Tourists have been discovering how special horse riding here is for years. Now there's an easier way for us to find out, too, writes GEMMA TIPTON
THERE HAS BEEN a good deal of talk about getting back to basics in the tourism industry, of valuing what we do best and playing to our strengths. As those strengths include horses famed the world over for their good nature, beauty, intelligence and speed, it’s no surprise that Discover Ireland has launched a website – www.discoverireland.ie/equestrian – dedicated to horsey holidays.
There are 47 equestrian tourism centres around the country on the Discover Ireland registry, offering lazy horse-drawn caravan trails, thrilling gallops and cross-country courses for experienced riders, calm ponies for small children and gentle trekking for enthusiastic novices.
We headed to Co Mayo to see how special a horse holiday can be. With a group that was a mixture of beginners and more experienced riders, none of us was sure quite what to expect from our ride out.
We had met up at Knockranny House Hotel Spa, at the edge of Westport, and gone on for a tasty seafood lunch at Quay Cottage before meeting Michael Lennon from Westport Woods Riding Centre on one of the beaches of Clew Bay.
I had just been rereading The Irish RM, by Somerville and Ross, and when Lennon led his horses down the ramp of a lorry I pictured him as a sort of Flurry Knox character: that quintessentially Irish type who knows horses and has a particular ability to pair the right horse with the right rider.
In the chapter I had just read, Maj Yeates and his wife had mistakenly been given “the best horses in Ireland” to go hunting on, and I felt a strange sensation of life imitating art as Lennon pointed me to an enormous, and enormously beautiful, black horse that was waiting, grazing, at the edge of the bay.
“Is there anything I should know about him?” I asked as I was given a vital leg-up, me being rather short and the horse being very tall. “Best horse in Ireland,” said Lennon, and the impression was complete.
As it turned out he was right. While the part of our group who hadn’t ridden before were getting used to the feel of their horses and gaining in confidence, we made a couple of circles in the sand before giving in to the temptation that had been growing since arrival – and galloping through the sea, between the shore and the rising slopes of Croagh Patrick.
My animal – an Irish Sport Horse, which is a combination of Thoroughbred and Irish Draught – was strong but good natured, powerful but willing to listen to his rider, and when my friend yelled “Next stop Tír na nÓg” as we raced along I knew exactly what she meant.
We rounded off the ride all together, trekking around the bay, the new riders now comfortable and happy on horseback, before heading back to the hotel for a spa treatment to soothe tired muscles, followed by a relaxing drink to toast the pleasures of the day.
I have ridden in the US, England and Hungary, and, while it may be national pride, I feel that there’s something unique about the Irish relationship with horses, and it’s something that’s hard to put into words. It’s remarkably free of the snobbery that can put people off horses in some countries, and international visitors have been discovering how special horse riding here is for years. This website will make it easier for them and us to enjoy what is, for me, an unbeatable thrill.
On the site you’ll find horse-riding centres, some with accommodation, and some where only the horses and ponies stay overnight, all around the country. You can specify if you want to go beach riding, trekking or cross-country, or even if you want to take lessons to learn, or perfect, your technique. Many centres host clinics where famous riders come to pass on their skills, from dressage to natural horsemanship to showjumping.
You can also visit the horse sales, go racing, see stud farms and experience Ireland’s famous horse fairs. You could watch polo in Phoenix Park (www.polo.ie) or try your hand at polocrosse, known as king of the one horse sports (www.polo crosse.ie). You might not make it to Tír na nÓg, but, like me, you might feel as if you’re already halfway there.
** Knockranny House Hotel, 098-28600, www.khh.ie; Quay Cottage, 098-26412, www.quay cottage.com; Westport Woods Riding Centre, 098-25811, www.westportwoodshotel.com
5 unforgettable equestrian experiences
1Dublin Horse Show RDS, Dublin, August 5th to 9th, 0818-300274, www.dublinhorseshow.com. Some of the world's most fiercely contested showjumping, showing, side-saddle riding and competitions for magnificent stallions – you'll find them all at Dublin Horse Show. It's a highlight of the capital's social calendar, too, as horse lovers converge from far and wide. Some might seem more intent on the champagne bar, but by the time the Nations Cup is being battled out you won't find an eye off the main event.
