HMC horseback riding - woo hoo!

[CaroleSS]

We just got back from a cruise on the Noordam where we ended our trip on HMC.

 

The Noordam and the Westerdam both were at Half Moon Cay at the same time. Needless to say the beach was PACKED! The island is owned by Holland and there aren’t any inhabitants (other than those employed by the cruise line and there to care for the island). You have to be tendered to the island so pack a big helping of patience or leave early!!

There are some minimal shops, but the main purpose of the island is the beach. They have a beautiful beach and clear warm water. The snorkeling sites in the swimming area are almost non-existent, so don’t bother with those. Even though there were lots of people, it seemed like there were plenty of lounge chairs and if not, there was always plenty of sand! They rent clamshells and cabanas, but for us (and certainly for the price!!!), the just didn’t seem necessary. It certainly would have been easy to just spend the day lazing in the sun. Do bear in mind that although they bring in lunch, they pack up the food and drinks promptly at 1pm so if you think you are going to get thirsty after that, you’d better plan ahead! I did think that the ship could have spent a little more time on the island – maybe even just to see the sun go down, but alas, it was not to be.

The one thing that I wanted to do was to go horseback riding in the surf….and that was an absolute BLAST.

We took the tram to the stables and donned our fashionable crash helmets as the horses were prepared. There is a lady who stays behind to watch your belongings and there are lockers, but we never felt as if anything was unsafe. They matched your size and weight to a horse and we were off on a land tour. The horses were well kept and were not the tired clop-clop type horses you’ve been on for other rides. I got the impression that if I had given my horse a good kick he would have taken off on a good trot and maybe would have run down the beach if I had provided him with some encouragement! That was a refreshing treat for me!

After our land tour, the horses were readied for the water portion. Riding the horses in the surf was GREAT!!! They were in the water past their tummies and although they could still touch the bottom, they had to work to make progress in the water. This movement was very exciting!! For those with no horseback riding experience, it was doable, but was still exciting for experienced riders. I would highly recommend it!!!

[LynneL]

Sounds really nice. Approx. what was the cost? How deep is the water in the event that a non-swimmer in the group fell off the horse?

[CaroleSS]

We had to book this through the Holland website, but I think it was $89 per person.

 

I wouldn't worry about the non-swimmer part. We were up to the horses chest, but you could easily stand up in the water if you fell off. We had some folk that were inexperienced and some that had never been on a horse before and everyone did fine! Try it - it really was a blast!

[LuckyPink50]

I have wanted to ride a horse in the ocean all my life. I can't wait.:D