Welcome to
Ride, Wine and Dine Dream Trip to Spain and Portugal!
Join me for a trip of a lifetime to Spain and/or Portugal! These trips can be done separately or together. This is not a “big box” trip. These are both boutique vacations through the horse and wine country of Spain and Portugal! Come join me and see things through the back door, the REAL Spain and Portugal!
In Spain we travel first to the interior and ride in the heart of Andalusia….Jerez. We then travel to the islands of Menorca and Mallorca to not only visit amazing wine country but also to ride through rugged mountains, lush forests, and beautiful, unspoiled beaches.
In Portugal we first travel to Porto- the land of Port Wine, and then to the Duoro Valley…heart of the wine country in Portugal. After staying in some of the most amazing accommodation ever (a wine barrel in the middle of one of the oldest vineyards in Portugal) we head to the mountains high above Ponte de Lima for some of the best trail riding and riding classes you have ever experienced!
Masterclasses
Soon to come:
Ride Wine and Dine Education Vacations!
Kelly is in the process of Researching and Developing a facility in Spain where you can go for 7 days. Immerse yourself in the culture of Spanish Horsemanship and Spain!
On the horizon: Trips to Portugal and Costa Rica!
About your host
Kelly Sigler Patterson
is a lifelong traveler, and well known horseman and clinician. Kelly’s background is in eventing, natural horsemanship, and is the president and lead assessor for the International Society of Rider Biomechanics. She has worked with thousands of students and horses for over 25 years. Her goal is to match the right horse and rider for each ride, and to ensure everyone has a happy and safe experience! She has personally selected all of the experiences on the trip- from the riding, accommodation, to the villas. Kelly has several locals in each location that help with the details of the trip and to insure that everyone has the best experience ever!
When Kelly bills this as the trip of a lifetime, she is not exaggerating! The itinerary is fast-paced but with enough downtime to share with your travel companions and catch your breath before the next feast (whether for the eyes or the body). Each horse show and riding experience is as close to perfect as it gets and each is sufficiently different that nothing is boring or repetitive. And VIP treatment all the way, whether it is the best seats at a show, or the host of one ride bringing out a bottle of 280+ year old sherry laid down by his forefathers. I am more than a tad nervous about riding strange horses, but at each stable they found me a perfect match. Jerez was a great starting point with its winding streets to explore, great restaurants, and historic buildings including ancient walls and a Moorish fortress. The lodgings in the lofts in Jerez and the villas in Menorca were perfectly charming, comfortable, and conducive to rest and relaxation as well as convivial get togethers. I can’t say enough about the people along the way, our host in Jerez, the equestrians we met in behind the scenes tours, the owners and guides at the barns where we rode, the Menorcan couple who catered two amazing meals for us, our paella instructors, and our guide and vineyard and olive grove host on the most amazing culinary tour on Mallorca. The highlight of the trip? Every thing! Every day was a marvel and Kelly is an amazing trip organizer for folks who love to ride, wine, and dine in the splendor that is Spain! My only regret is that the next trip is already booked.
Catherine Slusser
“The power and flow of the Andalusian horse is extraordinary.”
I signed up for Ride, Wine and Dine to learn about the Andalusian horse, and have the opportunity to ride them.
But I left with vastly more.
Feeling how an Andalusian moves under you is extraordinary. How can power and flow come together in this way? I have no idea, I can only say go, sit in that saddle, and be stunned.
Discovering a new breed, the Minorcan horse, is a wonder – how can the existence of these stunning horses be a secret? They are a reflection of their island, rugged and graceful glimmering in the pure color under the Mediterranean sun. Breathtaking.
When it comes to riding trips there are loads that lump a large group together, and everyone has to do what what the others are doing. But Ride, Wine and Dine is different. Kelly has put a lot of thought and expertise into this trip so riders of different levels can ride together. As I went for a gallop on the beach, my sister went with the walk group – she loved it and felt completely safe and I had a blast! Afterward we regrouped and happily continued the ride together.
But this trip isn’t just about horses and riding. I experienced the nuggets that make the cultures of southern Spain and Menorca unforgettable…sherry tasting, cooking class, things I never would have sought out to do are woven together to create the best trip there is to take.
This glorious combination of being in a true Vaquero saddle then a chair overlooking the Mediterranean taking in the delicious Spanish food and wine says to me I don’t need to go anywhere else, I have found the place for me.