Aguamarga Riding Adventures,
La Joya de Agua Amarga, Agua Amarga - Nijar, 04149 ALMERIA, Spain

The Writing Horse
UK Bookings: St Albans House, The High Street, Hamble, Hampshire SO31 4JF
Antonia Riley

email [email protected] (please email enquiries)

(Mobile +447836278237 Tel 00 44 2380 452812 Fax 00 44 2380 458144 - please note that email is the best way to contact Antonia as she is often travelling, and responses will be far quicker)

The Writing Horse - Creative Writing & Riding Holidays www.writing-andalucia.com
Aguamarga Riding Adventures www.riding-andalucia.com

CLICK HERE to find out more about the EXCITING NEW Writing Horse Holiday in Tuscany for September 2013!

Your accommodation during your riding adventure is in a brand new but traditional Andalucian cortijo (farm house) named EL CAZADOR (The Hunter), set high upon a promontory within the eleven acres of Finca Los Tigres - and a stone’s throw away from Hípica Aguamarga’s stables.

El Cazador (The Hunter), a 4-bedroom, 2- bathroom whitewashed eco-conditioned cortijo, can comfortably accommodate 6 people in its 144m2. It is a stunning, spacious and luxurious villa, with an enticing mix of the modern and the traditional, with terra cotta tiles on the floors, slate terraces all around and underfloor solar/gas heating. Every effort has been made to render the house ecologically friendly, using double glazing and double walls with insulation to keep out the heat in summer and lock it in during the winter. The windows are placed in accordance with the angle of the sun rays to allow more light in winter and less in summer. El Cazador has a pool and terraces all around.

There are a variety of horses, donkeys and ponies and they are all calm, friendly, sturdy and sure-footed - perfect for trekking and riding on the beaches.

They love to swim, too!

You are welcome to help groom them and make friends with them. When they are not working they will be out grazing right underneath the terraces of Finca Los Tigres and you can follow your horse as he or she plays with the others.

Do you like Creative Writing and would you like to learn more - in a sunny, relaxed setting in Southern Andalucia? What if you could do that while riding off into the sunset, in a desert setting, following the tracks of the Spagettie Western heroes?

Aguamarga Riding Adventures offers Creative Writing Courses in the Andalucian sun - with a difference! Writing on horseback, on the beach and by the pool - you can combine writing and desert horse riding in a luxurious 'serious-but-fun' course - in beautiful Andalucia!

The Writing Horse is a vision of a small group of people joined by a love of creative writing and a passion for horses. They found that riding in the desert inspires creativity - experiences on horseback cry out to be written up in a journal, a blog, poetry, short stories or even a novel.

So they have combined their considerable expertise, welcoming hospitality and immaculate equestrian facilities to design courses for people who want to write and ride, but do not know where to begin. Those who do know where to begin, perhaps, could use a little help to get to the next level. And the participants already on the next level just might want to discuss their work with an expert.

There are courses for beginners, intermediates and the advanced, and "Cling-Ons" are also very welcome - partners who may not want to ride or write, but wish to share in the experience! The area is fantastic for photography, hiking, diving and painting. Shorter breaks can be accommodated - please enquire. Aguamarga can also provide women-only courses and they do not charge supplements for single participants.

What you can expect on a Creative Writing & Riding Holiday...
The courses are 9 days long, of which the first day is "Arrival Day", no riding and writing, but getting settled in and meeting the tutors and horses. The last day is "Departure Day" without writing and riding.

Day 1: Welcome, evening welcome event
Day 2 through 6: Riding in the cool mornings (you decide: a hack or a lesson) and writing instruction in the afternoons. Later on time to write and meet the tutor one-to-one
Day 7: Sightseeing tour, Granada, Almeria or Cuevas del Almanzora
Day 8: As day 2-6, but Reading Party in the evening
Day 9: Departure

Dr Antonia Riley is the Director of The Writing Horse. After a long career in academe, with degrees from Utrecht University, The Netherlands and Washington State University, teaching creative writing and composition at Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA amongst others, Antonia decided to combine her Finca in Spain, her love of horses and creative writing. She now arranges creative writing workshops in the sun for people who also love to ride through the Andalucia desert countryside. The workshops are conducted either at Finca los Tigres in Agua Amarga, or at Centro Hipico Almanzora, near Pulpi. Further professional information about Antonia can be found at LinkedIn.

The workshops are taught by Emma Hardy. Emma conducts the Writing Classes, tailored to the needs of participants. She works very much on the basis of generating ideas and adapting them to writers working in any form, short stories, novels, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reporting or otherwise. She feels motivation is the key to success and lets participants develop their own creativity. So, although the current courses are about fiction writing, she will be happy to explore other forms of writing if that suits a participant better. Currently, Emma is a Study Support Tutor at University of Glasgow as well as an Associate Lecturer at the Open University. She is also a freelance Creative Writing Tutor. In the past Emma worked as a Creative Writing Tutor at Scottish Universities' International Summer School. She was also a Lecturer in Creative Writing (part-time) at University of Salford, Writer (Freelance) at AGCAS, and Project Co-ordinator at University of Salford / Northwest Development Agency. She is working towards a PhD in Creative Writing at The University of Glasgow.

