Well if your an equine enthusiast and you are also in need of a vacation why not combine the two and choose a Horse Vacation Destination. Its a good way to incorporate some excercise and a great way to enjoy the scenery while on Horseback. A little web research goes along way in choosing your destination, but also keep in mind your budget and what you would like to experience along the way. In this blog I will talk about various options and details to keep in mind and be your Equine tour guide.
What sort of riding holiday do you have in mind?
This has probably got to be the first question. Just what kind of experience are you looking for? Is it to ride in spectacular scenery? To see wildlife from horseback? Or just to get away from it all for a few days and enjoy riding a good horse. In The Saddle finds it helpful to classify riding holidays into four broad categories. Riding Holidays; Safaris on Horseback; Ranch Holidays and Riding Expeditions.
On a Riding Holiday, whether to Spain, South Africa, California or Mexico, you are sure to have some great riding, be hosted well, have good food and wine and overall a really good time. You can even enter an endurance ride in Namibia. These holidays don’t involve too much planning or specialist packing and you could phone up on Monday and be away on Saturday.
A Safari on Horseback in Africa is truly spectacular. It’s surely impossible to beat the wonder of watching a large herd of towering giraffe as your horse quietly grazes or the heart beating excitement of being face to face with an elephant. Some safaris on horseback are in areas where there is no dangerous game and so are suitable for all levels of rider, including children. Other safaris, in areas where you might encounter elephant, lion or buffalo, are only for experienced riders. Accommodation varies from luxury safari lodges and very comfortable spacious safari tents with their own private bathrooms to simple bush camps with long drop loos and bucket showers.
A Ranch Holiday gives you the opportunity to live out a dream and take yourself to the world of John Wayne. These holidays are often in stunning parts of the world. You could choose a working ranch where you have the opportunity to be a cowboy and move cattle on horseback or a guest ranch with stunning mountain scenery.
A Riding Expedition is a journey on horseback, which may entail a few hardships but reward you with an experience to remember and scenery which you might otherwise not have the opportunity to see. On these rides you need to take a little more care to pack the appropriate clothing for the trip and to make sure you are fit enough for the journey. On many of the expeditions you camp in small two-man dome tents with sleeping bags on mats and limited washing/loo facilities, but hopefully the views make up for that. On others you stay in hotels or farm houses and so have a more comfortable place to spend the night.
Booking with a Tour Operator vs Booking Direct
In these uncertain times there are many reasons why booking your holiday through a specialist riding holiday tour operator is unquestionably the safest thing to do. First of all, the riding holiday company will have checked out the riding holiday and takes responsibility for the quality of the horses, the standard of guiding and safety arrangements and that the actual holiday is provided to you as advertised.
The riding holiday company may also book flights for you but if you wish to book them yourself, they will make sure the flights tie in with local transfers. For long haul destinations you should expect your riding holiday company to be able to book hotel accommodation and perhaps pre or post ride extensions.
It is important to remember that you will not pay more by booking through a riding holiday company and sometimes less. In these times of extreme exchange rate fluctuations it is important to find out whether the riding holiday company will surcharge if sterling were to fall further against the dollar or euro. In The Saddle will fix the price at the time you book and guarantees not to surcharge regardless of exchange rate movements. This means you get peace of mind and no nasty surcharge invoices just before you fly.
And finally, its very important to check that your riding holiday company is fully bonded, which means that any payments you make to the Tour Operator are fully protected in the event of the company going out of business. If you have booked flights through the riding holiday company then they must have an ATOL (www.atol.org) and your holiday money will be guaranteed by the Civil Aviation Authority. If you have booked just the ride, then the riding holiday company must have in place separate arrangements to ensure your money is safe. In The Saddle has a bond with ABTA for this type of business. So, this means you don’t have to worry about sending thousands of pounds overseas and wondering if the ride organiser is actually going to still be there when you go on holiday.
Happy Trails to you until we meet again . . .
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