Just recently I had my very first horse riding experience with Lighthorse Adventures Horse Treks at Glenorchy in New Zealand and boy was it memorable. Glenorchy is another of those little towns close to a lake (you’ll really enjoy the views of this place from Glenorchy Wharf) that offers some really nice off-the-beaten track experiences and Lighthorse Adventures Horse Treks is exactly one of these. And if you happen to be a fan of the Lord of the Rings, you’ll be glad to know that the town served as a major filming location for the beloved film adaptation.
Lighthorse Adventures Horse Treks at Glenorchy: Where I Had My First Horse Riding Experience
Now you won’t find Lighthorse Adventures Horse Treks exactly at Glenorchy itself. Rather you’ll have to go up north of the town using the Glenorchy-Paradise Road up until you get Priory Road which you’ll then follow southwest. Just before it becomes Glenorchy Routeburn Road, you’ll then need to turn left into Swamp Road. Just follow this road and you’ll then find yourself in front of Lighthorse Adventures’ ranch.
Pretty much like a lot of the locations I’ve been to here in New Zealand’s South Island, this one has some great views of mountains. If I’m not mistaken, the one in the background is called the Humboldt Mountains which is a subrange of the Southern Alps. Then in the foreground, you have the entrance to the corrals where the horses are kept.
After a short walk from the car park, you’ll find yourself at the corrals. At the time I took this photo, there actually wasn’t a horse in sight. Later on, I found out that they’d typically only take out the horses from the stables once there are visitors (outside of when they take them out for exercise).
Here are the outhouses/toilets for guests/visitors. It was nice that there were actually four of these here and the one I used was actually quite clean for the most part. That said, it’d probably be prudent to make sure that you’ve done your business at the hotel you’re staying in if you do plan to visit (just in case you come here at a busy time or when there are plenty of other guests around).
From the outhouse area, I then caught sight of where I was supposed to be next. The check-in area is in the middle ground of the image where you can see a tent with a rounded roof next to a repurposed shipping container. The walk from the outhouse to that area was also relatively short.
Once you get there, you’ll be greeted with a large sign with the words “Check In” that’s plastered on the side of the repurposed shipping container. Just off to its side, you’ll then see the entrance to the Check In area. I actually liked how simple and rugged this all looked though I understand that it might not be for every one.
Once inside, the first thing you’ll probably see is this wooden horse statue complete with head and saddle. Now you’re probably thinking this is going to be what you’ll be practicing on but that’s actually not the case. Rather, it’s actually just a prop and guests are actively discouraged from mounting it (see the sign hanging from its neck).
Aside from the wooden horse prop, you’ll also notice plenty of clothes and boots here. These (the boots to be specific) are not what you’ll typically be wearing on the horse rides but you can actually buy them as souvenirs if you’re really itching to have them. I’m not going to lie, my eyes actually lit up a little when I saw the cowboy boots as I’ve always found them cool.
Before you participate in any horse riding activity, staff will make sure to get your weight. Now you’re probably wondering why this might be the case. It’s really simple. They do this to ensure that you’re paired with the right horse.
In this section you’ll find some of the items being sold here. Western Style Hats go for 120NZD while there are also Ariat Merino socks that sell for 54.95NZD for a pair. Now I’ve looked into the pricing of these items and the socks are definitely a little overpriced (especially when compared to pricing on the Ariat website). As for the hats, I think they’re priced just right though I’m not too sure what material was used on them so I still might be wrong.
This is the waiting area for the horse riding tutorial. Once you’re done with the check in process, you’ll then be asked to wait here as they still need to get the right horse for you based on the weight that was recorded. To ensure the horse’s health and your safety, it needs to be able to carry only 10%-20% of its body weight (you as well as gear and tack). Moreover, Lighthorse Adventures Horse Treks won’t allow you to take part in the horse riding activities if you actually weigh over 105kgs.
Now even with the weight precautions, there’s still a chance that you might end up in an accident. So before you actually ride, you’ll need to sign a waiver that absolves (for lack of a better term) Lighthorse Adventures Horse Treks from any liability. Don’t worry though as this is standard practice for a lot of these types of horseback riding tours.
This is a drawer/cabinet near the refreshments area still inside the tent. I was actually quite interested in the piece of paper advertising the establishment’s oilskin coats. According to the inscription on it, these coats are actually waterproof. That said, the real reason this caught my eye was that I really liked how the coats looked! I mean, don’t they look cool?
Here’s what the refreshment table looks like. It’s not fancy but it does have a wide selection of drinks that you can choose from to make for yourself. According to the sign, these are great for after you’re done with your horseback riding activities.
Aside from the oilskin coats and boots, you can also opt to rent out these plaid bush shirts. If I’m not mistaken, these are from Swanndri which also happens to be a homegrown NZ brand. These specific bush shirts are made from 100% NZ wool and are perfect for weather here thanks to their insulation, breathability, and their being able to stay warm even when wet.
I mentioned oilskin coats earlier and so here they are. I must say, they look very weathered and it seems like they regularly see plenty of action. Now I did say that I thought this looked cool but renting one isn’t actually mandatory.
Though an oilskin coat isn’t mandatory, you will need to make sure that you have appropriate boots/footwear for this horse riding experience. Now packing boots can be a hassle so your best bet is probably to rent one here. Thankfully, you’ll find plenty of horse riding boots here.
Since you’ll need to take them off, you can just leave the shoes you wore on a dedicated shelf adjacent to the rack where you found the boots. One thing I forgot to mention is that your guide will determine if your footwear is adequate for horse riding. This means that you might have brought along your own boots but if the guide says they’re a no go then you’ll still have to get a pair from them (which is typically included in the package).
