I’m planning a trip to Aus & NZ with my bike. My wife’s a handy rider, but her main thing is horses and she’s not as thrilled about riding EWS courses as I am.
Has anyone come across an H&I Adventures for horses instead of bikes? Something more advanced than the many pony trekking places? (She rides BE90)
A residential place with access to XC course would be perfect... I’m struggling with google so I’m hoping the endless wisdom of STW can help!
Thanks but I'm hoping to find something that's specifically not just trekking!
If equestrian XC is like racing enduro on a nice carbon Santa Cruz, trekking is like a canal path ride on a £150 hybrid 😉
Wouldn't she be better researching this herself? Anything we need to know about gee gees we just go to the relevant Youtubes and forums. Madame has her repetoire of the equivalents of STW. Is this a surprise present?
The problem with horses is that people are not as willing to let you out on a horse worth 4000e as an MTB of the same value because if you're a lousy rider you don't do the bike any harm but a poor rider on a horse can undo a lot of hard work, or worse, injure the poor animal. Rock up at Intersport in Ainsa and you'll leave the shop with an enduro bike and can head out to do the enduro course. It doesn't work like that with horses. We exercise other people's horses and it takes a while to build trust, the next time the owner gets on it the horse needs to be a better ride than before you started exercising it. BE 90 is high level but it still requires a high level of trust and confidence to let a person with that level out in the wilds on your horse. I'm sure your wife knows all this.
What works locally (France) is booking guided days out individually or as a couple which means that after a short period of observation you end up doing stuff that corresponds to your ability. If you want flat out gallops through the woods or along the beach it's more like to get you what you want than if you join a trek. So you need a place that:
Has good horses that respond well to commands, are happy "en exterieur" with MX bikes, farm machines etc and won't just stop if their mates aren't around.
Has somewhere worth riding. New zealand sound great, is it? Rights of way? Are there equestrian centers near the good riding? Where is the good riding?
Cheers, Edukator. Yeah this is exactly the challenge. Perhaps a bit ambitious for STW to be able to answer this one... will seek out an equestriantrackworld.
Have a look at Glenorchy, about 40 minutes outside Queenstown, middle of nowhere Lord of the Rings country. There are a few operators down there and while it's billed as "horse trekking" I'm sure if you get in touch with them and explain your missus has mad horse skills they'll put something together for you / point you in the right direction.
https://www.highcountryhorses.nz/
https://www.dartriver.co.nz/horse-riding/
https://www.inthesaddle.com/region/australasia/new-zealand/
I'd highly recommend in the saddle. My wife is a keen rider and I've done a bit over the years now. not done a bad trip. They have been on every trip they offer and check the horses/rides etc. to make sure they meet high standards (BHS vetted, basically).
They might be able to help with a custom trip if these don't meet your requirement? They are very accommodating.
My wife did the paradise ride that is in Kiwicraigs link - proabably a different company but still very good riding.
That's the equestrian equivalent of a sit up and beg Raleigh roadster with rod brakes and a flat back tyre. 😉 They managed to do a promo vid without a horse trotting let alone cantering. They've just put me off New zealand for life. Can't you change your holiday to France/Sapin, Robert - gallop along the beaches of the Médoc and then do the World Enduro course in Ainsa.
