Ellenor Nixon - Horse Riding Holidays and Safaris

Ellenor Nixon

‘It’s been a hot minute since I got back from Glenorchy in February. The memories are still making the days at the office tough to take. There was no way to prepare for the epicness and truly unique experiences that bound together our group of intrepid Globetrotters.
We arrived after over half a metre of rain had fallen. Nonetheless, as rain threatened to drown out Deana’s voice in the tack shed, she offered us two options. Option A was to ride. I guess we’ll never know what Option B was. If we were allowed on horses, we were getting on horses! The next several hours were spent trekking along the edges of the swollen Rees River. Our guides, Jess and Shaun, never wavered and our horses never put a hoof wrong. My fellow globetrotters also deserve a round of applause. My trusty steed, Beer, who is famous among globetrotters, never hesitated, even when the water rose midway up his shoulders. We were kept super comfortable at Camp Glenorchy as the weather set in that night. The next day was wet and flooded, with some of the houses in Glenorchy being evacuated, but day 3 dawned bright and beautiful, as though the rain had never happened. We rode 21 kilometres and climbed the equivalent of 250 flights of stairs, and the horses got a well-deserved massage when we arrived at the shearing shed bunkhouse.
Day 4 had a lot of river crossings, with Shaun and Jess carefully picking our path. We got a real indication of the extent of the floods, looking at grass and sticks caught in fences far from the river. We rode into stunning Paradise in the afternoon and explored the trust’s property before dinner, gazing down the valley to some recognisable landscapes from many movies.
Day 5 was the one day when we were able to stick to the itinerary. We rode past several new landslips on the Dart River side of Mt Albert before an amazing long canter along the flat by the river.
This trip was unique and unrepeatable. I loved every minute and I’d love to do it again.’

Facebook Comments