2Laytown Races Laytown, Co Meath, September 1st, 041-9842111, www.goracing.ie. Every year this beach hosts these famous races. The first recorded meeting here was in 1868. Charles Stewart Parnell was one of the early stewards. Over the years, despite the disapproval of the bishop of Meath at the turn of the century, they became a regular fixture on the racing calendar. There's little to touch the sight of seeing horses flying along the sand between land and sea.
3 Trekkingalong the beach in Kerry Dingle Horse Riding, 066-9152199, www.dinglehorseriding.com. The beaches of Co Kerry are magnificent – and they've even been known to play polo at low tide on Inch Beach – but the beach at Dingle has an extra attraction. One bright January morning we trotted through the village and on to the deserted strand. As we reached a rocky part of the beach that jutted out to the sea, a fin appeared. The horses stood stock still and sniffed the air as Fungi the dolphin came out to greet us.
4Attend the thoroughbred sales at Goffs Kill, Co Kildare, 045-886600, www.goffs.com. Could you pick the Yeats, Desert Orchid or Denman of the future simply by looking at a leggy foal? Could you spot what makes a proud and jumpy yearling a potential world-beater? See the drama unfold as some of racing's most famous names bid against each other, each looking for that horse with the special something that will turn dreams of victory into a turn around the winner's enclosure.
5And for the family Mayo Horsedrawn Caravan Holidays (094-9032054, www.horsedrawncaravan.com) or Kilvahan Horse Drawn Caravans (Co Laois, 057-8735178, www.horsedrawncaravans.com). See Ireland the timeless way on a horse-drawn caravan holiday. Meander through country lanes, stopping at farmhouses as you go. You don't have to know anything about driving, or even riding, horses beforehand, as an introductory session before you set off will teach you everything you need to learn. It's a relaxing holiday for adults that is guaranteed heaven for children.
Hotels with horses
** Castle Leslie. Glaslough, Co Monaghan, 047-88100, www.castleleslie.com. Choosing my favourite place to go riding in Ireland is next to impossible. But if I were to book tomorrow I'd choose Castle Leslie. You can bring your own horse (if you like) to ride through 400 hectares of private land, including woodland gallops, cross-country jumps, bridleways for gentle hacking and, to finish off, a plunge through a lake that had me laughing with the thrill.
** Kilcolman Rectory. Enniskean, Co Cork, 023-8822913, www.kilcolmanrectory.com. Georgian country-house BB where your horse can stay in a beautiful period stable – and possibly come away with delusions of horsey grandeur as a result.
** Mount Juliet Conrad Equestrian Centre. Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, 056-7773000, www.mountjuliet.ie. Ultra luxury at this five-star country-manor hotel, where travelling companions can – should they prefer – waste time on the golf course while you revel in enjoying the countryside on horseback. Trekking, trail riding and grassy gallops, plus masterclasses throughout the year.
** Bel-Air Hotel and Equestrian Centre. Ashford, Co Wicklow, 0404-40109, www.belairhotelequestrian.com. The country-house appeal of the Bel-Air is friendly and relaxed. There's a slight sense of faded charm, but that's all part of the fun, and the horse riding is fantastic. Not for beginners, there's cross-country jumps, and forest rides.
** Westport Woods Hotel. Westport, Co Mayo, 098-25811, www.westport woodshotel.com. The stables are not on site at the hotel, but to be able to ride on the beach at Clew Bay and trek the foothills of Croagh Patrick more than makes up for not being able to see the stables from your bedroom window.
** Some centres also have equestrian accommodation, so if you can't bear to be parted from your horse, just ask. For more holidays, see www.discoverireland.ie/equestrian