Spring may be trying to break into the northeast, but winter just won’t let go and maybe some solace for local horse owners is to sit down and plan an equestrian vacation to warm weather climes around the world.

A little casual surging on the Internet yields a number of companies hosting equestrian vacations to some of the most exotic locations in the world – such as Spain, New Zealand, Morocco, Portugal, Botswana, Chile and Iceland.

Cross Country International, Equitours, Hidden Trails and Eastern Trekking Associates are some of the companies offering trips such as these and while the trips can be a little pricey (anywhere from $1,500 to $2,300), vacationers can judge for themselves if the experience would be worth it.

Take, for instance, these CCI trips –

Lochs And Forests Trail Ride, Scotland: According to CCI, “Those who know Scotland often think of the lochs, forests and glens of the beautiful countryside. It is in this harsh but romantic landscape that much of what defines the Scottish people was formed. It is here that many battles were fought by the Scots against invading Vikings and English, as well as against rival clans. It is in the Scottish countryside that the great landscape painters of Scotland came to work and the great poets came for inspiration. It is over this wonderful and evocative land that you will travel.”

The trail takes riders over a 100-mile circular route through the lochs and forest of the Mid-Argyll region. The area is known for its history of Scotland and in pre-historic sites and artifacts.

Marrakech Horseback Riding, Morocco: According to CCI, “A little known fact in American history is that the Kingdom of Morocco was one of the first countries to recognize the fledgling United States of America after our Independence. Since that time, Morocco has become one of America’s strongest allies in the Arab world. It is also one of the most peaceful and stable. With a coastline on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, Morocco is a wonderful mixture of Arab culture and French influence.”

The vacation will take riders to the Imperial city of Marrakech with its pink castle walls and views of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains, and to the Ouirgane Valley where the trails wind through the Atlas mountains -green-stepped terraces cultivated by the Berbers whose traditions have changed little over the centuries.

Other CCI offers include trips to California’s north coast, Ireland’s Connemara Coastal Trail and Kinnitty Castle, New Zealand’s South Pacific beach, Costa Rica, the Colorado Mountains, Portugal’s Atlantic coast, France, Greece and the Tuscany Trail in Italy.

 

Meanwhile, Equitour offers vacations in many of the same locales as well as places like Africa (Botswana, Kenya and Namibia), Asia (India, Mongolia and Turkey), Central and South American (Argentina, Belize, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay), Great Britain (Wales and Hungary) and North America (Canada, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming).

Imagine these trips –

Glacier Ride, Chile: According to Equitour, “Here is a chance to visit on horseback the extreme southern tip of Patagonia near the Straits of Magellan. The ride traverses the amazing Torres del Paine National Park, known as one of the wildest and most rugged places in the world. The bizarre landscape holds spiny mountains as impressive as the Tetons or the Alps, with huge glaciers dropping great chunks of ice from time to time into azure lakes. The birds and animals such as penguins and guanacos are unique.”

La Sierra Cavalcade, Mexico: According to Equitour, “The land of Aztecs and Conquistadors is at our doorstep. The cultural and historical value of this ride is to be favorably compared with many European trips. The base is the picturesque, 400 year-old village of Valle de Bravo with its beautiful setting of pristine mountains, pine forests and soft grasslands. One sees lovely Spanish haciendas and old colonial structures. The Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds are excellent horses one would expect to find in Europe or the US, rather than the smaller horses usually found in Mexico and Central America. The ride is run with European competency without losing the charming flavor of Mexico.”

Or take the Mayan Jungle Ride in Belize, the Cappadocia Ride in Turkey, the Bushveld Ranch Reserve trip to South Africa, or the Feast of the Conquerors Ride in Italy.

A company called Hidden Trails offers a number of different trips, including ones to Ireland (the Mourne Mountain Ride), Spain (Volcano and Castle Ride), France (Medieval Armagnac) and Montana (Papoose Creek Lodge).

Picture these –

Volcano and Castle Trail, Spain: According to Hidden Trails, “This is a new and exciting trail ride through one of Spain’s most spectacular and un-spoilt rural areas. There are small mountain villages perched on the edges of the sculptural rock where you will spend the night are steeped in history, fantastic architecture and character.”

A region of medieval castles, it is also one of the largest volcanic regions in Europe – the Garrotxa volcanica.

The trail would take riders to the hidden valley of la Miana and into Santa Pau, a walled medieval village built out of volcanic rock and presided over by a central castle. Then they would climb to the castle of Finestres for views of the volcanoes below before riding to the village of Sant Feliu de Pallerols. Then it would be a trip up to the Table Mountains and, later, the sanctuary of La Mare de Deu Cabera before visiting the village of Les Preses.

Mourne Mountain Ride, Ireland: According to Hidden Trails, “Ride across beaches, through forests, along lakes and over mountains with overnights at a charming guest house or country cottage. This equestrian center with a high standard or horses and lodging is well know for its hospitality and fine cuisine. The County Down area is world-famous for the superb scenery of the Mountains of Mourne. Made famous by that song, the Mourne Mountains are amongst Ireland’s tallest. Slieve Donard, the highest peak, is 2,796 feet high.”

The trail would take riders past the Annesley Estate, riding over Slieve Na Slatt Mountain before passing along Crow’s Lane. Heading to the foot of the Mourne Mountains, riders would pass through the nature reserve at Mulough to the beach at Newcastle before the trail takes them to the ancient village of Maghera.

After spending time in the forests of Slieve Donnard, riders would visit the down of Downpatrick before visiting the village of Bryansford. The trail would finish close to Kilmegan Parish Church.

And then there is Eastern Trekking Associates, which offers excursions to Africa, Australia, Austria, England, India, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and Wales … among the 33 countries it currently visits.

Imagine trips to –

Slovakia: A small country in the geographical center of the Europe, neighbors to Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria and Ukraine, Slovakia boasts seven national parks – including the famous Tatransky Narodny Park and Nizke Tatry.

An eight-day trip would take riders from Mengusovce to Popradske Pleso, a lake in High Tatras, before leading them through the Tatras National Park, the first and the oldest national park in Slovakia. Then there would be a trip to Pribilina, the village where riders can see the original Slovak architecture in the open-air museum. A trip to Low Tatras and a ride across forests and meadows leading to the village of Liptovska Teplicka would follow.

China: A tour will take riders to Beijing, Chengdu, Daocheng, Lijiang, Kunming and Shanghai with a visit to Daocheng, long regarded as the rediscovered Shangri-La. Tour would include visits to the Forbidden City, the Center of Panda research, the Sichuan Basin, the Zeduo Mountain and Tibet Plateau, Sangdui (site of the most tremendous glacier in the Tibetan Plateau), the Chonggu Temple and the snowy mountains of Xuanlairi.

There are lots of exotic locales and any one of them would beat being stuck in the northeast as another snowstorm meanders through.