Aside from boots, you’re also going to need to wear helmets. The establishment has plenty of these for you to use and these are also typically included in the tour package you choose. As for the state of the helmets, some had signs of wear and tear on them but all were structurally intact and looked as well as felt quite sturdy.
After your ride, you’re then asked to deposit your helmets and boots in these designated boxes. This was still early in the day and the first set of guests were still being instructed so these boxes were still pretty empty. These did end up getting full later on though.
Here’s another look at the waiting area. You’ve probably noticed that there are now horses here. These guys were just brought out from the stables just in time for the start of the guides’ instructions and tours.
I’m not going to lie, I was excited and more than a bit nervous when I saw the horses. I knew that our guides were professionals but there was still that nagging feeling of paranoia that actually had me second guessing myself. Thankfully, a quick search showed that there hasn’t been any record of any accidents with Lighthorse Adventures (at least online) so that put me at ease a little.
One thing that I also found endearing about the place was the waiting area. If not for the sun, you probably would have found me sitting in this area the whole day. The seats were really comfortable and the view of the mountains was just so relaxing to look at.
So while waiting for my turn to be instructed by my guide, I checked the boots and helmets section again. You’ll notice that the boots aren’t as ornate as the cowboy boots that were being sold at the check in area. Even with the difference in aesthetics, these still do the very same job of ensuring your feet don’t get wet.
Now just look at these cute horse plush toys(or are they actually ponies?). I kind of only noticed them when I got back here to wait for my turn. These were so cute I actually wanted to get one for myself and as a souvenir.
Here’s another look at the oilskin coats I mentioned earlier. Now I was really interested in wearing one of these but then the thought of the wind blowing them all over the place made me second guess myself. Moreover, there really wasn’t any rains or snow when I went there so I actually didn’t need this.
Now if you’ve been reading my write-ups for this New Zealand trip, you’d know how much of a fan I was of the Lord of the Rings series. Well, Glenorchy just so happens to be one of the major shooting locations of the movies and you could actually view a lot of the backdrops from the series on Lighthorse Adventures’ Horse Trek tours. While waiting for your turn with the horses, there are books (like the ones in the image above) in the refreshment area that you can check to get an idea of where these locations are and what settings they represent in the movies.
Along with the books, you can also brush up on some of the dos and don’ts when riding horses with this safety information manual. This is pretty straightforward and has a lot of very useful information that should help keep you and your horse safe while on the trek. That said, your guide will also go over a lot of this information and then some just before you ride out.
Speaking of riding out, it was finally my group’s turn! After a short introduction, our guide immediately talked about the things that were shown in the safety information manual shown in the previous image. I made sure to listen closely as I really didn’t want to be the first person to have an accident here. Kidding aside, our guide was pretty nice and she gave out very clear instructions.
With the introduction and instructions out of the way, I then was led to my horse! It was kind of a surreal experience to be honest (just like my helicopter ride to Tasman Glacier from Mount Cook and first luge ride at Skyline Queenstown). While she may not look like it in this image, my horse was really sweet and had a very chill temperament. One of my fears was that she was going to be aggressive but she ended up being pretty docile.
Mounting was another irrational fear that I had prior to meeting the horse assigned to me. I’d seen how cowboys mounted their horses on TV and movies and I was under the impression that I’d have to do the same thing. Thankfully there are ramps called mounting blocks that you can stand on to make mounting your horse easier (as well as to reduce stress and lessen the strain on their backs).
Once I’d finally mounted my horse I was actually quite relieved that all of my fears about the whole thing didn’t happen. I couldn’t have asked for a more level headed animal. She was obviously very used to people and her quiet confidence actually rubbed off on me.
With our group now familiar with the animals, it was now time to start the trek. Now depending on the tour package you get, the route, pace of the trek, and time it takes to finish will be different. Since it was my first time, I obviously had to go with one of the easier routes.
As of this writing, Lighthorse Adventures Horse Treks offers three packages for beginners like me. There’s the Pony Express package which is mainly targeted at kids and just takes around 20 minutes to finish. As for adults, the options include the Easy Rider Experience and the River Wild Experience.
If you’re someone who isn’t as confident in riding a horse then I’d recommend getting the Easy Rider Experience. It’s a walk only ride which means that your horse won’t be allowed to trot or gallop. Unlike the Pony Express, this takes longer to finish at an hour and a half while also providing greater views of the mountains and the river systems feeding Lake Wakatipu.
The trek was very late into the winter season so I made sure to bring the appropriate clothing to keep me warm. There were some river crossings but the waters weren’t that deep. I will say though that I really liked the pace of the ride and I actually ended up having a better appreciation of the views here.
If there’s one thing I regret, it probably had to do with the fact that I wasn’t able to take as many pictures of the views as I would have liked. I still wasn’t as confident on the saddle so taking pictures with just one hand on the reins was a no go for me. That being said, I definitely see myself coming back and hopefully by that time I’ll be a lot more confident and taking pictures while mounted won’t be that much of a challenge.
The tour ended with us dismounting back at Lighthorse Adventures Horse Trek’s corrals. Overall, this was a truly memorable experience that I’d recommend especially for people who haven’t ridden a horse yet. It was surprisingly easy and my fears about getting into accidents were definitely overblown. Perhaps the only real issue I have is just how far from the town proper this area was (which is understandable considering how skittish horses can get when around cars or environments with loud noises).
If you’re looking to learn how to ride a horse and you’re in Glenorchy in NZ’s South Island then you should definitely be looking at one of Lighthorse Adventures Horse Trek’s packages. These start at around 209 NZD for adults and in my opinion, is definitely worth every penny I spent.
Ever tried horseback riding in New Zealand? If yes then be sure to share your experiences and tips with other readers down in the comments section!
