We’ve been raving about the horsemanship culture in Lagos de Moreno and while we were there we  got to know some of the local trainers who are crafting amazing horses.

One of the most sought-after trainers of horses for use in competitive charreada (Mexican rodeo) is Juan Zermeno. Juan is a competitive, perfectly-attired guy with steely eyes and a better grasp on the English language than he lets on. More importantly, he speaks horse. Fluently.

To watch Juan ride any of the dozen or so horses that he’s training at any given time (some sent to him from the US) is to understand that the old saw about “horse and rider becoming one” isn’t always a ridiculous cliche. With a minimum of movement or effort or fuss Juan seems able to convince his horses to do whatever he wants them to do. It’s almost like brainwashing or telepathy.

Trainer Juan Zermeno working a new horse in the sliding stop.

Trainer Juan Zermeno in mid-spin.

Trainer Juan Zermeno makes it look easy to hang a perfect loop in the air right next to a horse's head.

At the other end of the spectrum is Eugenio Macias Guerra, a lanky cowboy with a mischievous, moustachioed smile that creeps up on you. Eugenio is not fancy. Eugenio is not  showy. Eugenio is one of the gentlest horsemen we’ve ever seen. Unlike Juan, Eugenio doesn’t so much convince a horse to do what he wants it to do. He convinces the horse that it’s doing what it wants to do.

We saw Eugengio’s approach in full swing the day we watched him put a saddle (and himself) on the back of a mare for the very first time in her life. In a small cobbled together wooden ring Eugenio and the mare (wearing nothing more than a rope halter with a lead rope) came to an understanding. First trust, then comprehension at which point Eugenio was able to make the mare follow him, change direction and walk to him at will. She wanted to do it.

Trainer Eugenio Macias Guerra puts his weight on the back of this mare for the very first time and they both act like it was their idea.

Eugenio was so confident of the mare’s acceptance and understanding of these basic (but crucial) tasks that he let Karen into the ring with the horse for a few intense moments. Then it was time for the saddle pad which Karen put on the mare’s back, following Eugenio’s instructions about moving the pad around the mare’s body and never losing contact with her. Hey, it worked.

Saddle pad in place, Eugenio took over for the big stuff: the saddle and his own body. Forget any images you  may have of fiercely bucking horses trying desperately to get out from under the saddle, fear and mistrust in their eyes. After a few minutes of quietly introducing the saddle to the mare Eugenio had it on her back and cinched without anything more rebellious than a twitch of her tail. Within minutes the mare was also quietly, tentatively moving around the ring with Eugenio dangling off the saddle.

It would have been anti-climactic if it hadn’t been so beautiful. The process was like watching a seduction and by the end of it it really did seem like the horse believed she had succeeded in getting that dang trainer to finally put a saddle on her just like she wanted.

Karen doing two things for the first time on horseback: riding a stallion and initiating a spin.

Yet another side of the rich world of horses in Lagos de Moreno is presided over by  Jorge Guillermo who trains Friesians sent to him by owners around the world. His stable is 5 star (we’re fairly sure the horses drink Perrier) and the horses are 6 star. While it’s all way too fancy and rarified for every day riding, the animals are gorgeous and Jorge makes the most of all of their many wonderful natural attributes.

Yes, it’s weird when the horse you’re riding is better educated than you are.

People from all over the world send their Friesian horses to Jorge Guillermo, a trainer in Lagos de Moreno, to learn tricks like this. Right after this picture was taken Karen got into the saddle and the horse stood up with her on its back.

The Friesian horses that are sent to Jorge Guillermo in Lagos de Moreno for training are treated like the supermodels that they are.

All of these trainers use different styles to achieve different goals with different types of horses. What they have in common, however, is deep knowledge and talent that they’re not selfish or possessive about. Like every horseman (and horsewoman) we met in Lagos, they want more people to ride better and they’re happy to share what they know. You learn a lot from just watching guys like Juan and Eugenio and Jorge. No, we can’t go out and do what they do. But now we know for sure that it’s possible.

  Watch the trainers in action

For a tiny town, Bernal–less than an hour from Querétaro–has a lot going for it, including Peña de Bernal (Bernal’s Boulder or Bernal Peak) which is, according to some estimates, the second largest monolith in the world after Mt. Augustus in Western Australia. At 350 meters (1150 ft) tall it’s also the fourth tallest (or third tallest, again, depending on who you ask) monolith in the world after Mount Augustus, the Rock of Gilbraltar and Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio.

As you can imagine, a pedigree like that attracts a lot of rock climbers. The rest of the scant visitors to Bernal come for the town’s own unique brand of peace and quiet.

Peña de Bernal, seen from the porch of our room at the Parador Vernal, is one of the largest monoliths in the world.

