I like to include a riding portion of any vacation and sometimes my husband comes with me. He’ll ride on a trip but won’t put the time in the saddle when he’s at home, so he’s still a beginner and not comfortable with much more than a walk. Are there any places that offer scenic rides (worldwide!) at a slow pace? Would love to get a list going so we can plan our next trip.
Even at a walk then someone ends up too sore to walk around sightseeing! Esp if beginner nags have draft spreads!
1 Like
That’s fine, we can do an easy day after!
I would just contact the horse back riding providers at your intended destination and ask of they can do this. Most dude strings would be happy to just do a walk ride and many do just that. I’m sure they’d all be happy not to have guests who want to yeehaw
However, how long a ride can husband do without getting really sore? I’m thinking most trail rides it takes more than an hour out and back to get to really scenic views
Heheheheee that reminds me of the time my DH, his parents and myself went on a 3-week camping trip out west. We did a lot of hiking and saw beautiful scenery, but there was no way I wasn’t going to ride while there. So I dragged them all on a 2 hour ride in Monument Valley. DH can ride, but his parents, not so much… and we did do one short canter 
. They both had sore “undercarriage” for a week or so. Well, they could have declined going on that ride!
1 Like
I knew some older adult beginners who did the Grand Canyon.
Lots of places offer riding vacations for beginners or mixed groups.
For example, Equitours (https://www.equitours.com/) has 9 different choices under “Type of Rider,” which is under “Choose Your Ride.”
Hidden Trails (https://www.hiddentrails.com) lets you narrow your options by selecting from 6 different levels ranging from beginner to advanced.
Many riding vacations, such as dude ranches, offer a variety of non-riding activities and allow people to ride as much or as little as they want.
Some years ago I was looking at a riding vacation in Spain that offered riding opportunities but also other things, like cooking classes and dancing lessons (Flamenco, anyone?). (Don’t recall the name of the place.)
1 Like
That’s way too scary for me!
1 Like
Yeah. About 10 years ago, I did a day-long trail ride in the Canadian Rockies. On the way back down the mountain, I joked that the first thing I was going to do when I got home was erase the Grand Canyon mule ride from my Bucket List. 
I shared my discomfort with the guide and she joked that during her first month on the job, she mostly kept her eyes closed on the descent. 
2 Likes
I was about 9 when we visited the Grand Canyon and I was angling for pony rides or trail rides at every opportunity. I was so disappointed we didn’t do a mule ride. It was only a few years ago I saw go pro videos and realized it was both immensely long (overnight?) and extremely scary
Iceland has all kinds of riding tours and can accommodate all levels of riding. I went on a short day ride in May and I was the most experienced. None of the other participants had any problems. They, even allowed us to try the tolt.
Iceland is beautiful and many of the riding stables are fairly close to Reykjavik. Lots of activities available.
Susan
1 Like
Those Iceys are soooo comfortable and gentle. Even beginners can enjoy the faster gaits.
1 Like
My husband (a non-rider) loved our ride in Iceland. We were up near Akureyri - Polar Hestar I believe it was called.
1 Like
Echo Valley Ranch in British Columbia. I add the location because there may be more than one come up when you google it. It’s high end, for sure.
