Posted: 11th January 2018 | Back to news feed
As we kick off 2018 we’re all thinking about our next riding holiday, so Ranch Rider has rounded up a list of the best equestrian escapes for 2018.
* Head to Idaho’s Western Pleasure Guest Ranch. Located in the state’s scenic Panhandle region, the fourth generation ranch featured in USA TODAY’s list of Top 10 Guest Ranch’s in America, and this year the ranch will celebrate its centenary. Activities include trail riding, cattle work, archery and trap shooting. Opening in May - take your horsemanship skills to the next level in the new indoor arena.
* NEW for 2018, drive the cattle at Kansas’ historic Gyp Hills Working Guest Ranch - the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty signed in this same location back in 1867.
* Saddle up at British Columbia’s award winning Three Bars Guest Ranch - scenic horseback rides through the Canadian Rockies, trap shooting, archery, hiking and fly-fishing on the list of pursuits. This year, the ranch will be even more accessible, with new flights from Calgary to Cranbrook available through budget carrier Westjet from March. The ranch is also adding three new cabins to the property including two king suites and a family cabin.
* Up the challenge stakes on a fast paced horse drive. Guide the herd through 60 miles of beautiful Idaho backcountry and finish with a colt start-up clinic at the Silver Spur Working Ranch.
* Live the life of a real Wyoming rancher and enjoy an overnight campout at the Klondike, the working ranch established back in 1886.
* Experience Parelli Natural Horsemanship with a purpose on weekly cattle drives at Montana's Rocking Z Working Guest Ranch. Horsemanship lessons are included in the price and this is a great place to bring your horse-crazy kids and even non-riding partners.
* Pitch in on branding and cattle drive weeks at Wyoming’s New Haven Working Ranch, many of the rides taking you over the border and across very different terrain in South Dakota.
* Bring the brood and enjoy a family cattle drive at Wyoming’s Vee Bar Working Guest Ranch. Your little ones can also qualify as sheep herders!
* Saddle up on the new Women’s Week at Colorado’s Latigo Deluxe Guest Ranch. Combining culture and adventure, you will be able to glean insight from real western women - farriers, vets and contemporary cowgirls joining you on the six night riding holiday. Deaprting 03 June.
* Colorado’s Zapata Cattle & Bison Ranch will launch a Bison & Wildlife Photography Workshop in July 2018, the five night holiday hosted by award-winning nature and wildlife photographer, Jason Savage. A fantastic opportunity for amateur shutterbugs, Jason’s work has graced the pages of National Geographic.
* Argentina’s Estancia Los Potreros is set in a beautiful reserve at the top of the Cordoba hills, the 6,500 acre working organic cattle farm breeding Aberdeen-Angus cattle and Paso Peruano horses. Saddle up at the beginning of autumn (March), as you’ll have the opportunity to watch the gauchos in action at the annual ‘yerra’ - the branding of the year’s crop of steers. The family atmosphere and social ambience makes the estancia particularly welcoming for singles.
* Head for the Horizon Cattle Ranch - recently voted Best Riding Safari in South Africa in the Safari Awards. A bucket list destination, the country also secured tenth place on Lonely Planet’s list of “Best Countries To Visit In 2018.”
* Also based in South Africa, and NEW for 2018, book a nine night photography & riding safari. Enjoy five nights at the Pakamisa Luxury Lodge, two nights at the Thanda Tented Camp in Hluhluwe and two nights at the Maputaland Guesthouse in St Lucia. The horseback safari includes outrides in the Pakamisa Private Game Reserve and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park - one of the jewels of South Africa's coastline. Big Five game drives, a photography session with well-known wildlife photographer, Christian Sperka, and a scenic boat cruise on river estuary at St Lucia also feature on the itinerary. Departing 07 April and 15 September.
* Canter alongside giraffe and lechwe in the Okavango Delta - your luxurious camp complete with large, walk-in, ensuite twin bedded tents and a tucked away private pool.
* The arid desert landscapes of Damaraland and Namibia's forbidding Skeleton Coast are largely inaccessible by anything other than a horse, and on this once-in-a-lifetime trip you’ll have the opportunity to view elephant and rhino on horseback.
Ranch Rider (01509 618 811; ranchrider.com) ATOL PROTECTED No 4660 ABTA 96395/V9150. To order your 2018 Ranch Rider brochure please email info@ranchrider.com
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