Across Wales - May 2008

Most of us have dreamed of doing an epic ride and imagined ourselves following in the footsteps of people like Amie Tchiffeney ... and for those of us with our own horses; they are normally included in the dream. Last month, Abee (my mare) and I rode with two friends across Wales - from the English borders to the Irish Sea. Whilst it wasn't in the 10000 miles league, the 90 odd miles filled a week's vacation to perfection...

Brandy House, April 08, Fran Griffith

Well our escorted Brandy House weekend has been and gone. It really was a great success due to the hard work and hospitality of Medina and Richard Brock, our unbelievable luck with the weather and a bunch of great clients! I had arrived at Brandy House 4 days earlier than the rest of the group, so I could do a final recce of all the rides with Medina to ensure that we didn't encounter any unforeseen glitches such as locked gates or fallen trees...

Argentina - Fran Griffith

I was on a two-week trip to Argentina, trying out the various holidays featured in Equine Adventures 2008 brochure (it's a tough job but someone's got to do it) and was at the end of week two on a pack-trip into the Lanin National Park arranged by Estancia Huechahue. My companions on the pack trip were 3 amazing English ladies, all experienced riders. Debs the youngest of the group, was 62, her sister, Hope, was 72 and their friend, Althea, 77! I had experienced a few concerns about the prospect of sleeping on the ground using only my saddle, before I'd reached Huechahue but these were quickly stifled once I met my companions. I was 22 years younger than Althea and if she could do it - well then so could I! Indeed my concerns had proved groundless, the tents provided had stood up well to heavy rain and extreme wind on the first night and the bed made up of saddle blanket, leather and felt saddle underlay, sheepskin and 4-seasons sleeping bag was both warm and surprisingly comfortable...

Client Review - South Africa

It was SO lovely to receive your email on our very reluctant return to England!! It was a thoughtful and kind gesture, so typical of you both. You took such great care of us all while we were adventuring with you and your combined energy, enthusiasm and sense of fun was totally infectious... (no pills for that!!!) ...mind you, shepherding such a loquacious and loony bunch as us 8 'SAGAs' doubtless had you drawing on hitherto untapped resources!!

Spain

Fran Griffith (head of Equine Adventures) did our Mountains & Valleys of the Gredos last October. The ride was not perhaps quite what she expected but surpassed expectations in many ways....

Situated between the provinces of Avila, Caceres and Salamanca, the Sierra de Gredos is one of the wildest and least populated areas of Spain. It is a land of light and colour, of magnificent views and tiny villages, of ancient cattle tracks and Roman roads, of crystal clear rivers and shady forests...

Botswana

Fran Griffith talks about riding in the Okavango Delta and says that this is a 'must do before you die' ride!

I have ridden my entire life and spent over 30 years of that involved in the African safari industry but for me our ride in the Okavango Delta is an all time highlight. I have been fortunate enough to do our Kujwana ride twice. This highly personalised safari is run by owners PJ and Barney Bestelink and is probably one of the best riding safaris in Africa...

Estelle Somers (Equine Adventures consultant) in Turkey

Estelle visited Turkey last year and tried our Cappadocia Bivouac Trail.

Cappadocia is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the centre of Turkey. The landscape is made of soft volcanic rock that has eroded away leaving valleys, plateaus and steppes which are scattered with all sorts of weird and wonderful rock formations known as Fairy Chimneys. Fairy Chimneys are basically strangely shaped rock formations, which can be pillar shaped, pointed, mushroom like, cone like and even capped by other rocks balancing precariously on top...

"Horses for Courses" - African Horse Safaris - written by Steven Rufus who operates our Songimvelo Wilderness Safari.

A flash of brown, hounds giving voice, the scarlet's are on the move and away we go! Through the Irish countryside in pursuit of the Meath fox hounds. What a rush, only comparable to sitting on a well trained safari horse in front of one of Africa's designated Big Five - Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant, Lion and Leopard...

Safari Horse Training - African Horse Safaris - written by Steven Rufus (who operates our Songimvelo Wilderness Safari)

For us to use horses in the African bush we need to have a good understanding of animal behavior. Natural Horsemanship. is the modern day catch phrase that has horse owners spending thousands of Euro's on special 'gimics' in order to make them work better / harder / faster. As a staunch proponent of this I have spent my whole life watching and studying horse's behavior to better understand how we can work together...

The Holiday of a Lifetime - African Horse Safaris (written by Steven Rufus)

My name is Steven Rufus and with my wife Lucy we own and operate South Africa Horseback Safaris based on the borders of Swaziland in SA, a company designed for clients to take their holiday on horseback moving with the Big Game in their own terrain. As an operator and guide I will try to prepare you for the holiday of a life time answering some of your questions and giving you an insight in to what you can expect...