Horse riding along a beach in summer was the perfect mother-daughter activity to do on our recent road-trip. As I’ve said in previous blogs, when we travel I try to find activities to suit each of the kid’s interests. AJ really loves horse riding and it’s not something we do often because we have to travel out of Sydney to find somewhere with interesting trails. So when a friend told me about the beach rides offered by Pegasus Equestirian Park at Lennox Head I was keen to book.
Lennox Head is about 15 minutes drive from Byron Bay and about 10 minutes from where we were staying at Reflections Holiday Parks Shaws Bay.
The day of our ride was a hot one so I was glad we were riding at nine o’clock. I needn’t have worried about the heat, once we were saddled up and at the water’s edge it was beautiful and cool. We actually had glorious weather for our entire trip which we appreciated as it made exploring the activities at each destination easier.
Sitting atop the horse, looking out at the long sandy stretch of pristine sands of Seven Mile Beach, I felt so incredibly lucky. Not only was I getting to share a special moment with my gal but I felt lucky to live in a country with such gorgeous beaches.
Although we’ve done trail rides before, both AJ and I felt there was something extra special about riding on the beach and we particularly liked taking the horses into the water.
AJ has been on many trail rides and we find the majority of horse riding centres simply saddle up the kids and although there is a staff member at the front and rear of the trail the kids don’t get any help. We’ve had a few flighty horses and it’s unnerving to manage when you’re not experienced. What impressed me about Ramona and her team from Pegasus is how well they take care of their riders. With over 20 years of experience, Pegasus understands the variety of capabilities among their riders and keeps a keen eye on everyone in the small group. Before saddling up everyone is asked about their level of experience and the team matches riders to appropriate horses. They offer those who are inexperienced the opportunity to be led down on to the beach until they feel confident.
Capturing a little glimpse of the experience on video was a challenge but hopefully it gives you a taste of what to expect from the ride.
The beach horse ride was a really lovely way of giving AJ some time to do an activity she enjoyed and I loved sharing it with her. I can tell you I won’t be entering the equestrian events at the next Olympics and although I didn’t get off the horse and hobble like they do in the cartoons, I did find I have a few muscles I didn’t know about prior to the ride! AJ of course had no muscle pain at all.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Bookings are essential.
The staff will help you with mounting the horse. The back of the horse float is the only elevated place to assist with the mounting process. Not being as limber as I used to be, I took advantage of it and found it easy.
If riding on the beach isn’t your thing there’s the option of Hinterland rides.
You can read more on the Pegasus Equestrian Park website.
A big thanks to Ramona and her team for a fabulous ride. We received a small discount on our ride but my enthusiasm comes from a fab day out with AJ in a gorgeous part of our country.
Book me in. I love riding horses, the slower the better as I get older. A ride on the beach would be divine. It is decades since we have been to Byron. Sigh.
Well you need to remedy that Seana. Byron is super busy though. You may prefer the slower pace of a beach ride on a horse at Lennox!