Looking for recommendations on riding vacations. Hoping to find something multi-day, fast-paced (with some opportunities for jumping). It seems like most operations cater more along the lines of nose-to-tail guided trail riding.
Perhaps there are opportunities to guest ride with hunts on leased horses? Maybe in Britain?
I haven’t been but I’ve heard raves about this place in Vermont, which does riding day trips based out of a multipurpose resort: https://mountaintopinn.com/things-to-do/summer-fall-resort-activities/equestrian-center/
I figure if they advertise an XC course there are probably some options to use it!
Willamette Coast Trail in Oregon looks amazing - a friend of mine went on it and said it was wonderful.
http://willamettecoastride.com/
For something faster and jumping - there are plenty over in Ireland - there are places that offer residential rides with loads of jumping like Castle Leslie or Flower Hill and then there are inn-to-inn rides that have some jumping along the way. Connemara Trail/Coast Trail offers a little jumping but the last day is spent at a cross country course with lots of different obstacles and is a blast to jump around. There is also some beach riding on that trail as well.
2 Likes
Hunter’s Rest, a COTHer in Virginia, has a B&B and does hunting vacations. She probably also can provide other kinds of horse activities. She has horses available, and most of the people from COTH who have done her hunting packages rave about their experiences.
2 Likes
A friend has gone on many vacations throughout Europe and Africa with Equitours that were strictly for advanced riders. They consisted of full days of riding and very fast paced although with a nice break for lunch each day.
My daughter - 25 -has done two riding vacations. The first was with Willie Leahy in Ireland. The Connemara Trail ride. This was a great ride with the odd natural jumps and a day at Willie’s cross country course. The meals were spectacular (5 course in restaurants), and the ages of guests right up to Willie being, I think 71. Many of the guests stayed at the hotel but my daughter stayed in the B & B accommodations. Great for a good rider as a first experience. Maybe 10 guests on the ride.
The second vacation was with Horizon horseback in South Africa and Botswanna. Glamping in the extreme! Again the most wonderful meals and comfortable beds. The Africa experience was absolutely great riding with natural jumps available and very varied terrain. More riding skill needed and lovely gallops. My daughter wants to go back to Horizon again. If you are an advanced rider you will really enjoy the scenery and the animals. Botswana had more rural camps and two nights they slept outside under the stars. All the meals were cooked outside on campfires but she thought the chefs/cooks were amazing and compared the food to meals with one michelin stars. 5 guests on the tour. I think.
Both vacations had good riding horses that could handle the terrain and long days riding. Better saddles in Ireland. She found the Africa saddle wider and harder even with sheepskin. Daughter came home exhausted from both tours.
We did the Willamette Coast ride in September—it was amazing. Nice horses, varied terrain (mountain trails, vineyards and gallops on the beach). The guide is the son of William Leahy who runs the Connemara ride in Ireland. So, it’s a similar experience—but in Oregon (with plenty of opportunity to taste Pinot Noirs). it wasn’t a “nose to tail” ride at all. In fact, it was a bit more challenging than I expected. I’d like to try the ride in Ireland next!
We we also did 2 days of riding at a B&B in England in Exmoor. It was also wonderful. Just 3 of us on the rides—the B&B host, my hubby and I. Lovely countryside and great riding—-definitely not for beginners. That was really unique— especially when we were riding and encountered some feral Exmoor ponies!
My sisters and I are planning a trip in Iceland for summer 2019! There are many places offering horseback tours and many different lengths. We’re looking at 4-5 days. They include meals and lodging. It doesn’t sound too “nose to tail” from what I gather, we are so excited to be planning the trip!
Look at:
Equitours https://www.equitours.com/
Hidden Trails http://www.hiddentrails.com/index.aspx
High Pointe https://highpointetours.com/
For the most part, these companies act as booking agents for the individual farms/ranches/organizations. Find something you’re interested in, then do a Google search for the specific outfit. That way you can get more information about the organization without the filter of the tour company.
For example, searching “Aille Trail” from the “Aille Cross Country Trail” trip on Equitours takes you to “Aille Cross Equestrian Center,” which has a Facebook page, lots of photos, and info on all of their packages. (This is the Connemara Trail ride mentioned above by clipper.)
A week at Epona Equestrian Center, which can be booked via any of the three agents I named, is on my wish list.
Well, that’s interesting. I just wrote a post that included mention of three different horseback riding tour companies with links to each and COTH rejected it (“unapproved post”) and then made it disappear - just showed a blank entry under my name and then the whole thing disappeared.
I’ll try again without the links and see if it makes a difference.
I suggest looking at the web sites of the major companies that book horseback riding tours, like Equitours and Hidden Trails. Once you find a trip that looks interesting, you can google the particular farm/ranch/organization that offers the trip and get additional information on the place that isn’t filtered through the tour company. Often, you can find additional reviews and other information that can increase your confidence in selecting any particular place.
Edited to say that this one posted with no problem. Obviously, since you’re reading it. 
I wonder if it was the links, which maybe made it look like advertising?
I did an Iceland trip last summer for six days of riding and while the outfitter was superb and it was a splendid trip, Equitours really sucked. My luggage with all my equipment and sleeping bag was lost on the flight over and I needed more detailed contact info than what was on their website. The person coordinating the trip just emailed a Blythe “good luck!” And was absolutely no help at all in getting an address for delivery of luggage, contact info, etc. we were riding from place to place so I needed some help. The outfitters were great, but Equitours could not have cared less. Got my money and B-bye.
