Belize- Mountain Equestrian Trails Orientation
One of the original riding destinations in Belize, Mountain Equestrian Trails is in a remote location in the Cayo District. Visitors come here to be at one with nature. The cabanas have no electricity, so you sleep under mosquito nets and use kerosene lamps to see at night. This makes finding those small and plentiful ticks that abound here, very difficult after a day on the trails. There is hot water, though, and plenty of good food to keep guests satisfied.
We were a little frightened upon arriving at the lodge. As we were eating dinner by lamplight, someone drove up and ran into the open air dining room. A neighbor had been bitten by what they believed to be a poisonous snake and needed help. Being in such a remote location, the hospital was about an hour and a half drive down a bumpy dirt road. Once at the hospital, it wasn’t a guarantee that they would have the anti-venom. Belizeans have a root that you can pick from the forest and when you chew it you can slow the poison from entering your system by slowing your heart rate. No one had the root on hand, so the neighbor was sent off and told to rush to the hospital. I was a little queasy about sleeping there for the night and venturing out into the jungle tomorrow.
The food at MET is great, as are the young people who run it. MET is owned by American Marguerite Bevis and her family, who have been in Belize for over 20 years. The horses were well taken care of, though, like us, had trouble escaping the bugs and ticks. I think that it is hard to be a horse in a tropical environment, because of the bugs and parasites. It makes it more work for the horse owner.
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