Exploring Ontario’s trails on horseback is the joyride you need

Has the ennui of city life got you down? Consider trading pedestrian living (literally) for an adventure on four hooves. Whether you know your piaffe from your canter pirouette or the closest you’ve ever been to anything equine is My Little Pony, horseback riding could be the countryside escape you didn’t know you needed.

Just ask Vicky Shaughnessy, a Toronto-based art director who’s been riding, in her words, “almost since I knew what a horse was.” She credits her loyal steed — an ex-racetrack thoroughbred named Orion — with keeping her spirits on an even keel, especially over the past year.

“It got me through relatively emotionally unscathed,” says Shaughnessy, who stables her horse just outside the city. “It’s this space I have to myself, four times a week. As soon as I get out into the country at the barn, it’s this sigh of relief.”

Shaughnessy and Orion (or “Shine By Night” as he’s known professionally) compete on the hunter-jumper circuit, meaning a lot of their time together is spent working on jumps. When the weather warms up, however, at least once a week they head out to “hack” — not mainframes, but to meander in nature around the barn.

“It’s good for mental health, both for the horse and for me,” Shaughnessy explains. “Being able to go out in the fresh air in the company of an animal is therapeutic.” (Literally: Horses are often used as therapy animals, after all.)

The good news, of course, is that you don’t have to be part of the horsey set to reap some benefits. As an outdoor activity that lends itself to physical distancing, horseback riding has managed to continue through the pandemic, albeit with masks and all the other protocols in place. You can take beginner lessons or, even lower commitment, begin with a trail ride, which is a guided tour on horseback, offered by many barns around Ontario.

While your guide should give you a solid briefing before you start — and definitely a helmet to wear, since head injuries are a real danger — Shaughnessy has a few words of practical advice for the first-time equestrian: Wear long pants (or risk chafing!) and a low-heeled boot to stop your foot from slipping through the stirrups (although if you’re riding a Western saddle, running shoes are fine). Most of all, pack your patience. “You’re working with an animal, not a machine.”

And if you’re a little nervous around horses? “Whenever I’ve gone trail riding, the horses are specifically the most kind and gentle creatures, and they’re used to toting around people who don’t know what they’re doing.”

Relax, and enjoy the ride.

Where to go horseback riding in and around the GTA

Toronto’s only riding school, Toronto Equestrian Downtown, can be found in the historic Horse Palace at Exhibition Place, but more scenic routes await outside the city.

Trickle Creek Farms, Millbrook

Located near Ganaraska Forest — a favourite spot for horse owners to bring their mounts for a day out — this farm about 20 minutes north of Port Hope offers scenic trail rides that can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as two hours.

Pathways on Pleasure Valley, Uxbridge

With over 225 acres of forest to explore, this Uxbridge property is a trail rider’s dream and geared specifically at beginners, either solo or in a group. (There’s even a special engagement proposal package, complete with cheese and non-alc bubbles.)

The Ranch, Oakville

Big advocates of what they call “vitamin H” (for horse, of course), The Ranch offers family-friendly trail rides through fields and forests on the outer edge of Oakville’s suburban sprawl.