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Canoes & Accommodation 15 minutes west of Hamilton Native bush, rolling hills and magnificent views of the Waikato
TracksNO flat boring paddocks on our treks! You are in charge of steering your own horse as we ride up to the top of the hill with awesome views across the Waikato. We go through native bush, beside streams and across rolling hill country. If you are feeling adventurous we will take you on challenging tracks that let you discover just where a horse can go. We also have plenty of gentler tracks extending over 600 acres of beautiful countryside.
See our Links page for customer blogs and videos of a typical horse trek
We trek every Saturday, Sunday, school holidays and public holidays all year round, (closed Xmas Day only). All treks are guided. Weekday treks often available - minimum charge of $175 paid in advance when booking (covers up to 5 people for 2 hours) Normal charges for additional people. Bookings are ESSENTIAL. Please book by phone at least the day before and sooner if possible. Rain check: Thunder, lightening, hail and heavy rain don’t wash us out very often but are not pleasant to ride in when they do. If the weather looks really dodgy we will phone you as early in the day as possible. We don’t mind riding in light showers but you may choose not to! Phone Messages: This is a working farm and we are out most of the day (we milk cows too). Please leave a message on our answer machine and we will call back as soon as possible. It helps if you speak clearly leaving your day and evening contact phone numbers as well as your name and some details of what you would like. Emails: We check and reply to emails daily. If you email to request a booking please ensure that you receive a confirmation of your booking request. If it is short notice then it is usually best to phone us.
It is important that you arrive 15 minutes before the trek and fit yourself with a helmet. Since we often have several groups of people booked on a trek, people arriving late may miss the trek departure or get a shorter ride. Ensure you leave home early enough to give you plenty of time! PLEASE ARRIVE 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE TREK IS DUE TO LEAVE. That is 9.45 for a morning trek and 12.45 for an afternoon trek. One hour trek $25.00 Great for getting your first taste! You leave with the 2 hour trek but return to base early with a guide. If you book for one hour then decide you want to keep going for two hours that’s fine by us.
Two hour trek $35.00
During daylight saving months:
Four hour trek $70.00
Weekend cow roundup $30
Glow-worm special $35 Payment: Note: Our normal treks are at weekends, on public holidays and during school holidays. On these treks we group people together which enables us to keep our per person prices low. Minimum charge for weekday small groups Group Fun DaysMake a fun day of it with a group - Horse Trek, Barbeque and Canoes 10.00am – 2.30pm or times to suit! Great for schools and tour buses. Group Fun Day Price (minimum charge $175 payable in advance)
Plus free
Please note that there are no group discounts. Our standard prices are significantly cheaper than other operators and it is uneconomical to provide additional discounts. Groups of 10 or more will usually be required to pay a 50% deposit 2 weeks prior to the booking date. How about Children?Lead ponies for small children – parents you can lead your littlies around on a friendly pony for up to two hours while we go trekking. Go as far as you like on the flat or on the hills. Bring several littlies to take turns or book a couple of ponies. For the smaller heads please bring along their bike helmets to wear. Great for youngsters who need to build up some confidence - $10.00 per pony. (Please note that lead ponies are for YOU to lead your children around on. We do not provide someone to lead them for you and we supply a lead rope instead of reins. If reins are required they will need to come on a trek with guides at the normal rate of $25 or $35). Older Children - Is your child over 6, physically confident and able to ride a two wheel bike alone? Would they be able to take a medium sized dog for a walk on a lead? Chances are they will enjoy a horse ride too. Will my kids be OK? - Well we have never met your kids so it's rather hard to say! Most kids are fine, some will surprise you and be better (or worse) than you thought. Some grizzle, some giggle, some just sit and grin and others go quiet. We have beginner children on most treks, and they are usually quite happy! Crying or screaming children on a trek are no fun for anyone. If this sounds like your children it would be best to lead them around on a pony or wait until they are older. If a child becomes frightened or upset on a trek we look to the parents to provide the necessary comfort just as they would at any other time. If necessary you may need to walk with your child until they calm down. Unless your younger children have been on one of our treks before then it is advisable that they are accompanied by an older family member on the ride as well. Our guides are busy looking after the trek and sometimes children need the security and comfort of someone they know.
