subject: Choosing A Family Horse Riding Holiday [print this page] We wanted to take a family holiday where we could all enjoy ourselves. We all ride horses to varying degrees of ability and decided that this year, we would take a holiday based around horse riding but with lots of other activities that we could do as a family or with others. We didn't want to be riding all day every day, so I did some searches on the internet and discovered that there were some fantastic guest ranches where as well as riding, there were plenty of other activities on offer. We eventually chose a ranch in Arizona which had a kids club, tennis courts, swimming pools and a spa, plus a plethora of other activities.
The ranch was all we could have hoped for and the accommodation was superb. All the rooms were air conditioned and were tastefully decorated with very comfortable beds. The food was delicious and menus varied to suit all tastes. I was particularly impressed that the menu was the same for children and not a substandard menu of junk food, which I have found to be the case in many resorts. Much of the food was locally sourced with beef coming from the ranch itself. Our children, aged 8 and 10 thoroughly enjoyed the kids club. It gave them the opportunity to make new friends and have time taking part in various activities without us. We also spent time as a family playing tennis, swimming and enjoyed the organised nature walks. The riding was fabulous and the horses were matched to our abilities and were all well schooled and well mannered. I was quite happy doing the slower trail rides, but my husband and daughter wanted to go on some faster rides and the staff were very happy to accommodate our wishes. We were told all about the day to day running of a ranch and how the guest ranch differs from a working ranch - we were very glad we had chosen a guest ranch as it gave us a nice relaxing family holiday!
Our holiday was all we could have wished for and we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We spent plenty of time as a family and whilst the children enjoyed the kids club, my husband and I were able to have time for ourselves. There were many different activities organised by the staff at the ranch and you chose what you wanted to do the evening before. We rode most days and even did a day ride, for which I was very grateful there was a spa on site! The scenery was spectacular and we saw some incredible wildlife. Our guides were very knowledgeable about local history and all the flora and fauna in the region. The organisation and attention to detail was second to none and we had plenty of opportunity to go outside of the ranch to go shopping and exploring by ourselves. All in all, it was the best family holiday we have ever been on and we are already planning our next one.
