Horse Riding in Ireland: 5 Days to Braver Riding

I knew spending five days horse riding at an equestrian center in Ireland would be a blast. I had no idea when I said, “Count me in!” that I would transform my riding in less than a week. Our adult horse camp at Clonshire Equestrian Center, home of the Limerick Hunt, exceeded my expectations in every way.

Note: This blog post is the first of what will be a series on my Ireland trip. Check back for more posts including what to pack for horse riding in Ireland, a detailed ride report with professional jump photos, etc.

If you’ve been following Saddle Seeks Horse on the blog or Facebook or Instagram for a while, you’ll know I’m a passionate rider, but struggle with overthinking in the saddle. Pair that with nerves. My horse Knight is a saint, and I rarely fall off. Actually I’ve only fallen off of him once in seven years and it was a freak accident–this blog post about our fall went viral.

Despite my good track record, I am a very cautious rider.

I’m cautious even though Knight and I have been fox hunting.

I’m cautious even though we rode in a very tough jumping clinic several years ago.

I tend to be a Nervous Nellie while jumping. And since I’m from a hunter/jumper background, I am not a fan of fences that don’t have poles that fall down.

Put bluntly, cross country type fences intimidate me. So for me to not only jump every single day on new-to-me horses, jump just shy of 2 feet 9 inches and even tackle a solid cross country fence without nausea and panic, something in me changed.

You might enjoy What I Wish I Knew Before My First Fox Hunt

The Back Story on Horse Riding in Ireland

My friend Colleen is a fearless rider who has fox hunted a number of times in Ireland. Although I was a fox hunt member when I lived in California and have ridden as a guest in both Illinois and as a guest in Virginia, I do not have the courage to ride a hunt in Ireland.

I did ride in Ireland in the late 90’s, on an unguided ride through County Sligo that took my companions and me from bed and breakfast to bed and breakfast. You can read my blog post 7 Reasons I’ll Never Forget Horse Riding in Ireland here.

“Why do you not want to fox hunt in Ireland, Susan?” you might ask.

I’ve heard too many stories from people who’ve been–stories with imposing stone walls, jumping wire fencing and hunts that last five hours long. And there is no such thing as a second or third field like there is in the U.S. This means in Ireland, EVERYONE jumps. All. The. Jumps. There’s no picking and choosing, no hilltopper groups that take in the action from a slower stride.

One friend I met through Santa-Fe Hunt in California told me about the fox hunting holiday she did in Ireland many years ago. She smiled as she told me that at the beginning of the hunt she had a moment of, “What am I doing!?” and the host said the horses knew how to do it–just hang on.

She told me with a giggle that she kept checking her watch and after the first hour hunting she thought to herself, “Well, I survived one hour and I’m not dead.” And as each hour ticked by she declared to herself, “Another hour down and I’m not dead yet.”

I told Colleen, “I want to ride in Ireland, but I’m not up for fox hunting. I would love to join you and tag along and take photos and just hang out.” Colleen encouraged me to talk to her trainer Cathy (based in Los Angeles) because Cathy was going to lead a group of women to ride at Clonshire. The ladies heading over were of a similar riding ability as me (i.e., they were also not game for an Irish fox hunt).

Without knowing much about Clonshire, but trusting my friend’s recommendation of Cathy and Clonshire, I got the dates and information the adult horse camp would happen and said I was in. I found out later that Cathy is a British Horse Society certified trainer and her aunt and uncle run Clonshire–they have awesome horse credentials.

The Horse Riding in Ireland Schedule

The schedule of my horse riding in Ireland week at Clonshire Equestrian Center in beautiful Adare went like this: a two-hour riding lesson in the morning followed by about an hour and a half lunch break and then an afternoon hour-long riding session which was kind of up to us–our group of four riders–as to what we wanted to do.

Two of the afternoon rides were a group hack to Hollywood–there’s a property down the road from Clonshire named Hollywood. It has nothing to do with the film industry and everything to do with actual holly trees–the kind of dark green shiny leaves paired with red berries used in holiday decor.

On the Thursday of our week a professional photographer came to snap pictures of us during our morning session which I’m so grateful for. I have proof that I was brave and lovely shots with my new riding friends. Check back here for a future blog post with pro photos! I’m excited.

Friday was the pinnacle of my trip. Those of us who wanted to got to ride with the hounds. It wasn’t a fox hunt, but hound exercises meaning the huntsman and a whip had about forty hounds out and we rode single file, clip clopping along the country road and then through the nearby manor property again.

Once we did the 45-minute trotting loop with the hounds, our group came back to the equestrian center grounds. Those who wanted to (were braver) got to do kind of a mock hunt simulation, following the master on the property.

My brave friend Colleen and a few others went along for the second part of the ride. In hindsight I wish I would have since I saw pictures of the fences and there were some small ones. I could have picked and chosen, and the horse I rode was a safe partner. He would have taken care of me.

In the end, I’m glad I accomplished what I did, and now armed with an idea of what to expect, next time I’m at Clonshire I will be game for new challenges.

Adare Extracurriculars

A few other surprises awaited me in Adare, the village where we stayed. First, I had no idea it would be so cute and walkable! After riding every day we could literally walk down a few cottages to adorable shops. (I loved the chocolate shop and their coffee was really good). A little bit further down from where we stayed were a handful of restaurants and a few pubs.

The food in Ireland was excellent! My guess is because we were in a rural area so the food was probably literally farm to table. I don’t eat a ton of meat, but the beef tasted very “clean” and I loved all the different soups with soda bread. I also had to taste test several desserts and they did not disappoint.

The town also had some historic churches, a beautiful park and a scenic walking trail along the river. Adare was as charming as a postcard and the people I both rode along with and received instruction from were fab. I am thrilled I got to experience this type of horse riding adventure and am counting down the days until I can return–most likely June of 2022!

I decided that since I grew so much in the area of courage, I probably will need an Ireland tune up for the rest of my riding life. Who’s in too?

Thanks for reading and tally ho! 

Leave a Comment: Have you ridden on an epic equestrian getaway? Where did you go and how did it change your riding? If not, where would you like to travel?

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