Horse Riding Holidays & Weekend Breaks
With Johnny and Jackie Harris
~ in the Bordeaux Wine Region of South West France

Accommodation.
Away from the stress of normal life, the tranquil surroundings will have you relaxed in no time. Stay in the traditional Girondine farmhouse & let us look after you, or self cater in the nearby gite. The lovely pool area gives plenty of space to stretch out & enjoy the sun, there is a practise golf area and a large private garden where you can take a sunset stroll or simply sit and relax.
The evenings are a social affair - a chance to get to know everyone & chat over a delicious home cooked meal, with - of course  a selection of local wines!
 

The Riding Our fabulous, ex-competition horses have plenty of experience, they are willing, good natured and forward going. Instructors Johnny & Jackie Harris will inspire you - their enthusiastic tuition will leave you wanting more! We offer training holidays or long weekends for all levels of rider - perhaps you are an experienced rider looking to sharpen your competition performance, or a group of adults looking for an educational & fun break with plenty of time to relax. Maybe you are a couple wanting to ride and then spend time exploring this  fabulous region, or a family with older children looking to try something new. (Complete beginners are very welcome) We also have lovely ponies of all capabilities suitable for smaller adults and for children - the perfect family holiday.

 

Any non-riders in the family? Don't worry, there is so much to do and see in this region of France that you won't have time to fit it all in! Aquitaine is world famous for its culture - taste Bordeaux wines at local vineyards, sample freshly caught seafood in Lacanau and Arcachon or tee off in the warm sunshine at one of the many beautiful golf courses

 

* Johnny and Jackie Harris are Lisa (our Instructors) parents!

WVS highly recommends this holiday - speak to Lisa to find out more.

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CROSSOGUE EQUESTRIAN
 Crossogue House,  Ballycahill, Thurles, Co Tipperary  Ireland
Tel/Fax: (0)504 54166

A.I.R.E, B.H.S & FÁILTE IRELAND APPROVED
MEMBER OF EQUESTRIAN HOLIDAYS IRELAND

 ADULT HOLIDAYS, WEEKENDS, LONG WEEKENDS
21^st AUGUST-13^th NOVEMBER 2010

EXPERIENCE THE FREEDOM, DISCOVER THE PASSION

 Come and stay with us for a relaxed holiday or weekend break- tailor made for individuals/groups.  Guests are assured of a warm welcome, delicious home-cooked food and plenty of fun.  Guests stay in the family farmhouse set on 250 acres, surrounded by picturesque countryside in the heart of Ireland’s horse country.  All level of riders catered for, from beginners to advanced level. Excellent horses and tuition are complimented by our extensive cross-country course and our beautiful countryside.

 SPECIAL OFFERS;

MID WEEK VISIT £250 – 2 NIGHTS+3 RIDING SESSIONS

LONG WEEKEND BREAK £395 – 3 NIGHTS+5 RIDING SESSIONS

Inclusive of accommodation, meals, refreshments and all riding.  Offer applies when booked in June and July.

 For further details please look at our website:  www.crossogue.com or telephone 00 353 (0)504 54166 or email crossog@iol.ie

Riding in Montana

Hidden Hollow Hideaway
By Peter Stevenson

I have just had the best holiday of my life.

The really surprising thing is that it was a riding holiday and, as some of you might know, in spite of being Caroline’s husband and Carol’s brother, I don’t ride.
 

When Caroline suggested that we should go to Montana for a ranch holiday, I gently tried to dissuade her. It soon became clear that she was not to be turned. We had already decided that this year we were going to have an ‘activity’ holiday rather than a holiday lying by a poolside. This may also have been our last ever ‘family holiday’, with our kids reaching the age when holidays with the old people becoming ‘minging’ (or what ever the term they use is). We wanted a holiday to remember for all the right reasons.

In every respect the holiday was outstanding. We stayed with Kelly and Gill Flynn at their Hidden Hollow Hideaway ranch in Montana. The scenery is spectacularly beautiful, the skies are big, humanity is thankfully very thinly spread in Montana, the weather is comfortably warm, the wildlife is fascinating. Kelly and his team are excellent hosts.

Within an hour of arrival on the ranch I found myself sitting on a horse called Rusty. A few minutes of instruction from Earl, his chief instructor and I was off to try to steer Rusty. I found it surprisingly easy. Rusty was rather like an automatic car. I moved the reins around in vague directions and he moved somewhat less vaguely in exactly the direction I wanted. I even found reverse which I don’t always do first time in my own car.

