Back From a Great Riding Vacation
by Fran Paccioretti
New England Edition of The Equine Journal, September 2002

This letter represents a couple of “firsts” for me: I have never written to a magazine expressing my opinion before, and 1 have never had such a wonderful vacation horseback riding.

My husband and I just spent one week at Homeplace Ranch located in Priddis, Alberta, about 45 minutes from Calgary. The only reason we chose this ranch was because of its proximity to Spruce Meadows and the Calgary Stampede, so with trepidation we booked a week of riding.

This was our third horseback riding vacation and it couldn’t have been any better. Expecting that the locale would give us a scenic environment in which to ride, we were not disappointed. The diversity of hills, scenic views, pasturelands, and wildlife provided enough variety for a lifetime of riding. But what made the week the most enjoyable was that safety was the foremost concern of all members working on the ranch. Careful attention was paid to the most minute detail, and the ranch took wonderful care with all of their horses as well as their tack. Fellow vacationers on the trip with us ranged in experience from riders who had never ridden before to a former riding instructor, and all had only accolades about the experience. To top all of this, the meals were almost good enough to have one forgo riding in order to have another home cooked meal at lunch rather than having a packed lunch on the trail.

My husband and I have been well trained in horse care, riding, and safety over the past six years by Gail Lingham at Pine Fall Farm, Lunenburg, Massachusetts, so we were very aware of the do’s and don’ts and cautions of being around horses. Having had two other experiences with riding vacations in which we had concerns, we were thrilled with the entire vacation this ranch provided. We extend our warmest thanks to the ranch hands and especialy to Mac Makenny, the owner.