Horse riding holidays USA

 The USA must be one of the most famous places in the world to go on a horse riding holiday. The cowboy culture and ranch holidays in the USA are the reason. Who has not dreamt of going on a ranch holidays? We offer a large selection of ranches. Ranch holidays are suitable for
 beginners onwards and all our ranch horse riding holidays offer really good and faster riding for experienced riders, unlike many ranch holidays. But to limit horse riding holidays in the USA to ranch holidays would be only part of the picture, so we offer three exciting point to point horse riding holidays in the spectacular South West. Covering Arizona and Utah, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Navajo Indian culture and much more, these horse riding holidays offer an insight onto a spectacular part of the USA best explored on horseback.

As most riders already know so much about the United States of America, what more can Unicorn Trails do to tempt you to choose a horse riding holiday in the USA? In various Hollywood blockbusters you've already become familiar with Seattle to Chicago, Las Vagas to New York, California to Florida, Mickey Mouse to Buzz Lightyear. You've seen the skyscrapers and freeways and theme parks but forget all those and think Grand Canyon, Old Faithful, Rocky Mountains and miles of wilderness. There is so much wonderful scenery and nature, away from the crowds, to discover on a riding holiday in the US.

The USA, often just referred to as 'America' or 'The States' is the third largest country in the world after the Russian Federation and Canada. Its neighbours are Canada in the north and Mexico in the south west. It has long coastlines on the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlamtic ocean in the east and the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The USA can be considered to be 50 different countries grouped together. The diversity of geography, flora, fauna and climate is huge.

There are many possible horse riding holidays throughout the USA, but Unicorn has very carefully chosen our selection. We focus on quality and safety and of prime consideration are the condition of the horses, the standard of accommodation and the location of the ride. Many people opt for ranch holidays in America but we also include some fabulous riding trails in our US range.

We have horse riding holidays in the following states. Click on the link below to jump directly to a chosen state:
      Horse Riding Holidays Colorado
      Horse Riding Holidays Montana 
      Horse Riding Holidays Arizona
      Horse Riding Holidays Wyoming 
      Horse Riding Holidays Utah 

 
Horse riding holidays Montana:

Montana is a very large state and about 25% is national forest or public lands. Many animals roam here including bears and wolves and the somewhat less dangerous moose, bison, deer, elk, bighorn sheep and antelopes.  Montana has several national parks including the world's first, Yellowstone ,which it shares with Wyoming and Idaho. The Glacier National Park has a spectacular alpine landscape. Unicorn offers two horse riding holidays in Montana.

We have a family run ranch holiday in Montana, Bridger Ranch. Your hosts have years of experience looking after guests. The ranch has been handed down through the family and the hosts are directly descended from the  original homesteaders who actually carved this ranch out of the wilderness. Their love and knowledge of the surroundings and local environment that has been inherited by your hosts is passed onto the guests with lots of narrative tales and historical explanations. The accommodation is in comfortable en-suite log cabins. We know that all cowboys like their food but the meals here are taken around the kitchen table and are quite fantastic. Most horses on the ranch are bred and trained with gentling methods. If guests are interested natural horsemanship clinics are available. Cattle wok is undertaken for all the neighbours, so there is 22 square miles of territory to cover. On this ranch riding holiday in Montana you will be welcomed along with many others who have discovered this haven and return year after year to enjoy the riding, peace and hospitality.

We offer a another dude ranch holiday in Montana, Sunrise Ranch. The location is stunning. The ranch is 7000 feet above sea level and is extemely remote, being surrounded by 2 million acres of wilderness. Old Faithful and Yellowstone National Park are only 1.5 hours drive away. Like most of our ranches, Sunrise  caters for all levels of rider. There are 120 Appaloosa/quarter horses available and different riding groups for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders. The ranch is family run and welcomes families to stay. It has a great children's program from infants to ten year olds, and plenty to do for the older children. If you like fishing as well as horse riding then you'll be interested in the excellent fly-fishing streams (both on and off site) and the stocked casting pond, and there's a fly-fishing guide for the guests. There is something for everyone on this horseback holiday in Montana.

 
Horse riding holidays Wyoming:

Wyoming is the 'Cowboy State' and was once home to that famous cowboy Bill Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill.
To put things into prespective Wyoming is the ninth-largest State in the USA and yet it has the smallest population. Rugged landscape, magical scenery and wide open spaces make horse riding holidays in Wyoming, in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, very special.  Wyoming is home to America's and indeed the World's first national park - Yellowstone. It's here that the Old Faithful geyser faithfully erupts virtually hourly to thrilled crowds. Just south of Yellowstone lies the Grand Teton Nationla Park which is a great place for horse riding. In winter Wyoming transforms into a world reknowned ski resort.

