Feedback on the Howqua River Ride

Howqua River Ride, Australia

Like so many of our globetrotters, Liesa Tuchen embarked on her first-ever horse riding holiday as a solo traveller, only to find herself surrounded by new friends right from the get-go. That’s the magic of globetrotting: guests and hosts alike are instantly united by a shared passion for horses and travel. And after reading her feedback, we’re pretty confident that the Howqua River Ride will become the first of many Globetrotting adventures for Liesa!
Check out her whole feedback form below.

Were there any stand-out experiences (good or bad) with the accommodation that you would like to mention?
On our ride we stayed in two different accommodations. Both places were immaculately clean and felt very homey and inviting. Both fairly simple, one even off-grid, but that was the point of it and they were both amazing. The locations were great: out in nature, far from stress, internet and the daily hustle and bustle.

Were there any stand-out experiences (good or bad) with the meals that you would like to mention?
The food was great and plentiful. The local produce store catered for us and everything was fresh, nutritious and delicious. There was a nice variety of options for breakfast, prepared with love and a smile by Karen and Beth every morning: muesli, fresh fruit, yoghurt, eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, tea, juice.
Lunch was always on the way. We would stop at beautiful places on our ride to find that Beth had already set up a picnic or set a beautiful table for us and was busy at the barbeque.
Dinner varied from barbeques prepared at our accommodation by the ladies to dinner and stories at the local pub – where we met local Charlie Lovick, who played a part in the making of the movie ‘The Man from Snowy River’ – and a definite highlight was Ben, a private chef, coming to us to cook a fantastic seven-course degustation menu!

Which horse(s) did you ride? And would you mind elaborating as to why you were happy/unhappy with them?
My furry companion for the week was named Ozzie and he was great! He was only five years old and did not yet have a huge amount of experience with long rides, but he was absolutely amazing, carrying me safely and sure-footedly up and down steep slopes, through rivers and on great canters.
He was responsive to my cues, bravely did everything I asked, and as a big bonus, he is a huge snuggle-bug! Ozzie really is a sweet boy with a great character and was very well matched to my personality and ability.

In respect to your guides, please elaborate as to their level of service, knowledge of the environment and hospitality.
In short: 10 out of 10 on every level!
Michael, Karen and Beth were amazing. From start to finish, everything was very well organised and catered to the personal needs of everyone in the group. On our rides, it felt like Michael and Karen knew every stone along the way. They were very knowledgeable of the many tracks, the horses, the plants, and the legends and history of our surroundings. Their hospitality was amazing, too. They made you feel welcome and ‘part of the herd’ straight away. They are simply genuine people who love their horses, love their country and love sharing it with us.

Did you have a favourite day or experience while on your Globetrotting holiday?
There was no favourite day or experience – the whole trip was my favourite experience.
Every day had different riding, different activities on offer after the ride, and was just a highlight in itself.
It was also great to see a different lifestyle to mine. I live in the tropics and have not been in the mountains much, so it was great to see, hear and learn new things.
And of course I have to mention the great ladies and the gentleman I met in my group. I was the only single traveller and they all welcomed me right away.

In terms of value-for-money, how would you rate this particular ride?
Excellent.

We would LOVE a testimonial about your Globetrotting experience to share on our social media channels.
I recently went on my first Globetrotting adventure as a single traveller and absolutely loved every minute of it! I felt in good hands right from the start as everything was easy and well organised, both by Globetrotting before departure and by Michael and his team on the ride itself.
Meeting Michael and Karen, you know right away you’re in for a genuine experience. Those two are great people to meet. Very knowledgeable about horses (and humans, too I think!), the high country itself, its stories and its history. They gave us their hospitality, lots of laughter, good advice and patience, and made it a very personal experience.
As a single traveller I was a little bit nervous about, well, doing it on my own, but any concern was gone as soon as I met Michael, Karen and of course the rest of the group. The group size was perfect and everybody was there for the same reason: having a good time and enjoying the world on the back of a horse.
So if you’re a single traveller and worried about going by yourself, there’s no reason to worry AT ALL.
All the horses were friendly, happy to interact with us and keen on the ‘job’, and they (and their tack) were very well looked after. Everyone in our group was happy with Michael’s horse matching.
The riding was different every day. We climbed up and down hills, made over 52 river crossings on the second day, cantered through the bush, enjoyed the forest, and had nice relaxing rides on more even terrain with visits to some historic huts, with lots of information about high country life supplied by our guides.
The pace varied from walk through to canter. There were all levels of riding experience in our group – from very beginner to super advanced – and there was always the option to bail out if you didn’t want to do something, but at the same time, Michael and Karen would encourage you to give it a go and make you feel confident and safe.
In the mornings we were welcome to help feed the horses, get them in from the paddock and of course saddle up.
After our rides we had plenty of options: just sit together with some drinks, have a little snooze, stroll around and explore the surroundings of the properties, hang out with the horses or go for a swim in the river!
To sum it up, 10 out of 10!
I literally have nothing negative to say and hope everyone taking the trip in the future will enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to Michael, Karen and Beth for making it so special!

Last words of advice: If you haven’t seen the movie ‘The Man from Snowy River’ yet, make sure you watch it before the trip!

And finally, where is your next dream Globetrotting destination?
It is really hard to pick, because I actually want to do them all… but with COVID-19 limiting us at the moment, my next pick would be another ride in Australia.

Happy globetrotting, Liesa! May all of your horseback adventures be as thrilling and beautiful as the first.
To learn more about the Howqua River Ride, click here.