Vacation. Without a doubt, it’s one of our top ten favourite words, and an activity that we eagerly plan?—?sometimes starting the day after our last one!
We’ve gone further afield this time?—?clear across the ocean in fact?—?and brought stories detailing the oldest horse trading fair in Europe that dates back to the 1700s; an article about riding a mule in the Grand Canyon and, for those that like to combine learning as well as holidays, there’s a look at Twisted Terrain, a training facility in B.C. that welcomes all to a fast growing sport, Mountain Horse Trail. Enjoy!
Twisted Terrain Horse Park
Seven acres. How long would you enjoy riding on a piece of property that size? Well, if the property was Twisted Terrain Horse Park located near Hope, B.C. it might be longer than you’d expect.
Twisted Terrain Park offers numerous clinics and courses geared around a new equestrian sport called Mountain Horse Trail. “We have all sorts of man-made and natural obstacles packed in our small space,” the park’s manager and co-owner, Laurie Thompson, explains. “There’s a trestle bridge, suspension bridge, teeter-totter, balancing beams, poles for backing up or stepping over, staircases, turn-around boxes, rocks, brush, and water obstacles such as Piggy Dip Pond.”
Ireland’s Ballinasloe Horse Fair
Ballinasloe sits on the banks of the River Suck, a tributary of the Shannon, on County Galway’s eastern side. Its history goes back to ancient times and because of its strategic location on the river, the clansmen of local tribes would meet there at “The Gathering of the Hostings.”
Today, quaint and scenic Ballinasloe is a town with colourful store fronts, welcoming pubs featuring traditional Irish music, verdant city parks, churches with soaring steeples and warm and friendly townspeople.
Grand Canyon Mules
Every year five million people visit the Grand Canyon, and?—?believe it or not?—?most of those visitors view the amazing scenery through their car’s windshield while parked at an overlook!
But that wasn’t enough for me. So several years ago my husband, Doug, and I booked a guided mule ride from the Bright Angel Lodge on the south rim, where we would ride down into the canyon, eat lunch, and ride back up again. It was a seven hour trip covering twelve miles in total, which sounds easy, doesn’t it?!