The thing I love second to horses is traveling the world. When I discovered the opportunity to combine my two passions, I was ecstatic. This was a snowball that grew so quickly. I had started planning my long trip to Europe back in late March/early April, and sometime in that planning period, a lovely English lady joined a Facebook group I belonged to for horse-loving women across the world. Turns out, Ms. Holly is a travel agent for a small agency tailored to equestrians. She had shared a video of a ride in Croatia, a country I had already planned on spending a couple of weeks in. It took very little convincing on her end and after a couple days, I booked my riding “holiday” for August!
Prior to leaving for Croatia, I spent less than 5 hours in an English saddle. I grew up riding western, and although I have been riding for 15 years now, I still felt timid. I had never galloped a horse, let alone one I had known for just 3 days. I have to hand it to the English riders though, they have the much more comfortable riding pants!
First and foremost, you can’t call it a riding holiday if you’re not in holiday (vacation) mode. Well, I most certainly was. After 3 years of working in the service industry, I was more than ready to completely unplug. No cell service? No problem.
A week spent outdoors with just a few other riders and the horses was exactly what I needed. I was actually the only paid rider for the week, however, Stipe has a bunch of wonderful friends who came over and rode with us. One of my favorite things about traveling is the people that I meet, and Stipe’s friends were absolutely a blast! A couple of the ladies and I went out for a ladies’ evening hack, and it was probably one of my favorite rides. We laughed so hard, my abs got double the workout! On another evening, a lovely English gal and her daughter, who were in Croatia for her (the mum’s) wedding came out for a ride. Her daughter was 8 and was a fellow crazy little horse girl. She reminded me so much of myself at that age, and it was so sweet they came out together for a ride (way to go, mum)! After a lovely ride, we sat around the table and chatted about a little bit of everything over a couple glasses of wine. We bonded especially when she offered to pop my horrid blister for me! 
Not only did I get to spend hours and hours a day doing my favorite thing, but I also had the most amazing meals. My host, Stipe, has a very talented cook for a mother. Homemade goulash? Yes, please. Beef stuffed bell peppers? Throw them on my plate! Every meal was a treat, especially for a girl who doesn’t care for cooking for herself. I really miss the Turkish coffee as well.
Now horseback riding is exercise, and if anyone tells you it isn’t, they don’t have enough experience for a valid opinion. Now we all know that exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make people happy (shout out to Elle Woods for that life lesson). I’ve flown all over the U.S. via plane, but on my horse for the week, Rita, I flew. I would break into a smile and not even realize it, until another rider would turn back to check on me and tell me she couldn’t tell if I wanted to go slower or faster because I was smiling so big! It was a feeling of pure joy.
After getting over my fear of not being able to slow my horse down, I couldn’t wait to do it again. Realizing that this horse beneath you could run away with you or throw you off or run you under a tree branch is really something that should make any sane person pause. With that little nugget of reality, when you trust an animal so powerful and sync to their rhythm, there is nothing more freeing and uplifting. The Croatian countryside is beautiful, and while it was blistering hot, I didn’t dare complain. Galloping in the wide open was a dream come true. I started out fearful of galloping, but it turns out, I really like going fast.
If I were to do it all again, which I would do at the drop of a hat, I would start with brining my own gloves. I left mine in Kentucky thinking it would be too hot and forgetting that English horses ride on contact. A LOT of contact. By the third day my hands were covered in blisters and some bled, so I had a bandage on basically every finger. Bring your gloves, ladies and gents! My week riding in Croatia was one week out of a total of six that I spent in Europe. Now, this is a considerable amount of time to spend away from home regardless. I felt pretty tired some days after carrying my pack from city to city. To the ladies reading this, I would suggest packing a few outfits to get yourself started, and if you’re a self-proclaimed shopaholic like I am, pass on those Nordstrom deals and save your shopping for a cute boutique wherever you’re heading!
Another thing I would do differently on my next big trip is to really focus on one country, possibly two depending on the amount of time I have. I would also make the horseback riding holiday the main purpose of my trip, and maybe do more equestrian-oriented things, like visiting a local training barn, breeding farm, or maybe take a lesson in a new discipline. All the clothes (including my riding boots) that I brought with me fit in one backpack. It became a very heavy backpack as I shopped some. And if you’re just riding on your holiday, then certainly pack enough breeches, shirts and socks to get you through a week. But remember, the horses don’t care if you wear a shirt twice!
Hvala, to Stipe and Rita for the most incredible week!
Xoxo,
A Travelling Cowgirl