Ranching is still a key industry here, and one of the world’s largest rodeos – Cheyenne Frontier Days, is held every July.  The guest dude ranches are ever popular and Unicorn's rides here are ranch holidays.

Set in the middle of the Bighorn National Forest  Unicorn is delighted to offer a wonderful ranch riding holiday  at  Moose Ranch in Wyoming. If you are looking for a wonderful ranch experience in a remote setting surrounded by nature and wildlife with some cattle work then look no further. There are 18 very solid spacious log cabins with views and verandahs. As so often on USA ranch holidays there are many non-riding activities and entertainments to suit everyone such as heated swimming pool, hot tub, guided and unguided fly fishing and lots of evening fun with singing around the campfire, square dancing and cookouts. In addition to the extensive horse riding program there is a fully supervised children's programme from infant onwards. Pack trips are also available into the surrounding wilderness areas. The welcome is genuine and the nature pristine. Almost everyone returns to visit here again.

Horse riding holidays Arizona:

Arizona is desert country, the land of cowboys and indians and miles of open space. Many of John Ford's famous films were shot here. Its climate - dry desert air and guaranteed sunshine - is very attractive to tourists though beware there can be a big difference between the day and night-time temperatures. The 'jewel in the crown' for Arizona is the truly awesome Grand Canyon. This is a sight that everyone must see at least once in their lifetime and Unicorn has a fabulous horseback holiday in the Canyon. However, there is much more to Arizona. In fact it has 27 National Parks including the amazing Monument Valley with its enormous sandstone spire formations and the beautiful Painted Desert. The Sonoran Desert and Sagauro National Park feature typical desert scenery and Unicorn has some of its Arizonan equestrian holidays based here.

Here's a flavour of our horse riding holidays in Arizona.

Adjacent to the Saguaro National Park we have our riding holiday called Arizona, Tucson Ranch, a family run   ranch set in 5 square miles of desert. This is one of our premier horseback vacations. Guests love getting involved with the weekly cattle work. Experienced riders are catered for with brisk lope rides but less able riders, of all ages, are also welcomed.There are slow rides on the flat and also rides up into the heights of the Saguaro National Park. Families are welcomed here although there is no specific children's riding programme. As expected on a riding holiday in the USA, food is varied and plentiful and the accommodation is of a good spec and spacious with an outdoor pool and indoor hot tub. There are lots of non-riding activities and entertainment such as roping demos, barrel racing and shuffleboard. This is a great choice for a USA ranch holiday.

Some people think the cowboy way of life has disappeared from the praires, gone forever with the cattle drives and the steam locomotives. But the Hassayampa Wilderness still provides nourishment for the cattle, a livelihood for your host family, and a unique horse riding holiday experience! This is a real working cattle ranch. Experience life as a cowboy in the unforgiving deserts of Arizona, USA. Enjoy the hard work, the good times, the beauty of the land and the family atmosphere living the rustic lifestyle. We are sure you'll enjoy the Arizona Working Ranch.

In addition to our cattle and dude ranches in Arizona we also have a trail ride across the Navajoland of Arizona, with dramatic lanscapes and a unique culture. Today the Navajo is the largest Indian tribe in North America. Across the Navajo Reservation sheep and goats are declining and with them the rural lifestyle that bound the Navajo to their land. The Navajo's connection to their land has become more spiritual as many young Navajo move into towns to seek work. However, the Navajo have not abandoned their culture, they are just adjusting to insure their survival.

Our horse riding holiday in Navajoland is a trail crossing three areas of the Navajo Indian Reservation, each very different.  If you are a rider prepared to camp, without all the creature comforts then this is a perfect horseback holiday for you.  We start in the Canyon de Chelly with its impossibly high walls  in which are dotted Anasazi ruins. Then we continue to ride spending 2 days in Monument Valley famous for its natural arches, mesas and buttes. Contunuing on we ride to the foothills of Navajo Mountain, which is rarely visited. From this camp we can see hundreds of miles across a labyrinth of sandstone canyons draining into the Colorado River. Then finally, a really fabulous treat, we take a boat cruise on Lake Powell, stopping to see Rainbow Bridge revered by the Navajo.  

