Exploring the world on horseback can be a truly rewarding experience. The thing about modern living is that it can take us away from nature—and a vacation on horseback can help us reconnect with it. By engaging your body and mind with both horses and your surroundings, you can gain a greater appreciation for life and equestrianism—and even a better understanding of yourself.
That’s not to mention that riding horses in new environments can be exciting and fun! You’re guaranteed to have a great time, especially with Verified Market Reports noting that riding tourism is now a billion-dollar industry. That means it’s investing more money to enhance your experiences. Now, you can try everything from tours to excursions on beaches, in deserts, through forests, atop mountains, and more!
However, it’s also true that it can be challenging to navigate the now numerous types of horseback vacation experiences you can try. You may have a few questions about what to expect in different countries, the essentials you should know, and how to make the most out of a solo trip. You might even want to read some firsthand travel experiences to bolster your know-how!
In these cases, why not download a few handy ebooks to guide you along?
To make the most out of your equestrian adventures, it helps to get some tips from the experts. That’s exactly what ebooks will give you: professional advice on the subject of your choice, condensed into a handy digital guide. The best part is that you can easily take them anywhere. Instead of trying to fit a bunch of bulky physical copies into your luggage, you can download virtually an entire library onto your phone or a dedicated e-reader before your trip—meaning you can easily read up on the information you need before departure, on the way to your destination, and even during your trip itself.
Thanks to modern digital platforms, you don’t need to buy these ebooks individually, either. Signing up for Everand’s ebook subscription means you can access thousands of titles across more than 50 categories. For a monthly fee equivalent to the price of a single book, you can read works like California Coast Trails: a Horseback Ride from Mexico to Oregon and Riding Into the Heart of Patagonia—all of which you can download for offline reading onto the device of your choosing. You can even check your local library to expand your resources. For example, you can borrow ebooks from the St. Louis County Library even without a library card. That can make it even easier for you to download the horseback travel guides you need.
But which ebooks should you start with? Here’s a handy list you can try:
Need a guide that covers all the basics? Download The Horse Travel Handbook. It was written by CuChullaine O’Reilly, who founded The Long Riders’ Guild (LRG)—a global organisation of riders who’ve covered more than 1,000 consecutive miles on horseback—so you can guarantee that this ebook has the best insights possible to inform your travels. Here, you’ll find tips on everything from how to organise your trip to the essential equipment you’ll need for your journey. If you’re not booking with an organizer, O’Reilly will walk you through how to plan your own routes—and even which horses will be best for your chosen destination. You’ll also get riding advice, including how to optimally load your pack saddle, ford rivers, cross international borders, navigate vehicular traffic, and the ideal distances to cover per day. O’Reilly even adds tips for how to overcome language barriers when you need provisions like hay, making this a truly comprehensive read you’ll want on your next vacation on horseback!
Renowned equestrian Krystal Kelly is a true adventuress. She’s been to over 60 countries—including those where women aren’t allowed to ride on horseback—and is well on her way toward her goal of visiting every country in the world. She’s also currently the only American FEI III Coach! That makes her the perfect expert to refer to when you want to try horseback riding in a specific country. Kelly’s ebook compiles all the horse stables, polo clubs, and even travel agencies you need to know about when organizing the riding vacation of your dreams. Thanks to its digital format, every establishment comes with tappable Facebook and website links, as well as working email addresses, so you can get in touch with the ones you choose as soon as possible. With more than 400 verified listings in over 180 countries, Horse Riding in Every Country is the perfect download if you want to save yourself the time and effort involved in painstakingly researching the internet just to draft your itinerary.
Traveling solo in itself is already challenging because you do have to go the extra mile to ensure your trip goes smoothly, even if you're organising and going about your itinerary on your own. What more if you plan to go horseback riding without the help of a travel agency—especially for longer routes on a single horse? That’s where The Essential Guide to Solo Horse Travel comes in. This ebook comes from LRG member Chris MacLuckie, and it’s based on his astounding 5,000-mile journey from Canada to—wait for it—Guatemala. With it, you’ll learn how to choose and fit the most comfortable saddle for both you and your horse, the best ways to feed your horse on the road, and even how to travel long distances with unshod horses. The best part? It comes with photos! By downloading this ebook, you’ll be adding a colourful, illustrative, and extremely useful guide to your digital horseback travel library.
Want to learn more about how you can benefit from a vacation spent on horseback? You may want to read up on some personal experiences—and for that, it’s worth downloading Stories of the Horse Girl. This ebook comes from our very own Sanne Westera. In true Hooves of the World fashion, it details over forty stories of her seven years of traveling. You can read more about her adventures working with horses, exploring the African wilderness, and a few mistakes you can pick up lessons from yourself—and, of course, you’ll get some laughs along the way! This ebook is exclusively available on our website, so don’t hesitate to grab a digital copy for your collection if you want some smiles and inspiration for your next trip.
