Go Ireland:When exploring the countryside, four legs are definitely better than two. Whether you want a leisurely hack or a galloping good time, there's an equestrian holiday to suit all of the family, writes Sandra O'Connell
Farm fun in Tipp
The Molloy family’s Georgian farmhouse, and its 150 hectares of picturesque Tipperary farmland, has been welcoming horse lovers from around the world for many years.
In the summer it is given over entirely to unaccompanied teens, many of whom come back year after year for a fun mix of relaxed atmosphere, home-cooked meals and well schooled horses. But from September through May it caters for all the family. Facilities include a large sand arena, an all-weather gallop and a range of rides through rolling hills, mature woodlands and riverbank paths. There is also an extensive range of cross country jumps.
A weekend break with four riding sessions costs €395 per person. Or just send the kids for €850 for a week, fully inclusive. Crossogue Equestrian, Crossogue House, Ballycahill, Thurles, Co Tipperary, 0504 54123, crossogue-equestrian.ie
Wicklow wagon trail
For those who want a horsey holiday without the saddle sores, check out Clissman’s Horse Drawn Caravans.
A week’s stay here gives small kids, in particular, all the fun of minding their very own pony.
Few holidays are as gentle as this. Expect to cover around 12km of gorgeous Wicklow countryside – at its most beautiful in summer – each day.
The caravans sleep up to five and have cooking facilities on board. Within three horse hours you can go from sandy beaches to quiet lakes and majestic mountains.
More than 70 per cent of visitors have no horse experience at all and the Clissman family will teach you everything you need to know before you head off.
A caravan for four (fifth person 15 per cent extra), departing Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, starts at €710 a week, rising to €1,190 in high season. In most cases you’ll pay around €24 a night to park in a farm and use toilets and showers. And if the kids want to ride but you don’t – or vice versa – opt to rent a riding horse for the week to go with you, for an extra €360 a week. Clissmann Horse Caravans, Cronybyrne, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, 0404 46920, clissmann.com
Ring round Kerry
There is no better way to explore the wilds of Kerry than on horseback; the deer ignore riders in a way they never would a two-legged creature.
Killarney Riding Stables is the only equestrian centre that can get you inside Muckross National Park which is gorgeous enough but, to extend the experience, it also offers spectacular trail rides on purpose bred trekking horses, designed to ferry the whole family safely around the Ring of Kerry.
A three night B&B package including two days’ trail ride across mountain, bog and beach, with a guide – with a guaranteed four hours’ riding a day – plus lunch, costs €455 per person sharing. Killarney Riding Stables, Ballydowney, Killarney, Co Kerry, 064 6631686 or killarney-reeks-trail.com
Make for the Midlands
For families who want to indulge in a number of outdoor pursuits, and meet up again in the evening to talk them over – all at once, of course – Annaharvey Farm in Tullamore is worth checking out.
Although it specialises in equestrian pursuits, it offers a variety of activities, including walking, cycling, golfing and fishing. There is also one indoor pursuit; half- and full-day courses at its cookery school.
Close to the Lough Boora Parklands conservation area, with its wildlife and sculpture park to explore, Annaharvey also offers guided hill walks through the Slieve Bloom mountains. The Deverall family, who run it, can kit you out with everything you need from a mountain bike and helmet to an amply packed lunch.
For horse lovers, instruction is available in all disciplines, including show jumping, cross country and dressage, with indoor and outdoor arenas, cross country fences and a network of farmland trails.
One week’s B&B, including six hours horse riding costs €435. Children under 12 share a family room free for B&B. Annaharvey Farm Equestrian Centre, Tullamore, Co Offaly, 057 9343544 or annaharveyfarm.ie
Hare-free hunting
The olde worlde charm of the Belair Hotel and Equestrian Centre in Ashford makes a great spot for a horsey holiday, will forested hills on one side and the sea on the other.
It has two nights B&B, with two hours riding, midweek, for €180 per person sharing. Or beef it up with dinner and four hours riding for €300.
The centre is particularly popular for its mock hunt packages, available in winter, during which absolutely no animal is chased, harried or injured.
A three-night BB package including two dinners, two cross country sessions plus one mock hunt costs €530. There is a three-night package, half board, including nine hours riding, for beginners who want to build their confidence. It costs €570.
