Adventure Travel On Horseback
by: Bayard Fox
When you think of "adventure travel," what crosses
your mind?
- Hiking?
- White water rafting?
- Scuba diving?
- Something as sedentary as a cruise ship or land rover safari?
Those ideas lose their "adventure" status when you
compare them to galloping on a horse in Africa with a zebra and
wildebeest racing along side you, or quietly observing the elephant
and giraffe.
How can a traveler visit the remote parts of the world's most
beautiful and interesting places while...
- Practicing a fascinating sport
- Avoiding polluting
- Keeping in harmony with history and nature
- Being free to explore exotic locations
- Making friends in remote places, and
- Sharing the experience with a willing animal?
Have you ever considered the tremendous advantages of adventure
travel on horseback? A horse can take you to beautiful and remote
places which are difficult to reach in any other way. At the same
time, you can practice a challenging sport which has been a favorite
of mankind for millennia.
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.
About The Author: 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 http://www.ridingtours.com. He and his wife
also own the Bitterroot Dude Ranch http://www.bitterrootranch.com where they
raise horses. Copyright 2005 Bayard Fox and Equitours, Ltd.
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