by Nikki Racklin
Activity holidays are a wonderful way to get the maximum out of a trip - relaxing but challenging, they also offer the chance to meet other, like-minded people. For horse-lovers who have some experience of our equine friends and are not afraid of the great outdoors (and a sore behind!), there are a wealth of riding holidays to choose from in lots of exciting locations. Here is a taste of some of them.
Cowgirl's delight in Wyoming
If you've always harboured a secret desire to live out the cowgirl fantasy, Wyoming is a fabulous place to ride. This wild and beautiful region is typical of the Rocky Mountains States, and the rides have names like Eagles Eye Ride, Cattle Drive, Blazing Badlands, Bear Fair and Rodeo Ride which are sure to fuel your imagination. Riders spend the first and last day of most rides in a ranch style house called Renegade in the town of Ten Sleep, nestled in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains. On other nights you'll sleep in large tepee tents. Look up at the stars and imagine cowboys of old who have done the same. Wyoming-bred, endurance trained horses will carry you safely over long distances at a fast pace. Or you can ride a Morgan or Morgan-Quarter crossbreed - unless you feel brave enough to take on a former 'wild horse'. Yee-ha!
The Compleat Traveller
Tel: +1 215 659 3281
Email: info@ridingholidays.com
Ride a white horse in the Carmargue
La Camargue is the wide, marshy delta of the Rhone river, down by the French Mediterranean coast. Large parts of the area are Nature Reserves or privately owned properties, but this trip gives the rider carte blanche to step into countryside that is completely off-limits for tourists - what a coup. Your partner for the trip is the white horse of La Camargue - strong, kind and easy to ride, not to mention able to canter through mud up to its belly. It's one of Europe's few remaining original races, and is still used for cattle work today. Riding is mostly Western-style and guests stay in a small hotel in the middle of the village Les Saintes Maries de la Mer and at a farmhouse in the depth of La Camargue. Riders are accompanied by a Gardian - that's a local French cowboy to you. So if you want a bit of France and a lot of oomph, this is the place for you.
Walking on the Moon in Iceland
For something really unusual and other wordly, head North, my friend. Iceland's breath-taking open landscapes, glaciers, geysers, and slumbering volcanoes make it a stunning choice for a riding holiday. Riders stay in small guesthouses or mountain huts. All rides take at least twice the usual number of horses along to prevent exhaustion in the rough terrain. So you'll change horses several times, while the rest of the herd will run freely between the front and end riders, which promises a real visual treat. When the Vikings first came to Iceland (about a thousand years ago), they brought these horses with them - small but strong; friendly, willing and docile. They will carry a heavy rider day after day, up and down rocky slopes, through rivers and across fields of rough lava.
Akureyri Destination Iceland Ltd
Tel: +354 591 1020
Email: travel@dice.is
Celtic roots in Wales
Get a real taste of Wales riding through the beautiful, unspoilt countryside of Carmarthenshire. Experienced riders can enjoy day rides ranging from hacks along narrow country lanes, the hedgerows teeming with wild flowers, or more dramatic trips to the Brechfa Forest, the oldest and largest forest in Wales, or multi-day rides to Brechfa, Mynydd Mallean, the Black Mountain, the Brecon Beacons, or the beaches at Pembrey or Pendine. Sometimes horse boxes are used to get to a far away but unmissable destination. Rides are restricted to three guests, making the whole thing quite an intimate experience. Horses are all well-schooled Thoroughbred or Welsh Cob crosses.
Esgair Fach
Tel: 01558 685617
Coastal paradise in Portugal
Don't worry about bumping into hordes of English tourists. These trail rides work their way along the coastal Alentejo province, north of the Algarve, which forms part of the largest nature reserve in Portugal and is, amazingly, protected from the tourist development. Very few people live here, and the routes are picked from hundreds of miles of sandy trails that connect the villages. Expect the landscape to vary dramatically over short distances - long, deserted beaches which back on to sand dunes, and a coastal plain interrupted by headlands, cliffs and dramatic coves. The inland plain has oak, pine and eucalyptus forests set on rolling hills with lush green valleys fed by spring water, which makes for some impressive jungle-like vegetation. The Lusitano horses you will be riding are named after the Roman name for Portugal. This ancient breed is from the area, and is thought to be one of the first horses ever ridden. They make sure-footed and nice-natured mounts.
The Italian stallion in Tuscany
Not the obvious destination for the horse-mad traveller, Tuscany is nonetheless well worth considering for your equine adventure. Canter amidst the hot springs and sulphur vapours that gush out of the ground of the Cecina valley, or along small alleys of medieval villages or through meadows with layers of gorgeous, earthy Tuscan colours. Choose between half-day or full-day rides - six day trails are for destinations further afield. Your base will be the Rifugio Prategiano. As for your trusty steeds, surviving the earlier wilderness conditions of the Maremma means that they have evolved into a strong, warm-blooded race and ideal trail horses; sure-footed, with a quiet, strong character. Perfect to act as your guide as you sample la dolce vita on horseback.