Wales Horse Riding Holidays

Wales, a country which is part of the United Kingdom and to the west of England, is a beautiful country with a great deal of attractive rugged countryside with three National Parks within its boundaries. The country has a population of three million and a great deal of Wales consists of rural land.

The most northern National Park is Snowdonia, which houses Wales’ highest peak. The park is situated in the north west of Wales and sprawls southwards into central Wales. It is a very popular park with hikers and the landscape is some of the finest in the country. Wales has its own language, Gaelic, and the Gaelic word for a horse is ceffyl. The verb that means to ride a horse is marchocáu. In Wales all signage is displayed in English and Gaelic, so you do not need to learn Gaelic to go there, but you can pick some up easily once you get there!

In Wales horse riding holidays can be taken anywhere across the country. You can go on a horse riding holiday in Gower, for example. Gower is just a short car drive to the south west of Swansea, a major city with good transport links to Cardiff and England thanks to the M4 motorway. Transport to Cardiff is also made possible by Cardiff airport, an airport which serves a number of UK airports as well as dozens of destinations in Europe. Cardiff airport flies to most popular tourist hot spots in Europe and allows visitors from across the continent to come and sample what Wales has to offer.

But that is not the only area you can go horse riding in Wales, there are many others, and in fact there is another in nearby Mayals, a suburb of Swansea, meaning you do not even need to leave Swansea to enjoy the pleasure that horses bring. The great thing about these areas is that there are some very pleasant bed and breakfasts so you can just relax and spend a nice weekend or longer enjoying the Welsh countryside as well as taking part in the equestrian activities that are organised.


Photo By Sparetomato

Wales is also known for its own breed, the Welsh pony. The animal was and is used for a variety of activities, from pony riding and trekking to use in the mines and even in competitive driving. There are 4 sub types of the Welsh pony, Section A, Section B, Section C and Section D – Cob. The ‘Section D – Cob’ ponies are the biggest type of Welsh pony, and are often broader than the other types as well.

Section A is known as the mountain pony, and most often has a smaller skull than the other types of Welsh pony. Section B ponies are the most commonly used for riding, and are also used for pony jumping. This type is the most popular ride for children. Section C type ponies are the animals used the most often in competitive driving. The animal also helps breed the Norfolk Trotter, the Hackney and the Yorkshire Coach Horse, which shows that its influence reaches well out of Wales!