COSTA RICA: My View from the Saddle by Linda Gray

Costa Rica: My View from the Saddle: Misadventures with a Modicum of Modest Gringa Snark

by Linda Gray  

"I had a farm in Costa Rica," I liked to say, in Meryl Streep's accent from the movie Out of Africa. Back in 2004, I came to Costa Rica to explore living here and ended up buying a 200-acre piece of farmland on my first trip to the country. OK, I have been called impetuous, but I couldn't help myself -- I fell in love with the Diamante Valley, the cool breezes, and the acres and acres of pasture, where I could envision hundreds of happy ponies munching grass.  But first I needed to build a farm on this land...after I built a road to get out to it. Seriously, and I didn't even speak a lick of Spanish.  Trouble, right? It was just the opposite -- I was welcomed into the village and invited to all the local events. The Tico villagers taught me Spanish, offered me advice about the farm, helped me out of sticky situations, and stole my heart.

Horses were my passion and my dream, and once I began living on the farm, they seemed to keep finding their way to my barn. Eight fat and happy ponies later, I started a horseback tour business called "Rancho Tranquilo." For about nine years I spent my days on horseback, taking guests to the beautiful waterfalls in my valley.    

As I got older, I reluctantly sold the farm and moved up the coast to a house by the beach. I brought just my one special horse, my Palomino Ares, but a horrific tragedy at the barn and a near-death accident changed everything for me. 

The book details my life in both a small Costa Rican mountain village and a more "gringo-ized" beach community. I describe local traditions and events as I experienced them -- a true version of living in Costa Rica not provided by the tour books or real estate people. You'll learn about the culture, what to expect, and how to adapt. There is no sugar coating here.  My story is authentic and riddled with hilarity...worthy of your time even if the idea of a move to Costa Rica isn't in your future.”

Available in Paperback and Kindle

Thoroughly enjoyed this book as an ex-pat living in Costa Rica. 

Well written and very entertaining even for a non horse person. - JH

About the Author

Linda Gray grew up in Massachusetts and discovered horses at age 12, being a nuisance at a nearby stable until they let her be a tour guide. She graduated from University of Massachusetts, summa cum laude, and holds a graduate certificate in technical writing from Northeastern University. During her career, she worked as a free-lance technical writer and instructional designer for several large companies, the states of Georgia and Michigan, and the government of Canada. She was finally able to return to her life-long passion for horses when she moved to Costa Rica in 2004. Buying 200 acres of land on her first visit, she ended up building a successful horseback tour business and a development of small farms. Eventually she moved up the coast, where she still lives in a little house by the beach.

Follow Linda's Amazon Authors Page!