Horse riding through the south of France

When the horses come down from the hill, I'm standing on the lane, wondering if there is any way to get out of what is about to happen. It's an impressive sight: the dozen horses, manes and tails in motion, all cantering through the forest, the dog barking at their heels. There were two patched and painted ponies, like Apache war steeds, a pair of dainty Arabs, dish-faced and bug-eyed, like they had pranced straight out of a Stubbs painting. There were a couple of greys and some big brown mares. The biggest brute will be mine, I thought — the one with the grudge.

Far below us, down 700 metres of mountainside, shimmering and hazy, was the Côte d'Azur with its white tower blocks, black cars and scorched skin. But we were no longer in that world; we were in a golden forest of field maples, oaks and scarlet sumac near the village of Sainte-Agnès, just a few miles north of Monaco, close to the Italian border. We were setting out on a two-day ride into the virtually uninhabited interior, our saddlebags stuffed with supplies and bedrolls.

Denis came past me, whistling, then shouting for the dog, "Avant, avant, Uxel! Allez, Juanita!" And the dog, a huge lolloping hound, was behind Juanita, one of the painted ponies, urging her down. I noticed that the dog appeared to know the horse's name, and thought, "Is that possible?"

I stepped back. My partner, Sophie, and 6-year-old daughter Maddy were with Denis, catching horses by the manes, slipping on bridles, tying them up to a rope strung between two trees. But I stepped back.

Once bitten ...

I'll be honest. Horses and me never did click. A bite on the hand long ago, tales of terrifying injuries, cowboy movies where they get thrown and trampled and bitten, and finally the time in Sudan — I blush at the recollection — when I coolly threw myself up on a mule, and went directly over the other side into the dirt. Gimme a bike any day. To add to my woes, Sophie and Maddy are comparative experts — and they look good in jodhpurs.

The night before, Denis had explained his methods. "I leave the horses out on the mountain. That way they get strong and they have the security of the herd. They got a pecking order and they got leaders. I work with 'em."

Denis Longfellow inspires confidence. Born in California in the 1960s, he grew up surrounded by writers and poets (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an ancestor). In the 1970s he moved to Provence and spent ten years with the last generation of old-time shepherds: "They couldn't read or write, but they knew how to keep animals."

Denis has a simple animal psychology: "In Europe you got a lot of culture grown up around horseback riding. There's a guy two metres up there, looking down on someone, and he wants to make that seem complicated. But it ain't. Horseback riding ain't complicated."

Now, here on the lane, Denis is about to show me how simple it is. He grabs the big brown mare — the one with the grudge, of course — and he grips the reins in one hand together with a fist full of mane and he says to me. "Hold her like this. Get a foot in your stirrup, then jump up."

I do it. The horse keeps steady. Denis positions my toe in the stirrup. "It's a natural position. Hold the mane with both hands if you need to."

The ride begins

Maddy and Sophie are up, too. Mel and Liz, colleagues of Denis, are up. The loose horses are milling, hooves clattering on tarmac. The dog, Uxel, is waiting for a signal. Denis jumps into the saddle. A piercing whistle. My brown mare, Mada, turns sharply right and pounces forwards after the loose horses. A cacophony of hooves explodes around me. We're going downhill at a trot. Stand up. Grab mane. Horse's head starts to pump up and down as she breaks into a canter. Denis comes rattling past, cooler than a cowboy dude, leaning back like he's tootling a Harley D up Route 66.

I'm laughing with exhilaration. We sheer away down a broad grassy footpath. Sophie is alongside me on her grey gelding and grinning. "Well?"

I can't stop smiling. "I think I might like this ..." How come, I'm wondering, I never realised what fun this could be? And I haven't even thought about falling off.

We emerge at an abandoned coastguard station and a magnificent panorama. Lunch is laid out: tiny black Nioise olives, cheeses, hunks of bread, pasta and salads. We eat and talk, then some of us snooze. Later we trot onwards in the glow of late afternoon.

In a meadow we gallop about and round up the loose horses, whooping and yelling like cowboys on the range. It is both ridiculous and wonderful. That evening we light a campfire and watch the stars come out.

Next morning we ride for about three hours and have lunch on a hilltop before heading back towards Sainte-Agnès, at 760 metres the highest coastal village in Europe.

Later that evening, I head out alone on to the rocks around the village. The trip has challenged my prejudice, and then surprised me by flipping it over entirely. To the south are the bright lights of Menton and Monte Carlo; to the north is complete darkness, punctuated by the hoots of owls calling across the valley. And above, as if attempting to tie these two impossibly different worlds together, is the broad spangled belt of the Milky Way.

Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club

Offers horses suitable for a range of abilities; facilities include extensive stables and an air-conditioned show-jumping and riding arena.

Cost: Dh3,000 for 45-minute lessons once a week or Dh5,000 twice a week

Lesson timings: Thursday from 8am to 12pm, Saturday to Wednesday from 8am to 1pm and 4.30pm to 7pm from October to June

www.adec-web.com

Ajman Equestrian Club

Gives lessons in show jumping and dressage.

Cost: Dh900 per 45-minute lesson or Dh900 for 10 courses (including membership card for one year)

Lesson timings: daily except Monday from 7.30am to 10.30am and 4pm to 8pm

Telephone: 06-743 3123

Emirates Equestrian Centre

Fully approved British Horse Society riding and training centre in the Middle East for all levels of riding from novice to advanced.

Cost: Dh250 for 45-minute lesson, Dh1,140 for five one-hour lessons

Lesson timings: Saturday to Thursday from 7am to 11am and 4pm to 7pm

www.emiratesequestriancentre.com/

Emirates Desert Equestrian Club

Offers a range of riding, dressage and desert hacking classes for all abilities.

Cost: Dh100 for one-hour classes

Lesson timings: Daily from 6am to 9pm

Telephone: 050-588 6800

Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa

From November to March, offers lessons for kids and adults in a paddock to suit beginners and advanced riders, and swim with horse in ocean.

Cost: Dh190 for 45-minute semi-riding lessons and Dh250 for 45-minute private lessons (above 7 years), Dh500 for 60-minute outdoor ride and 45-minute swim in the ocean (advanced riders)

Lesson timings: Tuesday to Sunday from 7am to noon and 6pm to 7pm

www.jebelali-international.com