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Last Update: 17 Jun 2010

Riding Holidays | Australia

Horse riding vacations in Australia are generally focussed on the natural wonders of the country, exploring the mountains and coastlines with canters along beautiful empty sandy beaches. With one of the lowest population densities in the world, Australia is one country where you can be sure to get away from it all on a horseback riding holiday. Australian equestrian vacations are some of the best available anywhere in the world.

Horses were introduced to Australia by the European settlers and were used on the farms to muster cattle and sheep, and as transport. Due to the long journeys by sea that the imported horses had to endure, only the strongest survived, and so local Australian horses are particularly known for being healthy and strong. Many escaped or were released when farms closed and they continue to flourish in the wild as feral herds of Brumby horses. Australia has more wild or feral horses than any other country, even outnumbering the American Mustang.

One of the most well-known accounts of a Brumby horse is in Banjo Paterson’s poem ‘The Man from Snowy River’. There is a lovely horse riding holiday in this area of New South Wales. The Snowy Mountains Ride takes you through the Kosciuszko National Park. This is a five day horse ride staying in tented camps.

To the north of Brisbane at Noosa is a great coastal ride called Equathon, where you can explore the beautiful beaches of the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.