Hello All, first time posting. So I have decided I want to treat myself to a vacation this year. I considered somewhere tropical, but my dad has put this bug in my ear about going on a horse vacation. Would love to go somewhere horse themed, preferably where you can ride. I am based in the eastern US but am willing to fly. I have owned horses for 15 years and consider myself a fairly competent rider and horse person. I would preferably like to go anywhere between February- July. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!
My horsey friends and I are looking at doing a horse trekking vacation in Ireland sometime in the next few years. The scenery looks gorgeous and depending on which company you go with, it includes staying at inns each night and meals (no camping if thatās not your sort of thing).
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g186591-Activities-c61-t62-Ireland.html
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Oh, I DESPERATELY want to do this. I was looking at pricing for this a while ago, through, and by the time I get to Ireland I think it ends up being out of my budget. Trying to stay under 3k. It is definitely on my bucket list to go to within the next 5 years though.
Five of us from my barn took our horses on a five day adventure this fall. We rented a ācottageā that had paddocks for the horses near a large forest that was open to horseback riding. I say ācottageā because it had a full kitchen, full bathroom, living room, and three bedrooms.
We could ride along the road for 10 minutes to access the forest, or trailer out to parking in other areas of the forest. We could do as much or as little as we liked.
The forest itself is very different from our home area and had miles and miles of trails. The trails were varied with wide roads we could canter on, to narrow, twisting trails that went up and down. There were far more trails than we could ride in five days.
Another member of the riding club I belong to went to the same forest, but boarded her horse for the week and stayed in a B&B.
Just another idea for you.
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When you say horse themed do you mean riding every day all day or maybe part of the day and doing other things?
For February timeframe - check out While Stallion Ranch in Arizona
CHeck out the Equitrekking website or Equitours to get some ideas as some places to go are better at different times of the year. For example, Ireland in February to Spring is going to be geared more for cross country/ fox hunting but progressive inn to inn rides during the late spring to fall months.
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Check out all the dude ranches on RFD-TVās āDebbie Dunnings dude ranch adventuresā.
https://www.rfdtv.com/story/36151913/debbe-dunnings-dude-ranch-round-up#.W_Fv8UpOKrU
i am not particularly fond of Debbie Dunnings -mostly because she is waaay too old to be dressing like a teeny bopper for a TV show ā especially one of this nature.
However, she does visit some fantastic dude ranches all over the U.S. Every type from simple to elite/elaborate:)
I love doing this and have done this in the past. I used to take my horse away to camp with me for a week at a time. However, he is now a professional invalid and retired. So no longer an option 
Oh thank you! Looking now! My dads been recording me America by Horseback episodes as inspiration 
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I would like riding for at least the greater portion of a day, not just an hour a day or anything. And thank you for the suggestion iām on these websites now! And White Stallion Ranch looks beautiful and is in a landscape I have never ridden in before!
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Adult daughter and I did a horsey va-ca at Bittlerroot Ranch in DuBois Wyo --3 days dude ranch riding out twice a day and then 3 days pack trip into the Wind River Mountains camping and riding for 3 days. Loved it. Nice people run it who really know their stuff.
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Cooperās Hill Livery in Galway, Ireland is fabulous. Friends and I went there In September 2017. We rented a house near the beach in Connemara, rode in the mornings and went sightseeing in the afternoons. It was all reasonably priced, as we did not stay in a hotel.
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White Stallion Ranch was one of the first dude ranches on Debbie Dunnings dude ranch visits:)
A lot depends on how much you want to rough it. I went with Bear Basin Adventures in Dubois, WY in 2010. LOVED it. We did Circle Z in Patagonia AZ a couple of years ago, fantastic. This past fall, I did 5 days at 3 bars Ranch, near Cranbrook, Canada. Loved that too. All different degrees of luxury, or roughing it. Different types of riding, so you need to know what type of vacation you are looking for. Next, I think Iām going to try to get to Cowgirls Secret, In Southern Utah. Gorgeous photos.
Some of the places are all inclusive too so thatās something to keep in mind if youāre on a budget = what you might not think would be affordable might actually be quite affordable especially if the dollar is strong over the Euro.
DH and I loved going to Cotswoldās Riding at Jill Carenza Equestrian. We had lessons and we also rode out in the Cotswold Hills and did a ride to a pub for lunch and back. We stayed in her B&B and had dinner in the one pub in the village and it was heavenly. We went in May. The B&B house is from the 1600s so itās not grand or fancy, but it was incredibly cozy and we loved every minute.
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A few years ago I did a working holiday with Fantasia Adventure Holidays in Spain. It was one of the most amazing experiences, we got to gallop on the beach, lots of trail riding and the location and town was beautiful. We did some days of working, such as tacking up, and feeding, but still got to ride those days, which made it a bit cheaper.
I absolutely love Bitterroot Ranch in Wyoming. It is dedicated to the rider and the people and food are wonderful. The owner also own Equitours and carefully check out each ride they list for Equitours. Iād trust their description of the rides totally. I have gone on a number of their rides over the years and never been disappointed. http://www.equitours.com and or http://www.bitterrootranch.com/
WIll second Bitterroot Ranch. Its been a while, but loved every second I was there. BTW, I went alone, and it was quite easy as a single person. Everyone very friendly.
This sounds super cool, where was this? Does anyone else know of anything similar?
Hocking Hills in Ohio has a place you can rent cabins. Iāve not ridden there, but Iāve heard it is beautiful riding. There is a Facebook Group called āfriends of Hocking Hillsā you can join for information.
Most of the stuff in PA is primitive camping, unless you go private campground like Elk Lick in Benezette, PA or Sharons Horse Heaven in Marienville, PA.
