DAY 5: CROSS-COUNTRY HORSEBACK RIDING IN IRELAND

Stace's Places:  The Crossogue Equestrian Center

Ireland is known as a haven for equestrians, as horses and farms are as prevalent as Starbucks and Duane Reades are on NYC street corners.  Horses are part of the culture here and many kids are in the saddle as they are learning to walk.  Ireland also draws horse people from around the world to work where the equestrian lifestyle is common, accepted, serious, yet fun.  Because of this appeal, many barns operate as bed and breakfasts for kids, adults and families on holiday.  After conducting serious research about where to go for an equestrian vacation, I decided that the Crossogue Equestrian Center was the right place for me, with a low-key atmosphere, a homey/hands-on feeling and excellent trainers and opportunity for riding.  Just a little over an hour away from Dublin in the town of Thurles, Crossogue is convenient, accessible and I couldn’t have had a better experience.

I know I’ve mentioned Crossogue and my riding experience in different posts, but since it was really so special and amazing, this post will be dedicated to Crossogue and my riding experience specifically.

When I arrived, I was greeted by Mark and Sophie who run the business and guesthouse respectively, along with a few other guests and about 70 horses.  The farm caters to kids and adults with a focus on cross-country riding (natural jumps like logs and fences in a big field).  The other business at Crossogue is breeding and training race horses to compete in steeple chasing (3-mile races filled with large 4-foot jumps throughout, think of a marathon type of endurance but for horses).

Training the race horses

In the guesthouse, my room was simple, yet comfortable and probably larger than my entire NYC apartment.  The windows open up to the pasture so horses can be seen walking around any time of day.  Downstairs is the kitchen and some common rooms / living rooms. 

Sophie is in charge of the cooking and not just the three daily meals – she is a master baker and every time I step foot in the kitchen, there is a new treat on the counter waiting to be eaten.  In fact, we celebrated Easter together and she prepared the feast for all of the guests, herself included.

In addition to the delicious food (complemented by the 100+ varieties of homemade jam by Mark’s mother – my favorites were the strawberry champagne and the berry (can’t remember what type) and Guinness), there was something special about mealtime.  Guests from all over the world would come together three times a day to fuel up, chill out and try to communicate over the common love for horses.  Throughout my stay, two young French girls – Adelaide and Chloe – became my adopted little sisters, often communicating in Spanish when we didn’t know the right words in French or English.  Also, a mother and son and two other girls from Italy joined later in my trip.  It was a challenge, but a very interesting one, to communicate with everyone and learn about their cultures.  Chloe even made a French yogurt cake for us one evening – tre bien!

Sophie preparing Easter lunch

Getting to the heart of it – the riding!  My very first ride was in the arena to get acquainted with Becky as my instructor and Rosie as my heavily shedding grey mare.  Super comfy trot (yes!) and equally smooth canter.  She is an honest jumper and an all around good and willing horse.  That afternoon I took my first ride out to the cross-country fields to get a taste of ‘real riding’ as Becky called it.  To the naked eye, someone may see the fields as just that – fields.  But to a cross-country rider, the trees, logs and other obstacles are strategically placed to be jumped by horse and rider.  Throughout my stay, I had some private lessons and some as a group with the French girls.  There was always plenty of hands-on instruction and Becky was able to tailor her instruction to everyone in the group’s individual level.  As you can read in my “JUMPING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE” post, I truly got a lot out of this experience from a riding and confidence perspective.  

Rosie and me

Becky is a wonderful instructor and really gets the rider to think about what they are doing logically, without them overthinking.  She will bring a rider to a jump for the first time and ask what makes that jump different, scary or inviting.  She will answer questions and push you when she knows you can do better.

I didn’t get to ride with the other instructor Nole, but I did get to joke around with him quite a bit… the ultimate joker and smart ass, and an overall nice and fun guy.

Nole

I highly recommend a visit to Crossogue for anyone interested in horses or looking for a getaway.  With a nonstop fight to Dublin in under six hours, getting there is as easy as a trip to California, but with a completely different culture, accent and jolly attitude.