Ask someone to think of an animal beloved around the world, and more often than not, their reply might be, “horse.” These beautiful, intelligent creatures form tight bonds with humans, both through work and pleasure. They also embody the urge so many of us have to wander and roam. Whether you want to interact with or simply better appreciate horses, consider one of these equestrian activities during your travels.
Attend the Argentine Open Polo Championship in Buenos Aires
Polo got its start approximately 2,000 years ago when a “very inventive person living in central Asia” hopped on a horse, grabbed a stick and started to “knock around a ball with some friends,” The Times said. Today, one of the sport’s most “prestigious” events is the Argentine Open, held at the Campo Argentino de Polo, or Cathedral of Polo, every November and December. Tickets are pricey, and if you visit another time of year, you can instead watch local clubs play. Even if you are a newbie to polo, there is “something thrilling about watching athletes on ponies racing across a field,” Condé Nast Traveler said.
See the wild horses of Assateague Island in Maryland and Virginia
No one is sure how the first wild horses arrived on Assateague Island several hundred years ago, and the mystery is part of the equines’ charm. This mid-Atlantic barrier island is shared by Maryland and Virginia, and during the spring, it is “not uncommon to spot mares strolling around with their foals,” Travel and Leisure said. Horses are spotted more frequently on the Maryland side, but you can ride them year-round in Virginia (this is a seasonal offering in Maryland). Assateague Island does not have any hotels, but camping on the Maryland side is an option and lets you “fall asleep to waves crashing” and “wake up to horses roaming free along the beach.”
View Przewalski’s horses at Hustai National Park in Mongolia
In Mongolia, horses play a “significant” role in the country’s culture, Travel and Leisure said, inspiring music, art and even drinks: Airag, made of fermented mare’s milk, is the national beverage. Hustai National Park was created in 1998 as a refuge for Przewalski’s horse, or takhi, the only wild horse species still left in central Asia. The animal was hunted to extinction in the wild five decades ago, but thanks to a successful reintroduction program, there are now more than 400 takhi living in the national park.
Go trail riding through Iceland
Seeing Iceland from the back of a horse is quite memorable. Icelandic horses are “unique,” Condé Nast Traveler UK said, with a “fifth gait, the famously smooth tölt.” When riding, it feels like the “equestrian equivalent of driving in a Rolls-Royce,” and makes a long journey seem over in the blink of an eye.
Visitors can book multi-day trail rides that take them along golden and black sand beaches, through lava fields, past waterfalls and between glaciers, depending on the season and weather. During these treks, you “travel through spaces that cannot be traversed on foot,” and it is “amazing” how the horses navigate “difficult, rocky terrain with such plucky, surefooted lightness.”
Check out the International Museum of the Horse in Kentucky
The connection between horses and humans is strong and has been for centuries. At the International Museum of the Horse, the ties that bind are on display in fascinating exhibitions like Legacy of the Horse, which looks back on five million years of history; Black Horsemen of the Kentucky Turf; and Draft Horse in America. Fans of horse racing will enjoy spaces dedicated to Triple Crown winner Affirmed and Calumet Farm’s Thoroughbred racing trophies. The museum covers 64,000 square feet and is filled with more than 16,000 artifacts, from folk art to horse-drawn vehicles.
Visit the Royal Mews in London
You can’t stroll into Buckingham Palace and meet the king, but you can visit his stables at the Royal Mews. Considered one of the world’s finest working stables, it is home to about 30 horses and the royal family’s dazzling collection of coaches and carriages. The centerpiece is the opulent 260-year-old Gold State Coach used during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the Platinum Jubilee in 2022 and the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.
Witness the Sa Sartiglia festival in Sardinia
The start of the yearly Sa Sartiglia festival may look like “some occult apocalypse,” Atlas Obscura said, but this “strange and fascinating sight” is an ancient medieval celebration dating to the 1500s. It involves “horsemen in terrifying doll masks” racing through the streets of Oristano and trying to grab a tin star with their sword. Being part of the “raving” crowd, watching the action unfold, is a thrill.
These graceful animals make any experience better
