Preparing for Your Equestrian Vacation

Horseback riding tour on sage covered hill trail in Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming

After a few years of pandemic-related time at our homes and farms, many of us have been bitten by the travel bug and are ready to get back out there and explore everything that the wonderful world has to offer. Equestrian vacations are now more popular than ever; consider booking a trip that combines your passion for horseback riding and your love of traveling. With trips available for every skill level and interest, these unique vacations are appropriate for the whole family or for individuals who would like to spend hours in the saddle improving their skill sets or simply taking in the sights.

In this first part of our blog series about equestrian vacations, we explore a few things you should know about these exciting offerings before booking your trip as well as what you should expect. Stay tuned for upcoming posts, where we will further explore some of the amazing destinations that you can visit on horseback!

What to Consider When Booking An Equestrian Vacation

It is important to realize that equestrian vacations can be absolutely anything that you would like them to be. Some equestrians use them as a catalyst to improve their skills, while others utilize the time spent in the saddle as a way to fully relax and enjoy the scenery of a new location. Bayard Fox, the Founder of the equestrian vacation company EquiTours, told us, “It is a good idea to book through a reputable tour company with ride consultants familiar with the rides they handle. A good consultant can offer various options and help you find the tour which suits you best. They can tell you the pluses and minuses of each choice and advise you as to which rides are most appropriate for your skill level.” 

Finding a ride that goes at a pace suitable to your skill level and being mounted on a horse that is appropriate for your ability are key factors in planning your trip. Bayard explains he often encourages potential vacationers to ask the following questions, “How careful is the ride leader about this, and how much effort do they put into finding out about the ability of the riders beforehand? What can be done in case there is an accident? Does the ride leader have a cell phone or a radio? How long will it take to get medical help? Does the ride leader have medical training? Are the horses well-trained and mature? Are riders informed about their idiosyncrasies? Does the ride leader make clear what procedures should be followed and does he see that the guests observe the rules? A ride in Kenya where the lions may give chase or a wart hog bursting from his lair can cause a horse to spook is going to carry a higher risk factor than a gentle trail ride in Belize. The choice is yours, but you need to be informed.”

When considering booking a trip, it is absolutely acceptable to be pushed out of your comfort zone, but never to a place beyond your abilities. A vacation should be an enjoyable and memorable experience that you look back on fondly for years to come.

A Dude Ranch Experience 

Many times, when equestrians think of horseback riding vacations, they dream of galloping through the Irish countryside or tolting along Icelandic terrain. However, you can stay in the United States and still have an incredible equestrian vacation. One popular domestic destination is heading off to a dude ranch, where you can see the inner workings of a working ranch, while also enjoying the scenery—both in and out of the saddle.

Great Smoky Mountains scenery

We spoke with Judy Saft, a valued customer at The Cheshire Horse, who took her horse-crazy grandchildren (Sydney, 12, and Ethan, 16) on a week-long dude ranch vacation in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. In this area of the country, there are a number of dude ranch destinations that offer a number of different activities (in addition to riding, of course!), including hiking, fishing, swimming, square dancing, and rafting. If you are looking for a vacation for the whole family, a dude ranch may be the perfect fit.

Judy’s stay was in a beautiful replica of an old-style saloon, with hotel rooms above it. “It was just like what you see in the old John Wayne western movies,” she said with a smile. Every portion of the property was decorated to the time period while providing the guests with all of the modern amenities of home.

Meals on the ranch

While Judy and her grandchildren are all horse lovers, they have not spent much time riding recently. The dude ranch was extremely accommodating and made sure that they were comfortable in the saddle. “After attending an orientation about how to saddle our horses and ride in balance, we enjoyed a meal served family style with all the other guests and the wranglers. We got to enjoy three delicious home-cooked meals every day together, with the wranglers choosing different places at the table each meal to ensure that we never sat in the same seat. That way everyone got to know each other and we all became great friends!” she explains.

Everyone was assigned a horse considered ‘their horse’ for the entire week. This allowed the guests to bond with their horses and become comfortable in the saddle. “With the wrangler’s assistance, we would go to the pasture, catch our horses, walk them to the hitchin’ post, and brush and saddle them ourselves,” Judy says. Sydney rode a horse named Tango, Ethan was paired with Taz, and Judy and Charlie were a duo for the week.

For this trio, spending time riding was of the utmost importance. “Each day we went out on two trail rides in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. You could opt out if you were too sore or tired, but nobody did!” she continues. “One of our favorite trail rides was up a fairly challenging steep trail to a mountain top with a beautiful view where we stopped to enjoy a dinner cooked over an open fire with s’mores for dessert!”

Team penning on the ranch

In addition to riding the trails, there were a number of other different equine activities to enjoy that kept the group busy and having fun from sunup to sundown. “One of my favorite things to do on horseback was team penning,” Judy reminiscences. “There were about 15 cows in a big arena with a small pen in the center. We were divided into teams of four to five people on horseback and had to work together to sort a cow out of the herd and drive her into the pen. The winners were the team that got the most cows in the pen, but, let’s face it, we didn’t really care who won—everyone cheered loudly for each other!” The group was also able to experience two cattle drives and, on one of the cattle drives, they were fortunate enough to stop for lunch prepared for them over an open fire. 

But… as much fun as Judy, Sydney, and Ethan had riding, this trip wasn’t just about horses. “We enjoyed a relaxing day floating in tubes down the French Broad River and another day on a thrilling whitewater raft trip where we all helped our wrangler paddle a raft through Class 1, 2, and 3 rapids!” Judy exclaimed. There was also a pool and the river to swim in to cool off after hot trail rides and time spent in the barn.

Group of smiling kids with a horse painted blue

In addition to fun-filled days, there were also a myriad of activities each evening. “One night, we had a kids’ rodeo, and all of the children were able to try their hand at weaving their horses through cones… There were other rodeo games planned for the kids, but, it just so happened that it started pouring rain just before the rodeo started and they stopped after everyone was soaking wet and the arena footing began to be slick with mud,” Judy says with a smile. “Another night, we divided into two teams and played old-time games of tug of war, racing with spoons of water to fill a bucket, and three-legged races. The kids were able to paint a horse with finger paint while the adults got to try their hand at shooting a black powder gun. Everyone loved playing card games together at night in the saloon, with some trying to swindle poker chips from each other in hot games of Texas Holdem.” The trip culminated with a live bluegrass band coming to the ranch so that the guests could learn to square dance together.

When you visit a dude ranch, you are inviting time to slow down, while you enjoy the pleasures of a simpler time and spend time in the saddle. Many people use this as a time to disconnect from their busy lives and discover who they truly are again. For Judy, it was a chance to bond with her grandchildren while also building lifelong memories. “I was looking for a vacation to take Sydney and Ethan on that would leave them saying for the rest of their lives, ‘Remember when we went with grandma…’. Nailed it!”

What To Bring on Your Vacation

In addition to the clothes and toiletries you would bring on every trip, there are a number of equestrian-specific items that you should plan to bring on your equine vacation. Here are some of the most common items that you will want to pack; however, each trip is different, so be sure to refer to the packing list from your individual tour company. Remember that you will be spending many hours in the saddle, so staying dry and comfortable is paramount for the success of your trip.

Continue following our blog to read about the experiences of our employees and customers on their equestrian vacations. Have you been on an equestrian vacation? We would love to feature your story, email [email protected] to potentially be included.

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