Bernal was designated a Pueblo Magico by the Mexican government in 2005 so it delivers a pleasantly stuck-in-time look and feel with simple buildings, festive colors and a central square dominated by a lively church. Old men sit around and do what old men do while younger men gallop down the cobbled streets. Every once in a while a woman pokes her head out of the shop or restaurant she’s running. It is altogether nap inspiring.

While in Bernal we stayed at the Parador Vernal about a 10 minute walk above town itself. The hotel’s mediocre and poorly translated web site doesn’t do its quirks and charms justice. The lobby is largely populated by big colorful birds in even bigger ornate cages. Our room, #8, had one wall that was painted entirely electric green and featured a huge loosely looped wool area rug that felt like walking on a sheep. The bed was comfortable and the view of Peña de Bernal couldn’t be beat. Some of the hotel’s other rooms (there are 13 in total), however, seemed a bit small and dark so ask for room 7 or 8 if you plan to stay the night. Or just pop up for a bite or a drink in the dining room or outdoor bar with an unobstructed view of the monolith.

Peña de Bernal rises above the tiny town of Bernal.

A wedding at the church of St. Sebastian in Bernal.

Throughout Mexico it seems like we rarely see beer on tap, so we were surprised and delighted when we walked past a pretty cafe with outdoor seating and cerveza de baril on the menu. And that’s not the only beverage surprise the area had in store for us…

Peña de Bernal features a hypnotic light show every Saturday that goes on for more than an hour.

If you don't have a horse you can flag down the Asian-style tuk-tuk that plies the streets of Bernal.

About 30 minutes from Bernal in the town of Ezequiel Montes is the Cavas Freixenet winery complete with tours and wine sales and a kind of manic crowd on weekends that seems intent on downing as much of their newly purchased wine and sparkling wine right then and there at tables and chairs set up in an open-air courtyard.

We missed the last tour of the day so we just wandered around trying not to get between the Mexican couples and families and their wine. Weirdly, there wasn’t a single black bottle of too-sweet Cordon Negro sparkling wine that we associate with the Freixenet brand in the U.S. In fact, none of the wine for sale even had Freixenet on the label–the sparkling wine was called Petillant and turned out to be just as sweet as Cordon Negro.

There's more to drink in Mexico than just cerveza and tequila.

The plaza in Arandas is dominated by a huge Gothic cathedral which looms large over the entire town remarkably like the much more famous cathedral in Chartres, Paris.

Not only were we treated like family (our eternal thanks to Jakeline’s family for being so generoso), but we had our first brush with politics during a hastily arranged meeting with the Presidente, or Mayor, of Arandas who was really nice and accommodating but short on time (he had to hurry off to attend the laying of the cornerstone for a new hospital), just like politicians everywhere.

We ended up in a brief meeting with the Presidente (Mayor) of Arandas. Here's Karen, El Presidente, our friend Jakeline and Eric in the Presidente's office.

Arandas has something of a reputation for exquisite tacos, a food we’ve come to not only love but appreciate having eaten hundreds of the things by now. Jakeline and Pascual took us to Tacos Sanctuario where their buddies worked the grill and the brassier to produce really wonderful tacos. The el pastor tacos we had there were the most unique and most flavorful of any we’ve eaten in Mexico. So far.

We (heart) good tacos and the ones at Tacos Sanctuario are great.

As if there could be any doubt that a visit to any destination is always richer when you’re with a local, Pascual and Jakeline capped off our first perfect afternoon in Arandas with an evening visit to Hacienda Santa Maria which we wouldn’t have even known existed, let alone gained entry to, on our own. Their barn full of pure-breed stallions in training rivals many of the hotels we’ve stayed in. The stalls were so clean and airy we wanted to curl up in them ourselves! And there’s really nothing better than sipping tequila on the tailgate watching newborn foals learn what their legs are for as the sun sets.

A nine day old foal and its mother at Hacienda Santa Maria (aka horse heaven) just outside Arandas.

An evening stroll to the plaza is an excuse to do some snacking and Jakeline took us to her favorite churro vendor, Mario’s Churros where fatter and puffier than usual churros are churned out from the cleanest churro cart we’ve ever seen. Filled with cajeta (a thick concoction that’s halfway to caramel) and rolled in sugar, the things are deadly delicious.

 

Churros (basically deep fried bread) are found everywhere in Mexico but Mario made the best we've had to date.

Yes, we’re still eating.

Pig, in almost any of its many guises, is delicious but nothing beats good carnitas (except for bacon and braised Berkshire pork belly). Carnitas Jaime's served up some of the best we've had.

A shot of local tequila (more about that in our next post) and a rousing version of  “Arandas”, courtesy of one of the Mariachi bands that troll Carnitas Jaime’s looking for customers, helped us digest a half kilo of pork.

Team Mariachi after serenading us with their version of a song dedicated to Arandas while we literally pigged out at Carnitas Jaime's.