Equestrian Vacations

If you like Portugal, and fresh fish, then the Alentejo Region is the place for you.  Fresh sardines for breakfast, cork and olive trees covering the surroundings, and the most beautiful and healthy horses you have ever seen.  It is very tranquil, and the beaches go on for miles.  Views of the Atlantic Ocean are certainly not one to pass up, and it is not every day nature’s beauty is so clearly defined around you.

The beaches are truly breathtaking as you can see

The colours of the flowers, and the varied vegetation are everywhere; be sure not to overlook it because once you are home you’re little vegetable patch will look like nothing in contrast.  If you would prefer to see the sights and not only horse ride, we were able to change it easily, and the beaches are sensational for swimming and sunbathing.  The fishing villagers are fantastic for long lunches, and walking is also gorgeous.  Porto Covo is located in a magical setting, and it is impossible for its beauty to go unnoticed.  Such a region should most certainly be explored, and I intend to go back to see more of this enchanting landscape.

My husband hates the idea of riding around on a horse, “the poor animal!” he would say as I saddled up my furry friend.  So, I decided to research horse riding holidays that would introduce him to it, and make him realise these are not “poor animals” at all.  I found Equestrian Escapes that tailor-made me a holiday that could cater for my husband’s lack of interest, and certainly his lack of talent on a horse, and we found ourselves in Bournemouth.

He was given lessons starting right from the beginning, and he loved it!  My next fear was that he was beginning to look like he had the potential to be a better rider than myself!  Problem easily solved – I booked myself a riding holiday with Equestrian Escapes, totally alone, so that I could ride horses somewhere breathtaking, and work on my technique all at once.  This time, my destination was Wales.

Equestrian Escapes cater for everyone, and the quality of the holidays are outstanding.  Through them, my husband and I found the Brooke horse, donkey and mule charity and now regularly donate to help improve the animals that live in such harsh conditions.  If you are an animal lover, and want to get more involved with animals and particularly horses, Equestrian Escapes will be perfect for you!

These four words are absolutely vital to our philosophy here at Equestrian Escapes. When we consider a new package, or putting a new destination onto our list of “To be scouted…” we ask ourselves a few questions to help determine whether it is suitable for our style. Our style of course being linked closely into our desired impact on the customer and the overall quality and delivery of the Equestrian Escapes product range.

Question number one.

Is is fit to be an Equestrian Escapes Horse Riding Holiday? Now by fit I mean does it tick those oh so necessary boxes that we know our customers need. Have we got those vital three C’s? Comfort, Culture and Climate. I heard you laugh! I’ll admit, we let our various England, Wales and Ireland venues slip under the bar with the weather reviews but this is for two very good reasons. One; we know our own land. Two; we have seen living testament over the past few decades to the amount of dedicated riders and horse lovers who are completely willing to brave gale force 27 winds and an icey bout of rain in England. And do you know why they do it? Simple. These people love their animals and these conditions only make you enjoy the good weather more. So needless to say, we launched our domestic range and it still is a smash hit. People love a good UK riding holiday. That’s the kind of holiday they want more often than not, given the current economical climate.

Question two.

When are we getting out to this new possible destination to have a thorough look at the available accommodation, riding centers and restaurants? We refuse to reccommed something to our customers unless we know it’s good. First hand sampling of all you will encounter, bar the unpredictable… for instance, no we did not test the air for possible traces of volcanic ash. Within reason, but with dedicated dilligance. That is how we always aim to operate when considering new destinations for your next horse riding holiday.

Question three. If we have aquired good answers to our first two questions then…

How soon can it be up on the website and available to you? How soon can it be ready? We want it sooner. The way we see this near final stage of the riding holiday process is that you could be going on your single holiday of the year in three weeks time. That’s right you, the customer. So what if you’d like to go to Madrid with your family of four this year on a riding holiday, you have already seen the standard we work at and would rather find yourself a new location than a different tour operator. That is customer loyalty, and that is what we strive to achieve. We want our relationships to strengthen over time with our customers. You should feel both confident and excited about your trip just knowing that Equestrian Escapes are the people who have been with you each step of the way. It is an Equestrian Escapes horse riding holiday and you should expect no less.