1 Like
Lots of opportunities in Ireland, as stated. I was looking at horseback safaris a while back and remember seeing a couple that were definitely for advanced riders- ability to gallop and jump was required. IIRC, they were pretty reasonably priced, although they included camping and most meals cooked on a campfire (fine by me but might not be your style).
If you want to jump, and have good nerves, go to Ireland, ride with the Galway Blazers during hunt season. Willie Leahy will arrange. We hunted three days - Tues, Thurs/Sat or something close to that. Went to eventing xc course one day, hacked out with some jumping the other two days. Stayed in lovely inns, good food, good company, the hunting is very informal w/ respect to rules, etc - just have a coat and you are good. (I borrowed one…).
I will say that I was a hunter rider, not so much XC experience, they gave me a great horse, I jumped things beyond my comfort zone, and had an outstanding time.
Have done several rides, with pace, in the US, but not much in the jumping side. Enjoyed every one for what it was, but Ireland was, quite simply - special.
Edited to add: I have ridden with the Ricochet Ranch group - that was quite fun, varied pace, nice horses, fun people, not much jumping. Also did Bitterroot in Wyoming, GREAT fun, gorgeous country varied paces, very nice horses, again not much jumping. Did another in Silver City NM and also one out of Banff in Canadian Rockies. Last was more of a pack trip, slower paced, but amazing country. First intro to Ireland was Connemara Trail - thought I died and went to heaven. Thank you Willie Leahy for that ride also.
I went on a horseback riding & hiking vacation in Torres del Paine and it was the best trip I’ve ever done in my life.
We stayed at the Explora which has two barns full of horses (the owner also has a horse breeding operation). They offer everything from half day beginner rides to full day advanced rides. There wasn’t a ton of jumping, but lots of galloping across open plains, going up/down hills, river and stream crossings, some ditches, etc. They have English & traditional Chilean saddles, and most of the experienced riders brought their own boots and helmets.
Expensive as hell, but it helps that it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world! Highly recommend.
A good agency can be incredibly helpful if you are going anywhere at all out of your comfort zone. I, too, had a very unhelpful experience with equitours and won’t use them again. I have now ridden with the British agency In The Saddle 5 times on 5 different countries on several continents and they do a superb job. Not only are the trips very well described, but staff have been on all of them (the agency owner was at our last ride) and can answer even very nit picky questions about the various options. They can also arrange logistics locally, which is helpful if you are going somewhere like Africa. We’ve had some amazing rides everywhere from Portugal to Kenya…
Not feral - wild.
Holiday adventures.
https://www.lindores.co.uk/
http://www.ehi.ie/
https://www.equestrian-escapes.com/about-us/
https://www.ridingholidays.com/united-kingdom.html
I would add that there are BHS qualifications for these places in the UK.
1 Like
Ahhh—thank you Equibrit. I actually didn’t realize the true definition of “feral”. So, yes, they were wild.:yes:
For something a little different (no jumping), I recently did an amazing 2-day trip in Essaouria, Morocco, through www.zouina-cheval.com. The company offers much longer trips, but I was so pleased with the short one we did as it gave us a chance to see some of this amazing country, and ride some really lovely (and well cared-for) Barb stallions across sand dunes, beaches, etc. We flew into Marrakech and decided to spend a day there before we were taken by taxi about 2.5 hours to the spectacular beach town of Essaouria, Morocco. The horse tour company put us up in a riad (like a B&B) in the heart of the medina so we could explore the souks and the city – which is a beautiful, walled city on the Atlantic that was used as a location for Game of Thrones. It has huge public beaches, a port where you can buy fresh fish right off the boat and have it cooked in front of you, and is renowned for its kite-surfing (in case you want to try something different!)
The horseback ride sent us south, inland, for one day of relatively slow riding through little villages that are far off the beaten path. We enjoyed talking with our guide, a young Berber guy who taught us some helpful phrases in Berber and Arabic. We stopped midday for an amazing, fresh-cooked Moroccan lunch, sitting on cushions under a shade tree while our horses napped under their own shade trees. We ended the first day’s ride at a huge, deserted beach, with a fun gallop and a little play in the water on horseback. After we’d taken care of the horses for the evening, we went back down to the beach for a swim and then camped (huge tent already set up and waiting for us), ate dinner and drank Moroccan tea on a bluff overlooking the sun setting over the Atlantic. Just unreal.
Day 2 was riding back to Essaouira along the beaches, through sand dunes and past ruins of old palaces. It was magical. Booking directly through the company, I think we paid about 300 euros for transfers to and from the Marrakech airport, 2 nights in the riad (which includes breakfast) and the two days on the trail with all the associated meals. I thought that was a great price for a one-of-a-kind experience.
1 Like
I have used www.unicorntrails.co.uk and www.inthesaddle.co.uk for several holidays. My main concern is always the welfare of the horses and both these firms know their suppliers and send staff to ride with them regularly so their is personal knowledge there. Another couple are www.cotswoldhorsetours.co.uk and www.blackthornandbrook.com based the UK. I have had some wonderful times
