa 1909. Bleeding, cornered, and low on ammo, Paul Newman and Robert Redford desperately come up with what needs to be their greatest plan ever, as hundreds of soldiers close in. As plans go, it's a stinker. It involves a boat, Australia, and a doomed belief that as long as Lefors isn't outside, they have a chance.

They don't, of course, and Butch and Sundance go out in a blaze of glory in my all-time favorite Western.

What, you may ask, has prompted this real estate editor to recall a 40-year-old movie? It was the e-mail below, from my roving Latin America real estate scout Dan Prescher, detailing opportunities in Central America where you could enjoy an equestrian lifestyle…no matter your budget. Increasingly in this part of the world, developers are beginning to include stables and horse riding facilities as part of their master plans. The result can be a lot more fun for a whole less dinero.

In the States, developments with equestrian facilities are at the far high end of the market (with lot prices starting at $250,000 and home prices running from $500,000 to millions of dollars). But in the countries south of the Rio Grande, keeping a horse--for riding, for hunting, for polo--is something you do…something everyone does.

In the following destinations, horses are a part of everyday life…not a trapping of the jet-set. Whether you like Westerns…or your grandkids like ponies, read on.

Regards,

Lief Simon
Real Estate Editor, International Living

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Saddle Up, Caballeros!

Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006
Panama City, Panama

I've always liked horses. In fact, I won a riding competition once. I won the Blue Ribbon for "Sitting Pretty" on my mom's horse, Honey, at the Florence Stables Roundup in Omaha, Nebraska, back in 1957. I was three years old at the time, and my mom still has the photo…the cuffs on my little dungarees are rolled up just about to my knees.

That was many moons ago, and although I've never made a living around horses, I rarely pass up the chance for a trail ride when the opportunity presents itself.

Fortunately, for those whose love of horses matches their love of adventure, equestrian opportunities are legion throughout Latin America. In fact, many of the best residential projects and developments from Mexico to Panama have stables and riding trails as part of their offerings.

Here are a few of the standouts that I've run across.

Mexico

* Rancho los Labradores, just outside San Miguel de Allende, is a well-established community of beautiful custom homes and home sites in Mexico's central highlands. The landscape is a cowpoke's dream…wide open flats scattered with mesquite and cactus that run up to the feet of the nearby Sierras, all under wide, blue skies. The amenities here include some very well-kept horse stables in addition to a commercial center, clinic, and a clubhouse with pool, restaurant, and gym.

In fact, several beautiful horses are already in residence at Rancho los Labradores, including a gorgeous dapple gray that just foaled a lively, chestnut colt with the help of the resident stallion.

Well, the stallion didn't actually provide all that much help.

* Horseback riding is also available at Playa las Tortugas, on Mexico's Pacific coast just north of Puerto Vallarta. Here the ride is between the wildlife filled saltwater estuary at the back of the ocean-side development, through the palm groves where the custom homes are being built, and along the stretch of fine, white sand and gentle surf that runs for hundreds of meters in front of the project.

Nicaragua

* Heading south into Nicaragua, there is venerable Rancho Santana, the grand dame of Nicaragua's Pacific coast developments that recently received a face lift of fresh view properties, condo options, and new infrastructure development. Here they have beautiful, spirited horses in their stables that you can take all over the extensive property…along the roads, up on the cliffs, down the beach, you name it. Their experienced trainers will go out with you and make sure you don't get lost, and if you're not an experienced rider yourself, the trainers will match you with the most suitable horse.

Panama

In Panama, where I've been spending most of my time lately, they are wild for horses out in the countryside, and no less than five excellent developments here have equestrian opportunities.

* At Coronado Golf and Beach Resort they call their stable "a Five-Star Hotel for Horses." This development is the largest and most mature of the Pacific coast developments within an hour or two of Panama City, and it's had a lot of time to get it right, since they also cater to a local population who take their horses very seriously.

Coronado Golf and Beach Resort has 120 stalls with 24-hour security and a healthy environment free from contagious diseases. Around the stables are a professional sand bucking track, a grass arena for short trot Peruvians, and a separate track for Colombian "paso fino" horses. All the tracks are lighted for evening events.

Serious horse stuff.

* Which is why the folks at Empresas Bern made sure that equestrian club privileges are included in their Coronado Golf project within the Coronado neighborhood. This project is essentially a gated community within a gated community, and all apartments will have impressive ocean views of the calm and glistening bay that give the Coronado area its name, and ownership here comes with all the top-notch horsiness mentioned above…plus everything else the area has to offer, including a nearby supermarket and commercial center.

* Up in the mountains of Chiriqui Province in Panama, horses are a vital part of the culture. The riding is in the soaring mountains and forests, especially around the popular highland retreat of Boquete. The weather is cool, the air is pure and pine scented, and the views are stunning, since you're never far from Volcan Baru, the towering sentinel that dominates the horizon here.

Boquete is where you'll find Naure Boquete, where the developer is offering lots and condos perfectly located along the Los Playones Creek and the Rio Caldera Canyon. For those who enjoy mountain living with fishing, bird watching, hiking, mountain biking, and of course, horseback riding, this is a prime choice.

* And then there's Boquete Country Club. The Club features large building lots for custom houses, but really it's all about horses. The Boquete Country Club Equestrian Center is inspired by the developer's lifelong passion for the breeding and showing of Peruvian Paso horses, and it features 30 stalls plus room for future expansion, an outdoor riding field, an indoor riding ring, and a beautiful social area all slated for completion in 2007.

The land on which Boquete Country Club is being built was previously used to raise Pinto horses. The developer is building out only on the areas that were used for grazing, leaving most of the wooded areas untouched for walking, running, or trial riding.

Love of horses is deeply imbedded in the Latin psyche, and it shows in some of the developments I've mentioned that feature equestrian centers as part of their lifestyle options. No-one should have any trouble breaking in their boots while enjoying great weather, low cost of living, and beautiful surrounding in any of these beautiful projects.

Dan Prescher
Roving Latin America Property Scout, International Living

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