By this time the rest of the family had mounted up and Earl, on his lovely horse Tucker, lead us up out of the valley and into the hills. As we climbed the view across the Missouri valley became more and more entrancing. At one point we had to cross a gulch, a small canyon with a gushing stream at the bottom. I was advised not to look down. Rusty, following closely behind Tucker, descended the steep sides of the gulch. He picked his way sure-footedly through the seemingly impossible collection of boulders and massive rounded stones in the stream and then climbed rapidly up the other side. I felt like Jeremy Clarkson in one of his 4x4 road tests.

After an hour we were back at the ranch. I was expecting to feel some pain but it honestly was not too bad and soon dissipated. It seems that the longer-legged, ‘Western saddle’ spreads the weight thus reducing the pain for novice rider. On the second day we went for a three hour ride. The ranch has interesting variety of landscapes. Lower down near the homestead there are some lush green meadows. Higher up the land becomes either drier. The are tree-clad hills and mountains and non tree-clad mountains. The latter offer fantastic views from the top.

On the third day we were six hours in the saddle. Kelly had some 200 cows in a high pasture on the side of a mountain which had become over-grazed. He needed to move the cows onto a fresh pasture further north.

We arrived in the field to discover the cows were well spread out across the one square mile pasture. I was asked to round up the cows half way along the southern boundary and head them towards a gate about a mile way on the northern fence line. Kelly showed me a distant peak to orientate myself as I drove the cows. Other members of my family were some distance off to my west, out of sight, hidden by the undulating ground. Kelly was off to my east higher up the mountain.

I rode Rusty straight towards a group of cows and was pleased to discover they obligingly moved off in the desired direction. Once moving they had a tendency to herd together and keep moving in the right general direction. As we progressed I rode off to pick up cows on either side. After about half an hour, my son had appeared with a group of cows he had rounded up. We rode up onto the top of a small hill to check we had not left any cows behind in our part of the field or missed any in the many little hollows in the field. Caroline and Ella now came into view with their cows. By this time we were in the middle of the field and I could see Kelly bringing some cows down from the top of the field. This morning, ‘riding with a purpose’, and left to my own devices, was for me the most interesting satisfying and fulfilling part of the holiday.

An hour so later we had 197 cows herded together by the gate. (Later in the week we set out to find the remaining 23 cows) At this point we stopped for our picnic lunch. Earl, an accomplished music teacher, taught us some cowboy songs. After lunch we moved the cows on up into the other pasture.

We stayed in a typical ‘wild west’ log cabin. A few yards away a crystal clear mountain stream gushed past. A little further down the steam widened into a slower shallow area. Here we sat in the evenings on plastic drums and panned for gold. We found about a dozen small flakes of gold. We were shown a peanut sized nugget recently found there. Some of the guests became so ‘hooked’ that they panned for gold until it was dark .
We rose early one day for a full day visit to the spectacular Yellowstone National Park, even more beautiful than Montana. Amongst the amazing sights we saw Old Faithful, a geyser that shoots boiling water 120 feet into the every 90 minutes or so. On another day we went white-water rafting, a thrilling half day trip down the Gallatin river. This river is strewn with massive boulders including one which is called ‘House Rock’ because of it is the size of a house.

About two miles from the ranch there is a large lake with a beach. Fortunately the lake is quite shallow and thus, absorbing heat from the air, the water is pleasantly warm for swimming.

There is one very important point to bear in mind. With Montana’s population density being extremely low, there is not one single restaurant within 60 miles of Kelly’s ranch. Thus ‘night life’ consists of a barbecue on Kelly’s verandah, wild life watching (huge herds of elk come down from the mountains in the evening to feed on the lush meadows) and, without the curse of light pollution, being able to see billions of stars in the sky. Silence Calm Nature.
This is really the holiday for those who want to chill completely.

 You can contact Kelly at the  Hidden Hollow Hideaway
 

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Korta Escape Horse Safari

Korta Escape Horse Safari is a combined representation of the very best Marwari Breed horses. It sets the highest standards of professionalism in equine care, guiding and accommodation, protecting the environment, conservation, combining care for the guest with unrivalled personal attention to details. These safaris are of a highly personalized nature and maintain their own individual character in offering a personal insight combined with a commitment to and love for the areas in which they operate.

At the safari routes u may find your self in the jungle scrub or lush green valley or flat land, semi sandy deserts or Aravalli foothills. All the lunching places are carefully chosen with intentions of giving diversity in the tour the routes are selected for u to visualize the kaleidoscopic culture mid traditions of Rajasthan and which are best suited for riding conditions the day ends at different forts and castles which are turned into heritage hotels with modern amenities. As u meet members of noble's families and acquaint your self with typical Indian lifestyle you feel the elegance and rich taste of a life of bygone era. We promise you a lifetime memorable holiday experience."

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http://www.horse-riding-holiday-spain.com

Spanish rural bliss - Castril Valley Horse Riding Holidays in the heart of Andalusia Spain