Bel-Air Hotel and Equestrian Centre, Ashford, Co Wicklow, 0404 40109, belairhotelequestrian.com
Jump for joy
For pony-mad kids with show jumping dreams, the Fagan family’s Mullingar Equestrian Centre offers a combination of residential accommodation and advanced tuition.
The centre has five sand arenas plus a Grand Prix sized grass arena so beginners (ie, mum and dad) can learn to master the rising trot in one while their offspring whizz around like old pros in another.
In July the place is taken over by unaccompanied teens but in August and September there are family holiday packages suited to kids aged 10 years and up.
A three-day break including B&B, lunch and six hours riding is €350. Evening meals are available for €30 extra and accommodation is in the Fagan family home or in a self-contained unit in a converted barn close to all the action. Mullingar Equestrian Centre, Athlone Road, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, 044 9348331 or mullingarequestrian.com
Hotel for horses
If you are looking for something a little bit further from the action, you might prefer the comfort of a hotel that just so happens to have equestrian facilities nearby that will keep the kids happy.
Moorlands Equestrian Centre is a short head away from the Ramada Hotel Lough Allen, and it is run by members of the same family.
Beautifully situated on the lake shore, in lovely Leitrim, it offers tuition as well as ride outs around the hotel.
Particularly good for younger kids, this one leaves mum and dad free to enjoy facilities at the hotel, or to explore Carrick-on-Shannon a deux, and then they can catch up on the pony tales later.
Three nights’ B&B, one evening meal and three children’s meals costs €499 and guests at the hotel get discounted rates at the stables, with prices starting at €17 an hour for kids. Stay a week and you can book them into a pony camp that runs from Monday to Friday, from 11am to 6pm, for €150 per child. Moorlands Equestrian Centre, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim, 071 9641500 or moorlands.ie
No limits livery
Alternatively, for those who find that too much horse just isn’t enough, the big selling point at Horse Holiday Farm in Sligo is that, when they say the horse is yours for the week, they really mean it. With these holidays, you can ride as much and as often as you want, and on your own. Owners Tilman and Colette Anhold have been running the business for 37 years and, with 62 horses to choose from, put great emphasis put on matching horse and rider.
If you’re nervous you have the option of riding out with a guide but, once you get your confidence, the beaches, hills and trails of Sligo are your oysters.
Go as a family (as long as your kids are over 12) and you can trek where you want, when you want and, crucially, all at your own pace.
A week’s B&B plus horse costs €980 in July and August or you can take a four-day weekend version for euro€ 595, in both cases staying in nearby B&Bs. Horse Holiday Farm, Grange, Co Sligo, 071 9166152 or horse-holiday-farm.com
Donegal delights
For equally spectacular scenery, and riding, Arnold’s Hotel in Dunfanaghy has been encouraging visitors to Sheephaven Bay in Donegal since 1922.
For many people the biggest draw here has been the hotel stables whose yard is run by Wicklow equestrienne Helen McDaid.
A two-day break at the hotel including an hour’s riding along the golden sands of Killahoey beach costs €159 per person sharing, including two night’s B&B and one dinner.
To really get to grips with the landscape however, book a seven-day package at the hotel including accommodation, dinner and breakfast, packed lunches and five days trail riding accompanied by a guide. A variety of trekking terrain awaits you and the package price is €1,239. Arnold’s Hotel Riding Stables, Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal, 074 9136208 or arnoldshotel.com
Donkey walking
Finally, for something a bit different – for hill-walkers whose small children don’t share their enthusiasm, perhaps – the Slieve Aughty Centre in Loughrea, Galway has a donkey walking package.
Choose to stay in the same accommodation each night, exploring different parts of the surrounding forest and country roads by day, or opt for a post-to-post walking holiday, taking on longer routes and staying in different a B&B each night.
All the while your little one can be sitting pretty on a donkey, enjoying the view.
The centre, which also specialises in more traditional equine pursuits, has a number of small, retired ponies and donkeys. They have 20 years’ experience of carrying children and gear, so that’s your packed lunch toted too.
The centre will provided you with detailed maps to get you through some of the remotest parts of the forest. You can stop to eat your picnic lunch by a river or under a tree. Idyllic.
A full-board stay costs €1,135 for the week, for two adults and a child (children under four stay free). Slieve Aughty Centre, Kylebrack West, Loughrea, Co Galway, 090 9745246 and riding-centre.com