Text and picture courtesy of Cindy and Lindsey
Lindsey and I had a 2 hour ride with Bali Island Horse at Yeh Gangga. The driver picked Lindsey first then came to pick me up from my villa in Seminyak. It was about 40min drive to Yeh Gangga from where I was so we had plenty of time to chat. Natalie, one of the owners was there to welcome us, show us to our horses and check helmet fitting (they had helmets to lend). A big group arrived around the same time as we did and Natalie was nice to get us on quickly so we wouldn't be slowed down behind the group.
The horses looked really well looked after. Nice condition, shiny coats.
Initially our guide (on a smaller pony) had Lindsey's pony, Black Ice, on a lead rope. When he was sure she was comfortable he let her off the lead and we all trotted along, very relaxed. Our guide took very good care of Lindsey and knew the horses very well as they were in his daily care. He was also really happy to take photographs of us with our own camera.
We rode on a beach with black sand (like Kuta's beach). It was really close to the stables and a very easy walk to get to. The beach was really gentle sloping, wide and fantastic to ride on. The frothy waves were beautiful and we enjoyed the sunset and atmosphere very much. Horses were super. I rode in front as I was on a (super quiet) stallion and he liked to be in front, a really gentle personality with a super easy trot and canter. Linds who had not ridden since she was a kid was on a paint pony (about 14.1hh so not a tiny one), really cute looking.
We also took a relaxing walk through the village, with many little trucks and motorcycles but the horses were unfazed. Lots of little kids waved at us.
We crossed a stream on the way back which was short but fun. The water came up to just below my stirrups.
We were taking it easy so we mostly trotted and walked but I had a canter on the way back. Our guide was careful to warn us in advance of the end bit where families were watching/playing football in the evening. The horses were quiet. We were just looking out as we didn't want to be hit with a stray ball but nothing even came near.
Fantastic ride, highly recommended. We really loved our horses and mine was just such a special personality. I was sad to say bye. There's another riding place nearer to the main tourist area but I'm glad we tried this place. The owners (Natalie and Leanne) are Australian. They're riders themselves although now that the horses are busy they don't ride to let the horses have a day off when they can. We had a nice chat after the ride with a drink until the driver took us back.
Oh yeah, they had 2 pet monkeys. One is really friendly and the other one bites so don't touch the monkeys unless you check which one is ok. The friendly one really took a shine to Lindsey and groomed her ponytail looking for bugs and everything. It was so unlike the aggressive monkeys I see when riding in Singapore!
The 2 hour ride was about 50USD (booked through the internet) and included transport 2-ways. You can pay in USD or Rupiah.
Website: http://www.baliislandhorse.com/