In the future, this will be further recognised as a symbol of honesty

Welsh Beach Riding

 Thursday. Arrive onto the Welsh coastline and settle into you lovely 4 star cottage for your long weekend riding holiday. This Bed and Breakfast has been carefully restored and redecorated to once again relive its former glory. Inside are medieval vaulted cielings and original details preserved from the past. It has its own walled gardens holding a view to the ancient church of Saint Madoc. The bedrooms have great views, good beds, digital radios, a vareity of books and ensuite bathrooms. Once you have settled in you may have time for a ride, if not then riding will commence tommorrow.  Tonight you can choose to eat out from one of the local pubs.

A canter in the shallow water

 Friday. After a hearty breakfast it will be stable time! Head to the stables and they will quickly assess your ability and allocate you an appropriate steed. They have a large selection of good horses ranging in suitability for all levels. Ponies or horses. These fine animals can cater from those who have ridden for decades to children who are trying riding for the first time. This morning you will enjoy a hack out after having a horse allocated to you. This is a great chance to improve your riding. After lunch, you have the oppourtunity to go riding in the woodlands. This ride will take you through some of the private thirtyfive acres of private valley owned by the stables. In the woodland you may spot any number of foxes, badgers, pheasants, rabbits and other freely roaming wildlife. Keep your eyes peeled! The woodland is peaceful and you will walk and trot down paths following the natural flow of the valley. There are many different routes to take. From advanced small cross-country jump routes, all the way to relaxed walking routes. It is very much so your choice. You will be accommpanied by an experienced, friendly guide available to give you tips on your riding and show you the area.

Riding in Wales

 Saturday holds longer rides in this particular area of the British countryside, to Druidstone Haven. You’ll be hacking through more woodland valleys and also along stunning coastal tracks and lush pasture land. The coastal tracks and pastureland overlook the inlets of Nolton and Druidston. They give an excelent bird’s eye view over St.Bride’s Bay. You will be able to ride on the beaches of Newgale and Broad Haven out of high season, so it’s important that if you would like to ride the beaches you give us a ring on 01829 781123 and consult our staff on suitable dates and oppourtunities. These awe inspiring beaches offer up to 2 miles of sand when the tide is at is lowest. This afternoon you will be riding on the beach to Druidstone Haven this peaceful, stunning and dramatic beach is situated just over a mile from the stables. Druidstone is nationally renowned for the ‘Telly Tubby House’ and the area’s natural geography.

Sunday. After breakfast, head to the fully certified stables, a Visit Wales Certified Activity Center and member of  the Wales Trekking and Riding Association. This morning is another chance to head to the beach and split up into smaller groups based on ability for maximum enjoyment of the breathtaking views and scenery at your own pace may that be walk, trot or canter. After your ride you will have the opportunity to say goodbye to your new found friends and horses before you depart.

This three night holiday includes accommodation as stated on B&B basis with five riding opportunities for £395 see Horse Riding Holidays Wales

Or for a complete change of scene for British folk weary of English weather, check out Horse Riding Adventure Holidays Spain

Canter down the beautiful beaches of Cornwall

Never underestimate the qualities presented in abundance by the Cornish coast. One of my personal favourites, that is of places to enjoy a fine riding holiday. This is truely one of the great English sites designed by god for horse riding. I find the drumming of the hoofs on the soft wet sand as I ride down the beach a really unique experience. I have been riding for many years and I have gone riding all over the globe. I have a long list of horse experiences, many equestrian adventures, and still hold that initial passion discovered when young, that has kept me close to my horses and even closer to the art of horse riding. Horse riding holidays today are something I could never have imagined when I was a child. You can travel all over the world, and ride horses where ever you wish! Equestrian vacations have varied in size and shape and in pretty much every aspect. All this whilst the prices for these horse riding holidays and horse themed breaks has decreased.

