My mum’s side of the family has a lot of history with horses, in New Zealand of course.
They’ve owned horses, competed in show jumping and dressage, looked after the local pony club, my grandad even ran a national email newsletter dedicated to horses which my mum has taken over.
As such I grew up around horses and quite enjoy riding them when I get the chance but enough backstory.
In March this year I found myself in the south of Turkey, in a small city called Fethiye. Lovely place on the coast of the Mediterranean. Also quite a popular tourist destination for its beaches and the paragliding off the nearby mountain Babadağ.
I spent over two weeks in the city; for more reasons than just its beauty, and I made sure to fill a lot of this time with interesting adventures.
ATV’s whilst popular and surely fun aren’t really my activity of choice, flying by nature without much chance to appreciate seems pointless; a horse trek on the other hand much more peaceful.
So I set about finding one to do, turns out a difficult task when you’re visiting in the off season.
A call to a tour operator in the early morning on a Saturday ended up with me having the phone number for a man who ‘runs the horses.’
10:30am I ring the number and after momentary language confusion, I explain that I’m interested in a horse trek. The man of horses replies that he’s got a group going out just before lunch. If I make it I can join, or come later and head off by myself with the guide.
He sends me a location to meet, and offers to pick me up from my hotel. I decline due to cost and that I’m not really in a rush.
11am I leave my hotel and make my way along the bus(dolmus) route to town, ready to wave it down when it passes me.
An interesting element of public transport in some smaller regions of Turkey and other countries, no matter where on the bus route you can just wave it down and hop on.
Anyway, we arrive to town and find our way to the next bus in order to get to Ölüdeniz which is a little ways up the hills near the base of the mountains. We disembark at the far edge of town and take a short walk to the location that was sent earlier.
12:20pm A quick text to the man of horse and he’s on his way to pick me up and drive me to the farm. At this point there’s a little voice in my head going “this is a little uncertain and risky but surely it’ll be fine”
On the drive he explains that the other group has likely left so I’ll have to wait until they return if I don’t mind.
I certainly didn’t; especially when I had the company of several dogs, the family and the workers on the farm.
Of course by now it’s lunch time and the workers must eat, and so does the unexpected guest whose waiting for his horse ride.
I remember that it was a delicious meal, but my minds a little foggy on the contents; certainly bread, a nice rice mix, maybe a stew sort of thing, mostly eaten by hand of course hence the bread, and to wash it all down a glass of Ayran (slightly sour yoghurt drink).
The lunch was accompanied by the workers chatting away, with me catching the occasional word or a summary translation from someone with a little more English.
Eventually the other group of riders returned, the horses had a rest, and the needed ones were re-saddled. Our small trio set off; the guide on foot, the man of horse’s son, 8 years old if memory serves, and me. As we started the guide, with translation from the boy, explained the words and phrases I would need. The horse of course being in Turkey understood Turkish not English.
We wandered slowly up through the hills moving from backroads to forest paths. Occasionally the guide would stop us and take my phone in order to get pictures of me on the horse.
At one point we crossed paths with a flock of sheep wandering through the bush with their Shepheard close behind.
We eventually made it to the top of hike; Babadağ mountian, the valley, Fethiye, and Ölüdeniz all laid out below with barley a cloud in the sky. It was absolutely gorgeous, the only thing to make it better would have been a view of the sea however mountains were in the way of that.
After some time for photos and rest at the top we made our way back down by a different path. At this point the guide kept ending up a little ways ahead with the boy but we took the opportunity for Kleo to have turn at guiding the horse. Some conversations with the boy and attempts with the guide led to a very enjoyable time.
Near the end of our ride a moment of chaos arrived, some bikers with a lack of concern came blazing past spooking the horses, the guide already holding the boys horse had that under control but my own was a little more panicked. A few moments of calling and pulling at the reins a mad dash of fear was averted which probably would not have gone well for the horse or myself.
The remainder of our return was peaceful.
Upon returning to the farm I spoke with the man of horses wife and we talked about how they had only bought the farm recently, being a dream of the man with horses to own such a place. They have grand plans to tidy it up, make it nice for events and the riders. Perhaps I will have to return sometime in the future to see what becomes of it.
All good things come to an end, my ride was leaving the farm without me so I ran to catch it. I was dropped by the main road to await a bus back to Fethiye. The bus eventually it arrived and I returned to my hotel after a wonderful day on a horse in Ölüdeniz.
Your horse-riding writer,
Cohen
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