| |
| |
|
Outdoors Information |
|
|
|
Adventure Travel on Horseback
When you think of "adventure travel," what crosses your mind?
How can a traveler visit the remote parts of the world's most beautiful and interesting places while.....
Destinations like Africa, Asia, Europe and South America offer a wonderful variety of adventure tours on horseback. Though comparatively little known to Americans, the British and particularly the French have highly developed the riding tour concept in many parts of the world. In many locations in the United States rights-of-way for horses have been lost, but many still exist in other countries. Horses and horseback riding are deeply woven into the culture and history of most cultures from Argentina to Ireland. This is how our ancestors traveled and for those with a sense of history there is no more appropriate way to go. If you arrive in a foreign place on horseback, you will most likely be enthusiastically greeted by locals with waves and smiles which greatly facilitate meaningful contacts. Those who arrive by bus, on foot or on a bicycle are usually ignored. Horses are a great introduction and ice breaker almost anywhere. If you seek a wilderness adventure, then horses are the way to go unless you want to walk and carry your equipment. Riding tours can take you from inn to inn, castle to castle, palace to palace or from one comfortable camp to another. Costs are very reasonably compared to biking or bus trips. Horseback riding adventures vary widely in the skill and experience required to handle them safely. Most of these tours move out at all paces and include some good gallops so that one can cover 15 to 35 miles in a day. Beginners need several days of instruction before attempting even an easy trip, but those who are reasonably fit, not too overweight and have open minds can catch on very quickly. A week of intensive riding with good instruction can easily prepare most people for the less demanding adventures. One of the enormous advantages of travel on horseback is that you are sharing the adventure with a willing animal who is also interested in the sights and sounds and who loves a brisk gallop on a beach or open plain as much as you do. A day in the saddle is also great exercise and riding is an excellent way to keep fit while having fun. It is far more interesting and satisfying than sitting confined in a bus or land rover all day which really isn't adventure travel at all. Another dividend is the keen appetite you develop after a day in the saddle for the delicious food you will be served. On an African ride, a good horse can outdistance an irate Cape buffalo or elephant and keep you safe. Comfortable camps are set up for you each night, the food is excellent and the service superb. Or try a horseback tour visiting the castles of the Loire Valley and ride into the courtyards on your horse like a knight of old. You can gallop along forest tracks where the French aristocracy once chased the wild stag. There is a broad spectrum of possibilities available for horseback riding vacations. If it appeals to you to travel in harmony with nature without using polluting, noisy machines or an unresponsive bicycle, then you should look into horseback riding tours. Bayard Fox has been riding for 70 years on six continents and has ridden enough miles to circle the globe several times. He is owner and founder of Equitours Worldwide Horseback Riding Vacations. He and his wife also own the Bitterroot Dude Ranch where they raise and train Arabian horses. Bayard has been leading and organizing riding tours for 35 years. Copyright 2005 Bayard Fox and Equitours, Ltd.