Over the years the availability, competition and sheer size of the business’ involved has doubled and tripled again. There is a huge market, and why? Because horse fanatics have stood by their equestrian friends over the years and let them be a substantial part of both our economy, and our leisure and retail industries. Horses have appeared galloping in movies since the early films produced by the Lumiere brothers way back in the early twentieth century. America was built on horseback and countries all over the world have enjoyed and relied on these equestrian beauties gracing our planet throughout our long and accomplished history. Horse riding today is very much so, if not more appreciated than ever before. And with animal cruelty laws and equestrian protection agencies being manned and set up all over, we have proven our ability to treat them fairly and provide them with rules and laws designed specificly to protect them. And in some less desirable parts of the past humans have payed a just and heavy price for misconduct in their care of horses.

Anyway, enough tangents involving the fruitful history of the horse. I speak to you today about a certain riding holiday in Cornwall. Riding holidays in Cornwall never fail to impress, especially this holiday. If you book a trip down to the coast and spend time on horseback riding down the beaches you will aquire some fond memories, see some fantastic sights, beautiful scenery and of course… ride a horse!

Cornwall Riding Holiday

Day one, arrive and settle into your fantastic accomodation. You may have decided to stay in luxury or in a traditional English cottage, depending on the options for the holiday you have chosen. Equestrian Escapes often gets complimented by its customers on our choice of accomodation on their behalf. This will play base for your holiday in Cornwall, and from here you can venture out and inspect the beautiful scenery of Cornwall. During the holiday you should check out the thatched pub down the road, it serves a range of traditional ales which should definately be tried whilst on holiday in a different part of the country from your own.

Day two, visit the historic Mullion Cove harbour after your assesment and first lesson or hack. This is a great chance to learn a bit about Cornwall. Don’t miss the oppourtunity, you won’t not on holiday in Cornwall often, unless you are a regular admirer.

On day three you will be presented with a choice, flat work, show jumping, or cross country. I know which way I would be heading! I have always been more of a fan of cross-country. I find it is usually the best way to see the area. But this is your horse holiday! So you choose what you will enjoy and go ride a Cornish horse where you desire to go! Horses in this area tend to be well mannered, they are chosen for their characteristics and friendliness.

A Cornish horse

Days four to seven hold various activities, rides out, and locations. You depart on the eighth day This is the itinerary for the week long, Horse Riding Holidays Cornwall. You can specify everything in an Equestrian Escapes’ Riding Holiday. Check out another article on equestrian vacations.

The newest holiday made available by Equestrian Escapes has a five day, four night itinerary. This latest of our extensive range of Horse Riding Holidays has been scouted by one of our very own BHS qualified experts. This means one thing, quality is guaranteed. Our past customers put it best themselves:

“Dear Sarah
I had a simply brilliant short break – thank you for all your help and careful planning. I really fell in love with Marco (my hack mount) and I wanted to bring him home!
Just what I needed and will do this again!
Kind Regards
Liz”

The angular cliffs align in natures dance

Beach Riding Holiday Portugal £330

Day one

Arrive at either Faro or Lisbon Airport and drive for two hours to the beautiful Alentejo coastline. Porto Covo is your direction, and once you’ve settled into either a rural cottage or luxury hotel… Your ready for your first ride. This first ride is chiefly to get aquainted with both the area, and your new steed.

Day Two

After a good nights sleep and a healty amount of anticipation it’s down the stunning cliff paths leading right down to the beaches. Here you’ll have a chance to soak up the sun, and a bit of scenery, before returning to the stables. This leaves you with the rest of the day to kick back or explore. For those who wish to really experience the culture on offer, Vilanova de Milfontes or Zambujeira are nearby fishing villages, teaming with the Portuguese way of life.

Day Three

Today presents a more challenging task, in the form of a four hour ride down the costal paths of the region, heading all the time for Porto Covo. This is a place where the streets end in the salt water, and every beach boasts it’s own unique veiw of the sea with the sand and rocks as its frame.

Day Four

This day is largely open to your specific interests. You can choose to travel out and see more of the area which lies undicovered by English tourists. Alentejo is a world apart from the popular holiday destinations of Malaga and Benidorm. Or alternatively you can book morse riding for today. Both come highly reccomended!

Day Five

Alas, the day has arrived on which you must return. With nothing but the bags you brought and the memories you’ve borrowed from the coast, you depart home. Needless to say the scenery in coastal Portugal will give the exceptional shropshire countryside a big run for its money.

