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vyvyen
6th Nov 2003, 10:25 AM
Hi fellow oldies,

I've just had the most amazing horse riding holiday. I booked it 3 months ago thinking wow I can do this even though I haven't ridden for about 30 years! The week before was a different story, nerves started to set in. The night before I was in sheer terror!

18 of us strangers (only knew 2 others) went by bus on our adventure, we bonded really well on the bus trip there. Luckily most of the other people were in their 40's and 50's as well, but most of them were experienced riders, not me and my friend who has never ridden a horse!

We camped in a true Aussie bush camp, very basic but fantastic all the same. Open fire for cooking, toilet was a hole in the ground, shower was a bag and we slept in tents.

The first day was a riding lesson. I was quivering in my boots at the thought of getting on a 15hh horse (I only have little pony's). Survived the lesson and all went on a trail ride for about 3 hours. The next day was about a 6 hour trek, and the next day another 4 hours.

I walked, trotted (posted to the trot no less), cantered one hand on the buckle yelling "yee haa", galloped, jumped, went up and down huge steep hills, through thick bush and sand dunes. Galloping along the beach was the best, I was crying with delight and overcoming my lack of confidence in myself.

The scenery was fabulous, straight out of the man from snowy river.

I cant wait to go back again. I met some fantastic people and we are planning to go back again together.

If you have the oppertunity to do a ride like this, go for it, its a life changing experience.

Would love to hear from other oldies who have done something like this as well.

Vyvyen

HAYLEY GITTOES
6th Nov 2003, 10:42 AM
Wow is sounds fantastic.

I went on a riding holiday last year, to Scotland, i took my horse with me, which was great.

There was 6 of us, iwas the youngest at 18!

But everyone else where the 'oldies' i think the younest was 50! But never the less it was brilliant it was like having 6 moms!

The riding was brilliant, words can never describe it!

Glad you had a nice time,

hayley

entreat
6th Nov 2003, 11:27 AM
I desparately want to go on a mustering holiday!! I don't think there's anything better!

Where'd you do your holiday vyvyen?

joy70
6th Nov 2003, 11:34 AM
sounds fab! was it expensive?

vyvyen
12th Nov 2003, 03:06 AM
Hi,

The holiday I went on was in the South West of Western Australia. Its called Shannon Horseback Adventures, check out their web site. It cost me Aus$580.00 and is worth every cent of it. Everyone on the trek wants to come back again. I don't think I can wait another year, if only I was rich I would go every 3 months!

FRED
12th Nov 2003, 08:17 PM
:) well, we {my niece and I}hope to be ridding at this place in March :) We hope to find some other ridding centres in the WA too.
I love Pemberton in WA and Perth, I want to live there:)

kedwards
14th Nov 2003, 12:10 AM
Sounds like you had a great time! My husband and I are going to a ranch in Arizona next month for a week and we're really looking forward to it. Before this, the closest we've come to a true riding holday together is an overnight riding trip in Nova Scotia (which was phenomenal). Did you get any pictures to share from the trip?

vyvyen
17th Nov 2003, 11:35 AM
Wow Fred, you're comming down under to West Australia. You will absolutely love your adventure with Shannon (Kev and Jo). I too would love to live down the South West of Western Australia, I live on only 7 acres about 20mins south of Perth but hope to purchase a 100 acre property down south and move there when our children finish high school. I'm also planning to go on another ride next year with Shannon, I can't wait !!!!! You will absolutely love the scenery, I wish I had taken a video camera, but it would be very hard for me riding and filming at the same time, I'm not very confident yet, too full of "what ifs" at my age. I can guarantee you will have a life changing experience, I found the whole experience very emotional. I hope you also get a nice bunch of people on your trip. Wait till you see the bathroom (ha ha) and the loo (ha ha again) thats an experience in its self.

I took lots of photo's of my trip but have not got a scanner to put them on the computer or this site for you to see, absolutely no computer savvy!.

I hope you are looking forward to comming to Western Australia, I love it here. We are hoping to go the New Zealand next year and would love to go on a riding holiday there too.

Good luck with your trip over here

Vyvyen

FRED
18th Nov 2003, 10:16 PM
:) Im lukcy to have lots of family in WA.
We have searched and searched for good riding centre,the only problem I will have is coming back. I just wanted to get straight back the on plane when I last returned.
Its a long flight, but well worth it for anyone would like to go.
All the taxi drivers I met were from NZ,they said I must go there too.
:D