Then we have a fabulous horse riding holiday in the Grand Canyon in its winter pastures. This holiday is a rigorous horse pack trail and is definitely not to be confused with those infamously tedious donkey rides! We explore the Canyon's "Esplanade" these are wide terraces varying in width from 200 yards to a mile wide. In the heyday of the West's ranching era they served as a refuge for cattle from winter storms. Today thanks to the exquisite scenery and solitude, they are an inviting location for winter camping and exploring. The ride takes us to the least frequented drainages and the going can get rough so riders often need to dismount to lead their horses through particularly treacherous areas. Once the trail drops off the north rim, you are unlikely to come across more humas but there's always the odd bighorn sheep or sky mule deer. Even better you may catch sight of a condor soaring overhead. This riding holiday in the Grand Canyon is only for competent riders and you will appreciate the small groups when you ride in this 'mountain upside down' as the Navajo called it. Could there be a better winter sun escape?

So when it comes to horser riding holidays in Arizona you can choose from premier dude ranch holidays or adventurous camping trails.

Horse riding holidays Colorado:

Colorado is a year round destination, famous for the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains and great hospitality. At 1608 metres above sea level, the capital Denver, is known as the Mile High City. This state is home to three spectacular National Parks, native American ruins and ghost towns left over from the gold rush.  We have an excellent dude ranch holiday here in Colorado called appropriately Colorado,Rocky Mountain Ranch. This ranch is in a wonderful location, situated right on the continental divide, about 100 miles west of Denver. The ranch is surrounded on three sides by forest or protected land making an area the size of Britain to ride in with not a fence in sight.  Every ride out from this ranch has a view to rave about.  You'll also have lots of fun team penning the cattle each week. This is a family friendly ranch and it has a fully supervised children's programme as well as a particularly good range of non riding activities. If families aren't your thing then the last 2 weeks from the end of August are always designated adult only weeks. W think you will love this horse riding holiday in Colorado.


 
Horse riding holidays Utah:

Utah is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts and just perfect for a superb horseback vacation. You'll be suprised by the diversity in Utah - national parks, ski resorts, Lake Powell, Salt Lake City to name a few.

Our horse riding holiday in Utah is an adventurous camping trail that actually takes you through norther Arizona and southern Utah A suggested by the ride's name Utah, Three Park Spectacular, the trek takes riders through three of the Southwest's most amazing and truly stunning geological formations: the pink and orange hoodoos of Bryce Canyon, the red and buff labyrinth of Zion Canyon, and the multicoloured depths of the incredible Grand Canyon. The trail starts in the Pariah River Canyon, part of the nation's new Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument. The scenery and terrain on this ride changs constantly from the cool shadows of narrow sandstone canyons,sometimes just a few feet wide, to high into ponderosa pine forests with a clear view across hundreds of miles of the Colorado Plateau. Previous riders have described this as "a place where you can look two days into the future, and one day into the past."  This horseback adventure takes riders through remote, sparsely populated country so riders will encounter few, if any, other people during the course of the trip. This horse riding holiday in Utah and Arizona is very special indeed. Click on this link Utah, Three Park Spectacular to see more details of the itinerery for this ride. 

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If you've made it down to this point then you will be finding it hard to choose from all our quality horse riding holidays in the USA, both trails rides and ranch holidays. Remember you can always extend your holiday and we are happy to make all the arrangements for you. Perhaps you would like to hire a car and drive to Yellowstone or perhaps you'd like a few nights at the Grand canyon or perhaps a city stopover in Denver. Just give us a call and we will arrange things for you.

At Unicorn we categorise our holidays into several categories to help you find the ride that suits your riding level and your requirements. Below we have listed the ride categories that you find on at least one horse riding holiday in the USA:
  
   trail riding holidays
   ranch riding holidays
   mountain riding holidays
   riding holiday with camping
   faster ridingholidays
   advanced riding holidays
   singles horseback holidays
   centre based riding holidays
   premier horse riding holiday
   horse riding holidays suitable for families
   horse back holidays suitable for beginners
   horse holidays that have facilities for non-riders
   horse riding holidays with tuition 
   desert riding holidays
   western style riding holidays
   adventure riding holidays
   health and lifestyle riding breaks
   natural horsemanship riding holiday
   winter sun riding holidays
   heavier rider holidays
   cattle drives

We offer at least one equestrian holiday in the following North American countries and regions. Click on a link to see to the relevant web pages.
horse riding holidays North America: 
   horse riding holidays USA
   horse riding holidays America
   horse riding holidays Canada
   horse riding holidays Mexico
   horse riding holidays Wyoming
   horse riding holidays Colorado
   horse riding holidays Montana
   horse riding holidays Arizona
   horse riding holidays Utah
   dude ranch holidays USA