Horse Travel Blog

live on the east coast and need a break from the cold winter weather already?  tucson is the place to go, not too far, but a heck of a lot warmer!  it’s a great place for the whole family to pack up and go if you’re horse lovers.

you can choose from trail rides, lessons, event lessons, camps, etc.  the list of options is endless for both beginners and experts.  enjoy all the desert has to offer and sample some cactus.  surprisingly enough, sauteed w/ some olive oil, portabella mushrooms and pablano peppers, you get the true mid-western experience and it’s all packable and great cooked over an open fire.

if you choose not to go the camping route and enjoy just a day excursion, there’s many quaint bed and breakfasts’ for you to stay in and hotels too.  it all depends on how much of the wild west you want to experience.  i know we experienced it all and it was definitely a weekend to remember!

while on a recent trip across the country, i did a horseback riding / camping package. so not only did i get to ride, but i got cheap accommodations for the night. at first i was a little hesitant to spend the night in the wilderness, not being a big fan of camping, but our knowledgeable guide put me at ease.

we set out early afternoon on day 1 of the 2-day trek. we had a good group of people in the tour to interact with and get to know better. even though we were pretty much in the middle of the US, we had people representing many different continents in the pack. we got to share our different cultures along the very scenic route and also over dinner which was cooked over a fire where we camped.

we were fairly early to rise the next morning and took in some more sites before heading back to the ranch we departed from. the path back was on a well beaten path, so if you were a more advanced rider, you got to take off at your own pace. the guide stayed back with the slower riders and made sure everyone made it back safely. it was the best camping trip i’ve ever been on.

we saw more animals then just horses while horseback riding in yellowstone national park. we came across huge packs of he great american buffalo. as you can see it started snowing on our journey too, so it added to the excitement of the trail ride.

we contacted one of the stock outfitters and took a day trip into the backcountry of yellowstone. beside the buffalo pictured above, we saw elk, moose and many other smaller creatures. the snow was sticking and the ground was covered with white by the time our ride was over.

we rode near lakes and mountains, seeing as much of the absaroka wilderness as possible! it was a little more expensive then other places i’ve been riding since it was contained within a state park, but well worth it. and we definitely had some warm goodies, including hot chocolate and coffee, waiting at the end of the ride to warm us up!

although jackson hole is an awesome ski town, that isn’t the only thing to do there. as you can see from the picture above, it’s absolutely breath taking country even off the slopes. you still have to be able to deal with the coldness of winter, though!

i took a multi-day trip which involved fishing, hunting and other events to keep us entertained for days. there were fire pits along the trails so we could stop and cook hot meals during our break. it was truly an excellent outdoor experience.

if you’re not a big fan of the cold and want to hit up this quaint town in the summer, that works too. in the summer instead of seeing snow covered fields, you can see them covered with wild flowers. you can also enjoy more bird watching and sit perfectly still in the wilderness without getting too cold!

I am looking for writers and bloggers to post regularly (the more the better!) on each of our blog sites and forum. Some of our sites include:

worldhorseforum.com
horseridinglessonsblog.com
horsecomedy.com
dressagenewsblog.com
eventingnewsblog.com
showjumpingnews.com
hunterandjumpersblog.com
floridahorseshowsblog.com
horsebreedsonlineblog.com
horsedatingsceneblog.com
horsesinthenews.com

We have many other sites that have guest writers and we need different writers and bloggers to be creative no matter what your interest is in horses….we want you! We have big plans and we need people who are passionate about horses and want to get in early.

I am looking for people who will write with personality, humor and provide interesting personal stories, advice, reporting on events both locally and internationally, photos and most importantly building a relationship and evoking responses from readers. Originality is of the upmost importance, no cutting and pasting other people’s work, it must be your own work.
If you are interested please email me at info@bobblesolutions.com to discuss it further.

when i first booked my trip to california, the only horseback riding i thought i’d do would be on a beach.  boy was i wrong!  but it’s a good thing because even though most of the northern part of the state doesn’t get much rain and is fairly dry, the hills are gorgeous.

i feel in love with two horses on a local ranch in ione, and i take one of these two beauties out everyday for a sunset ride.  whether i’m riding along a volcano trail or simply through a cow paddock, there are many sites and animals to see.  you never know what you’ll come across randomly riding through the hills.

if you have friends in this area, or are comfortable going to smaller ranches that don’t have big group tours, go riding here.  there are big lakes if you don’t like dry land alone.  you also get a good mix of pine trees and palm trees.  the weather right now is usually 70’s during the day and it makes for very comfortable riding!

the picture above reminds me just how lush and green ireland is. it was quite rainy and foggy while i was visiting, but the sun peaked out once in a while to let you take in the vibrant green colors, like on the day we decided to go horseback riding.  there really is no better way to see some of the sights in ireland then the view from the saddle of a horse.

horseback riding has really picked up in ireland over the past 20 years or so.  there are many different trails to choose from across the country, which you can choose a guided or unguided tour.  there are also special programs and events that you can sign-up to participate in.

we had booked reservations ahead of time by calling aille cross equestrian center to set-up a special package for our short break.  unfortunately, the weather wasn’t too cooperative and we had to limit our horseback riding to one day.  we had to spend the rest of our time checking out indoor tourist attractions.

i did a weeks worth of horseback riding in andalucia. this is such an inspirational town. we rode for about 4-hours each day. if you didn’t care to ride that long you could walk along the trails as well. it was nice that everyone got to go at their own pace. meals were also included at the horseback riding center.

this wasn’t a “one-horse town” was a phrase i heard. andalucia is a great place to visit on holiday. you also get to check out the town of seville…spend a night there. both places are located in southern spain. andalucia is one of the most exotic places and is very popular.

riding through these cities, we got to see how beautiful they were. we also got to check out some of the countryside pictured above. the villages we rode through were so quaint. we also got to see caves and views that stretched for miles.

going for a ride via horse is a really good way to check out the country side of italy. i found a place that offered a 7-day/6-night horseback riding adventure, that i choose to pursue during my trip to italy. this included a villa (place to stay), meals and lessons/rides. cross country international is only open 12 weeks of the year, but if you can time your trip right and like to ride, this is the place for you!

we were able to travel to the towns of arezzo, cortona, pisa, siena, lucca and florence, just to name a few. all of these towns have quite the equestrian heritage, too. the town of palio is home to bareback riding races each year. unfortunately, i wasn’t in town when that event took place. but just looking at pictures, you could see the excitement in the crowds’ faces.

you get to see villages and rivers, vineyards and hillsides, farms, forests and meadows…just a wide variety of different things. now you’re probably thinking, do you ever get off the horse?! of course! we had plenty of time to stretch our legs and wander around interesting towns we came too. how else would we spend money if we weren’t allowed time to shop and eat?!

horseback riding in playa del carmen wasn’t much different then going in cancun or cozumel.  that would make sense though since all three places are very close to each other.  cancun and playa del carmen are both along the same coast as mexico, and we know that cozumel is an island just off their coast.

like most places in mexico, tours are offered in both english and spanish.  this makes it great for if you’re trying to learn spanish as another language, it forces you to learn the horse lingo.  but if you prefer english, you’re still safe, they have that option!  overall, it’s pretty laidback tour and allows you to have some fun.  we sang a few songs in spanish that were easy to learn and allowed the group to bond on the ride.

i went to the rancho punta venado to horseback ride on this trip.  this ranch focuses on being laid back and having a good time.  they also advertise the large acreage share they own, and how beautiful each acre truly is.  the picture above shows you the beautiful sights we took in while on our outing.