What do I wear?Head: We supply helmets sizes 53cm to 62cm. You may of course bring your own helmet if you have one. Feet: Choose closed in shoes that won’t fall off such as trainers, leather boots or gumboots. Please don’t come in open toed sandals, jandals, trainers with really fat tongues that will get stuck in the stirrups, or loose shoes that will just fall off. Also, avoid large steelcap boots because they may not fit into the stirrups. Legs: Comfort is full length, loose, flexible trousers like track pants, cargo pants or stretch jeans. You might regret wearing tight jeans, shorts and crop pants – the stirrup leathers are likely to rub your legs causing abrasion or bruising. Backpacks: It will get in your way and be annoying – really it will. Wear a jacket with a zip up pocket or a small bum-bag for essential items such as medicine or cameras. Items in unzipped pockets are very likely to fall out and get lost. Underwear: choose carefully for your own comfort and support. (Sports bras for the ladies, and jockies for the men) A raincoat, warm jacket, sunglasses and sunscreen are advisable depending on the time of year. For really dodgy weather bring a dry change of clothes! Does it matter that I am a beginner?Absolutely not! On any trek the majority of people are first time riders or have only ridden once or twice before. Some were just led round as a child, and some have had a bad experience that make them very nervous. We also have many people trekking that we define as advanced beginners who have been on a number of hill country treks and mastered the art of steering, starting and stopping. I'm experienced - can you cater for me?Yes! We do our best to give everyone an enjoyable experience. You will understand that we cater to the lowest level of ability but on most treks there are opportunities for experienced riders to trot and canter. We have discovered that people with only ten or twenty hours riding commonly say they are experienced, so we now ask how many hours riding a person has done. We define an experienced rider as someone who is able to be in full control of a lively horse in an open paddock at any gait. You are likely to have at least a fifty but probably hundreds of hours of riding experience and are confident riding hill country. We get many people that we define as confident riders. They don't necessarily have experience or finesse but they have good balance, the strength and determination to control their horse, are happy to give anything a go, and don't care if they fall off trying. Is there a weight limit?We get asked this question almost every week. The upper limit is 130kgs and it helps to let us know if you are over 100kgs so we can have one of our larger horses with a bigger saddle ready. Our largest saddle is about 46cm (18") from front to back. In practical terms it does make a difference what shape you are. If you are a 6 foot tall, fit rugby player you will have no problems. If you are 5 foot tall, would have difficulty swinging your leg over a bicycle or motorbike, or don't have the leg strength to step up onto a dining chair unaided you may find it difficult to ride a horse. Impairments?We encourage everyone that is interested to give it a go. If you are not sure how well you will manage, or if you will enjoy it, then we suggest that you book a lead pony and come with a support person who will lead you around. You can be led both on the flat and on the hills if you want. Unlike the RDA we do not have facilities to lift people onto horses or to hold them on while the horse is walking. We need you to have the leg strength to climb on to the horse and the balance to sit upright unaided. It also helps to have one hand with the strength to hold on. The ability to understand and carry out basic riding instructions is also important. People with recent hip replacements or very stiff hips may find riding uncomfortable. FacilitiesWe have men’s and women’s changing rooms and flush toilets with a hand basin so there is no need to hide behind the bushes. HikingYou want to come with your friends or family but don’t care to ride? No worries – feel free to put on those walking shoes and follow along with us. Alternatively you can follow the main track up the hill for some awesome views. Own horse?For $15.00 you can bring your own horse and tag along on our guided treks or explore the farm at your own leisure for the day. Booking arrangement required.
Web site designed by Hamilton Signs www.hamiltonsigns.co.nz
Contact Details
15 minutes west of Hamilton Horse Treks, Trail Bike Rides, 4WD events - drive right to the end of Smith Road - follow the signs |
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