New to riding
Never sat on
a horse? Begin
here.
If you have never ridden — or sat on one once, a long time ago, and remember little of it — you are precisely the person we most enjoy taking into these mountains.
Why we like taking beginners out
The pace of things
slows, and something
comes back.
Something happens to people out in alpine country on horseback. The noise of ordinary life falls away behind you, and what returns in its place is a kind of freedom that is difficult to come by anywhere else.
Some call it adventure therapy. We have watched it settle over hundreds of first-time riders, and we would be delighted to watch it settle over you.
No experience is needed. What we ask is modest.
Gentle ground, unhurried pace — the usual first hour
A little general fitness
Enough to mount and dismount, and to stay comfortable in the saddle for the length of the ride.
Under 110 kg
If you are a larger build and reasonably fit, write to us anyway — we will see what can be arranged.
Aged 10 or over
Younger riders come out with us often, and the mountains do not much care how old you are.
Where we suggest
you begin.
Three trips, in order of how much time they ask of you. Any one of them is a proper day in the high country — none of them is a nose-to-tail plod round a paddock.
01 · 1.5 hours · from $160
The 1.5-hour scenic ride
Suited to riders of every level, and a true alpine outing from the moment you take up the reins.
The pace is unhurried — there is no trotting or cantering. What you are given instead is a proper hack up to a lookout at around 1,000 metres, a passage through native bush, a couple of creek crossings, and the wide, dramatic country of the St James homestead opening out around you. The early settlers worked this same ground, in much the same manner we still do.
The ride goes out in a group, though a small one: four or five people at most. Your guide reads the group as it rides and shapes the pace to suit, so that everyone comes away with their share of it. Nobody is left feeling out of place.
Best suited to: those riding for the first time, city dwellers in need of a little adventure therapy, visitors to Hanmer Springs seeking something beyond the village, and seasoned riders with only an hour or two to spare.
02 · 3.5–4 hours · from $350
The half-day ride
Well within reach of a keen beginner ready to venture a little further. It follows a set loop that carries you deeper into the St James, and midway through, the Edwards River valley opens before you — a view that has a way of sending riders home and straight to the booking page for the overnight trip.
The terrain is largely flat, so it asks little of you physically — yet it leaves room for a first trot, and even a canter, should you wish. We ride in western saddles: broad and comfortable, with generous stirrups and a horn to hold should the trot feel like a great deal at first. It is a kind way to make the attempt.
Some earlier experience at the trot or canter is certainly an advantage. If you have none, that is no obstacle — we will keep you comfortable and safe, and you will take in the country at a pace that suits you. This too is a group ride of four or five, and all decisions on route, pace and manoeuvres rest with the guide.
Best suited to: beginners ready to test themselves a little, riders wanting their first taste of trotting or cantering in open country, and anyone with half a day and an appetite for something larger.
The overnight trip
The best of them
for beginners — and
we will not stop
saying so.
03 · The overnight
hot pools trip.
Two days, one night, from $1,300 — a legendary trip, and one you will find yourself recounting in the office for months afterwards. The full details are set out here, but this is why we press it upon beginners in particular.
A private ride, built around you
This trip goes out for your party alone — a minimum of two riders and a maximum of four, so the pace is shaped entirely by the people in it. We have had particularly warm feedback from couples in which one partner rides well and the other has never ridden at all.
A short ride, gently paced
Ten kilometres between our base at the homestead and the camp, and we take three to four hours over them. A string of pack horses travels with you and sets a rhythm no one need struggle to keep. Any basic level of fitness will manage it comfortably.
A camp beside natural hot springs
There is little better than lowering weary muscles into hot water beneath an open sky. And if further riding holds no appeal once you have arrived, there is no obligation whatsoever — soak, wander, or do nothing at all while the guides see to camp and the evening meal.
Everything looked after
Fully inclusive: the camp and all meals, prepared with your preferences in mind. You need only bring a sleeping bag, or hire one from us. There is good New Zealand steak to look forward to, and afterwards a canvas tipi of your own with a little wood burner inside it.
No bushcraft required
You need not be a
bushman. You should
come kitted out.
The camping gear is first rate, the meals are planned, carried in and cooked for you, and the forecast is watched closely on your behalf. What we do ask is that you come prepared for exposure to the elements — good personal gear makes all the difference out here — and, most important of all, that you are not frightened of horses.
- A sound waterproof jacket
- Warm layers — a merino base layer, top and bottom, or its equal
- A fleece or thick wool mid-layer
- A decent membrane over the top: Gore-Tex, oilskin, even a plastic poncho
- Wool socks and sturdy hiking boots
- And a second set of all of it, in case the first gets wet
A tipi of your own, and a wood burner inside it
Best suited to: beginners who want the whole experience rather than a taste of it, couples and small groups riding at mixed levels, anyone in need of a proper reset, and those who would rather have the mountains to themselves.
Your first day,
more or less.
And what of our
other trips?
You will have noticed that not everything we offer appears above. Here is our honest reckoning of the rest.
The full-day ride is simply more demanding, in body and in mind — five to six hours in the saddle is a long day for anyone new to it, and it is popular chiefly with experienced riders. A beginner may well find it uncomfortable. That said, if you are booking alongside a group of experienced friends and wish to test yourself and go along with them, you are very welcome to. If you are uncertain, write to us and we will talk it through.
The two-night hot springs trip is genuinely within reach of a confident and keen beginner. The only real difference is that the second day is given over entirely to free riding — and if that appeals to you, come. It is a private trip, so the pace will be built completely around your party. All we ask is that you are candid with us about your experience, and we will advise you properly. It works particularly well for groups of mixed ability.
The Fowlers Circuit is the one trip we truly do not recommend to a complete beginner. Four days of riding, four to six hours each day, over challenging terrain and through weather that changes without warning, with a mountain pass to cross and a river besides. It is demanding both physically and mentally, and we expect our guests to be confident in the saddle. You need not be a national champion — but you must be able to hold your balance confidently on steep and uneven ground, to keep control of your horse in any circumstance, and to be at ease at both trot and canter.
Still not sure which one is yours? Tell us what you have done before — even if the answer is nothing at all.