MORE RESOURCES:
Outdoors - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Botswana Safari Top Five National Parks and Game Reserves A Botswana safari is an excellent trip to undertake because the setting is as unique as you will find anywhere in Africa, the game viewing is exceptional and the accommodation is top notch.By using travel journals submitted at the African Safari Journals website, my personal experience of over twenty years, forums, magazines and the general consensus in the travel industry this is the list of the five best national parks and game reserves to go on a Botswana safari in. RV Camping at Casinos There's nothing that will quicken the interest of RVers like the prospect of free overnight parking. Places such as Wal-Mart parking lots, and truck stops, are well known freebies, and if you are on the move in your RV, expanding the list of possible free overnight camping locations will broaden your options. Alaska - Brief Travel Guide WHAT TO SEE, TO DO AND WHERE: Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in North America (6,194 m or 20,306 feet), 150 miles from Fairbanks. Mountain climbing season is very short because of cold weather, strong winds and avalanche hazards. Wildebeest Migration - How To Get The Best Seats In The House To get the most out of a wildebeest migration safari you need to know where the best places along the migration route are, the times you need to be in certain areas and who the top migration safari companies are.The Best Spots On the Migration RouteHave you ever seen those wildlife documentaries that show masses of wildebeest swimming across a river being shadowed and sometimes dragged under by huge crocodiles or drowning because of the crush and fatigue?And those wildebeest that do make it across safely sometimes fail at the last hurdle because the bank is too steep and slippery with mud for them to reach the top even though they make a huge effort to do so. San Francisco Beaches When you are planning a vacation to Maui or Rio de Janeiro you may put beaches on the top of you list of things to see. However, when planning a trip to San Francisco, you may have heard of North Beach, but North Beach doesn't have any beaches (though the neighborhood was named after a beach that used to be on its north shoreline). Solo Backpacking Have you ever gone solo backpacking? If you have, you'll probably agree that it isn't a matter of it being better or worse than backpacking with friends. It's just a different activity altogether. Is The Workamper Lifestyle For You? If you've been dreaming of traveling the highways in your RV, but see the adventure as something far in the future when you retire, then you may want to seriously consider giving the Workamper lifestyle a try. You can live your dream now; it just takes a little preparation and commitment. Planning Your Own Gorilla Safari Will Save You Money - Heres How Going on a gorilla safari must rank as one of the best wildlife experiences left in the natural world. Many people describe it as an overwhelming and awe-inspiring experience and worth every penny they spent on making it happen. Should You Buy a Used Inflatable Boat? There are two types of used inflatable boats for sale - those that have never been patched before, and those that have been repaired. Repaired boats are worked upon by factory technicians using the same glue and same techniques used for a new boat, and hence are as good as new ones. Costa Rica: Land of Natural Wonders Costa Rica is a small country - just 75 mi/120 km separates the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea at the narrowest spot - Costa Rica still has some of the most diverse scenery in the world. Its coasts have both sandy beaches and marshy swamps, while its interior is dotted with volcanoes, dense with rain forests and abundant with unusual flora. Three Classic Hikes Abroad Paul Scott Mower once said, "There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country?" If you've ever contemplated going abroad to find your next trail, here are 3 classic hikes to consider.New Zealand's Milford Track: The best known "track" through New Zealand's beautiful fjords, this 32. Backyard Camping Trip Are your kids begging you to take them camping, but you just can't find the time to take them on a camping trip? Or would you like to introduce your kids to the fun of camping for the first time, but aren't sure if they will enjoy it, or might get scared? Either way, camping out in your backyard will be a fun way to spend the evening and night with your kids.Get the kids involved in setting up camp in your backyard. The Best Backpacking Food Maybe your favorite backpacking food is a freeze-dried turkey dinner. There really is no "best" backpacking food. River Rafting on the Salmon River The beautiful Salmon River stretches through over 400 miles of Idaho. The legendary explorers Lewis and Clark traveled part of the Salmon River but thought it was too rough to navigate. Sleeping Pads For Ultralight Backpackers Ultralight backpackers want to give up weight, not comfort. Sleeping pads are pretty much a necessity for backpacking comfort, but who wants to carry those monstrous old inflatables down the trail? Try some of these lightweight options instead. Cheap Safari in Africa For $70 a Day - Heres How To Do It You would think that a cheap safari in Africa for $70 a day would have to take place in some shady game reserve in Timbuktu that nobody visits. But not in this case. Bird Watching Tips Simply sitting and watching birds is a popular hobby around the world. It's fun and relaxing at the same time. Kenya Safari Top Five National Parks The Kenya safari circuit is one of the best in Africa containing national parks and game reserves that consistently provide great wildlife sightings and experiences coupled with high quality accommodation.But within the country itself there are certain areas that are better than others to safari in. Chimborazo: Learning Spanish At 20,600 Feet Climbing the glaciers to the summit of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador isn't highly technical. It is mountaineering, but how hard can it be, considering I went to 20,600 feet the first time I used crampons and an ice axe? Okay, I used them once for practice, on a sledding hill near my house. Join the American Hiking Society Have you taken up hiking as a new form of family recreation? Are you a serious hiker that spends hours on challenging trails?Do you want to find a way to become more involved in hikingacross the nation? Hikers of any background will want to checkout the "American Hiking Society". This society is an allianceof local hiking clubs and provides a wealth of resources andactivities for hikers of any background.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