For Equestrian Escapes news see New Riding Holidays for 2010

Whilst indulging my equestrian passion during a Riding Holiday in Bournemouth my mind began to drift from the lazy swell of the sea to an article I recently stumbled upon in Horse & Hound. It had the most astounding picture attached, which held Freddie Wettach in the centre, hovering, having jumped an unofficial record breaking height of eight feet, three and a half inches!

8ft 3 1/2in

Despite the reading of the article not being particularly recent, I found the picture had been permanantly embeded in my head. Such a spectacular sight it is to see my equine hero acheiving such a monumental feat with a man clinging onto his back for dear life.

I glanced around me along the beach longing to find an obstacle to jump in order to emulate the vision now imprinted on my brain. My eyes fell on a neatly stacked pile of deck chairs and my mind took over…… I was rapidly hurtling on my fine steed towards the group of deck chairs alongside which lay a large umbrella and a watercooler. With little time to take evasive action and command my beautiful black Warmblood clear of the innocent furniture. Rangolf (the german steed) made the necessary calculations and commited to the most electrifying jump of my forty three years on the planet.

In what I likely suspect was a record attempt of his very own Rangolf launched himself at the very same angle of an airplane at take-off and for a moment time froze still. I found my head racing with all my most cherised memories. My first hack on a riding weekend in Cheshire. The summer of 2009 in which I chiefly lived in Windsor, riding daily in The Great Park. And numerous childhood memories long since forgotten.

At this point I looked below me to see the sheer height that we had reached and I realised there was a very good chance I could make it. Rangolf had done me proud. We landed in the sand but inches away from the watercooler. Snap! Just like that I’m pulled out of my daydream and back to the Bournmouth Beach Ride. I thought this new anecdote is faintly reminiscent of Mad Jack Mytton’s story published in the article Spend Your 52 Weekends Wisely. Eager not to be left behind I urge my horse forward as the instructor shouts time for a canter, did she realise I had just broken the world equestrian high jump record (even if it had been just in my mind!)

My initial thoughts on  a Spanish beach riding holiday were mixed, as despite the fact that it sounded pleasant, I couldn’t shake the image of riding a flea bitten mule along a dirty beach, as can be found in any seaside resort in Britain. What I found however was altogether different. We saddled up our horses at the stables next to our hotel; I had selected a large, elegant horse named Don, who was nothing like the old donkey that I had pictured. We mounted our steeds and before I knew it we were off on our hour long adventure across the picturesque Spanish beach. We began by splashing through the waves at a very gentle trot, just so we could get used to the horses. I sank back into my thick Spanish saddle, which was really more like a soft, warm armchair, and let Don take charge, as he pranced around the shore. After a while we decided as a group that it was time to take things up a notch, and starting with our guide, we each in turn squeezed our horses into a canter and we were away. The wind rushing through my hair and the taste of salty air on my tongue we raced across the beach to the amazement of our fellow holiday makers, busy sunning themselves below us. Despite the pace that we were travelling at, I felt totally at ease, as I was confident in Dons ability and good nature, so I just sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the ride! It felt more like a Western cowboy adventure than an evening ride along the beach, and I had to prevent myself from letting out a “yee hah” on several occasions. Before I knew it we had reached our half way point and it was time to head in towards the stables. Needless to say the ride back was just as entertaining, and Don had an even bigger spring in his step as he knew that his dinner was waiting for him back in his stable at home. As we allowed the horses to rest on the final stretch back to the stables and reached utter relaxation and focused on enjoying the moment, as I knew that this was not something that I was going to do every day. When we arrived back at the stables I hopped down from Dons towering back and gave him a large congratulatory pat, as he had carried me as if I was his life long master and companion, not just another annoying tourist. I handed him over to one of the stable hands and headed off to my room for a nice cool shower.
Perhaps the best thing about the way that this horse riding holiday activity is organised is that the riding guides cater to your every need, so whether you’re an adrenaline junkie with a need for speed like me, or a more relaxed individual that just wants to take in the sea air, they will adapt the ride to suit you. I booked my holiday using Equestrian Escapes and they were incredibly helpful, and in my opinion offer a unique and special riding experience, that is a crime to miss out on.