A week long riding holiday in beautiful Tuscany and creative writing course led by Dr John Ballam

Do you like creative writing and would like to learn more in a sunny, relaxed setting. What if you could do that while riding off into the sunset, in stunning scenery, following the tracks of your riding heroes?

We combine creative writing and riding in serious but fun courses in inspiring locations all over the world. We are pleased to offer this wonderful combination of a riding holiday in the heart of Tuscany together with a creative writing course hosted by Dr John Ballam.

The riding centre is situated near Florence and Sienna and the accommodation is a beautifully restored Tuscan Farmhouse. The centre is fully British Horse Society Registered and has a range of horses to suit all abilities. Clients will be able to ride out each day, in the beautiful countryside (depending on experience) or have lessons from beginners to experienced riders including high school classical dressage lessons. It is also possible to have a mixture of riding out and lessons.

The Writing Horse Workshops are conducted by John Ballam PhD
Director, Undergraduate Writing Programme, Oxford University and much-published author.

John conducts our Writing Classes, tailored to the needs of our participants. He works very much on the basis of generating ideas and adapting them to writers working in any form, short stories, novels, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reporting or otherwise. He feels motivation is the key to success and lets participants develop their own creativity. So, although the current courses are about fiction writing, he will be happy to explore other forms of writing if that suits a participant better

Weekly Programme
The holiday runs from Saturday to Saturday.
Day 1 – Saturday - Arrival in the afternoon. Welcome dinner and introductions, course outline.
Day 2 and 3 – Sunday and Monday, Morning ride or lesson, Creative writing instruction, , dinner.
Day 3 – Tuesday, Morning ride or lesson, writing instruction, afternoon visit to Florence or Sienna, dinner at centre.
Day 5 -Thursday, morning ride or lesson, creative writing instruction, afternoon visit for wine tasting and local delicacies, dinner at centre.
Day 6 – Friday, morning ride or lesson, creative writing instruction, dinner.
Day 7 – Saturday, departure after breakfast.

The riding and horses
With more than 25 years of history our horse riding centre in Tuscany has at disposal more than 30 well trained horses Lusitanos, Anglo-arabs, Berber, Arabs, English Thoroughbred, Dutch and Italian sport horses) . They will be assigned according to the skills and wishes of the riders.

The lessons are divided into three groups and can be taught in fluent English and French. Lessons are often individual or shared between 2 riders (max 3) in order to give the maximum attention to the pupils.

Beginners can learn riding from the very first steps with very gentle horses.
Post-beginners can extend their knowledge and skill or partake in the beautiful riding out.
Experienced riders can take dressage lessons or combine this with riding out. The dressage lessons follow the principles of the Classical Riding giving lots of importance to balance, elasticity and lightness. Beginners do not have to bring full riding equipment - we can provide chaps, whips and riding hats.

The accommodation and food
The accommodation is based on twin share staying at the beautifully restored Tuscan Farmhouse. The rooms are simple and comfortable. Breakfast is included. Dinner is also included and taken together with all the guests in a lovely traditional dining room and includes wine and grappa. The food is prepared by local ladies giving the guests a wonderful Italian dining experience each night.

The dates: 28th September to 5th October 2013

The price: This includes, half board, lessons or riding out in the mornings, two excursions and the Creative Writing Course and tuition by Dr John Ballam. It does not include international flights, transfers or insurance. Lunch is not included but can be arranged at the centre for a small additional charge.

Travel arrangements: Flights to Florence or Sienna, between 30 and 45 minutes away. Transfers from the airports can be arranged.

Booking arrangements: Prices range from £965 (for 6 writers) to £1695 (for a private course)

Please contact Antonia Riley on [email protected] for further booking and availability information

Simply email or telephone Antonia Riley - details below:

CONTACT

email [email protected]

Aguamarga Riding Adventures,
La Joya de Agua Amarga, Agua Amarga - Nijar, 04149 ALMERIA, Spain

The Writing Horse
UK Bookings: St Albans House, The High Street, Hamble, Hampshire SO31 4JF
Antonia Riley

email [email protected] (please email enquiries)

(Mobile +447836278237 Tel 00 44 2380 452812 Fax 00 44 2380 458144 - please note that email is the best way to contact Antonia as she is often travelling, and responses will be far quicker)

The Writing Horse - Creative Writing & Riding Holidays www.writing-andalucia.com
Aguamarga Riding Adventures www.riding-andalucia.com