Salt spray flew high as the horses galloped along the beach in shallow water. Teenage girls on horseback grinned ear-to-ear as their hair blew back and water splashed their faces.
Horseback riding can be more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
A local mom, Deni wanted to do something very special for her teenage daughter’s 17th birthday. She Googled up some horseback riding opportunities and made some calls to find out what is offered.
Turns out our area has numerous good options for changing perceptions and perspectives from horseback.
Opportunities include individual or group rides with a guide. There is a great choice of scenic rides ranging from mountain vistas, canyon trails, and beach rides. The choice is so tough that it makes sense to plan more than one outing.
Deni chose a beach ride, although all options were almost equally enticing.
Once at the horseback riding stables, the guide took care to understand everyone’s riding ability and then match horses and plans accordingly. The ride began in a canyon setting where wildlife viewing was good.
In many cases, critters aren’t as wary of people on horseback and they are of people on foot. The group saw rabbits, squirrels and birds.
They were awed by the majestic presence of a red tail hawk perched on a bare limb and watching the riders pass underneath. It seemed as though that bird was the master of everything within its domain.
While riding along a bluff overlooking the beach, the scenery was breathtaking. The mountains stood on one side and the sea lapped at the shore on the other.
Across the dazzling Santa Barbara Channel rose the enchanting Channel Isles, holding the promise of a different sort of great adventure for another day.
The ride continued down onto the beach, where more wildlife was spotted. There were dolphins swimming in the waves, shorebirds running up and down as waves washed up and rolled back, butterflies from the nearby monarch butterfly preserve, and the ever-present seagulls and pelicans.
A dying sea lion served as a reminder of the realities of nature where survival is never easy.
A wild run along the beach and a gallop along a canyon trail got adrenaline glands pumping strong.
After dismounting back at the stables, a sincere thank-you and a generous tip were given to the guide who was pleased to be appreciated.
Reflecting on the adventure, Deni shared this thought:
“The gift of interaction with nature is a perfect gift for my daughter’s birthday. Bringing her close friends along made it that much more meaningful and gives them some great memories to share together. Me, I had a blast, too. I want to do it again.”
