2 Day Camping Adventure and Horseback Riding Holiday in Riding Mountain National Park, Canada

9 Finger Ranch supplies everything you need (tent, sleeping bags, food, etc.) Fall is the absolute best time for camping trips to the park. Some experience with horses and riding is recommended for overnight trips - a good fitness level comes in handy as well. They would advise you not to choose this ride for children. Due to the amount of riding, they have a weight limit for this ride of 250 pounds. Everything you need will be carried in by their mule ‘Rena’ - space is limited, so be prepared to pack very light. They offer two options for the riding portion of this package (everything but the ride is the same in either option):

• The shorter one is three and a half hours of riding on day one and day two, starting and ending at Baldy Lake entrance; staying at Gunn Lake campsite
• The longer one is five hours on day one and four hours on day two, starting at Baldy Lake entrance and ending at Birdtail entrance, staying at Gunn Creek campsite

Itinerary

9 Finger Ranch gets your horse from the pasture, brushes, and saddles it shortly before your arrival. After meeting at the ranch (ideally, you would arrive around 11:00 a.m.), they pack your last things into their packing boxes. You will then go to the ranch house. They will greet you there and you will have to pay and sign a waiver. Afterward, walk to the barn where your horse and guide are waiting for you. You will get to know your horse for this adventure, load everybody into the trailer, and drive all together to the starting point in Riding Mountain National Park.

Depending on the group size, you might be required to follow them to the park entrance in your own car. Upon arrival in the national park, you get on your horse and they explain some riding basics before you take off. Your rides are only walking pace (which means going slow). As they cannot check your ability beforehand, this is the safer version. Apart from that, their horses’ speed varies when going quicker than walking which makes it hard to keep the group together. Usually, you will have a light lunch in the parking lot before starting your ride to your campsite.

Once you arrive at the campsite, you will bring the horses to their corral and set up your camp. You will have time to stroll around and enjoy the park's tranquility. You have a rustic supper over an open campfire and chat about everything and nothing, and once everybody gets tired, you head to your tent to get a good night's sleep.

Once everybody has crawled out of their tents, you prepare a delicious cowboy breakfast with eggs and bacon. Afterward, you will slowly pack your things and head back out - either to the starting point (Gunn Lake option) or on a different trail including a snack break at a very nice viewpoint (Gunn Creek version). You will be back at the ranch in the late afternoon.

Horses

They have around 11 guest horses at the moment. Most are purebred Tennessee Walking Horses and are born, grown up, and trained on the ranch. Horses are super friendly, reliable, and laid-back. They know what they have to do and are usually doing a great job - an unplanned break for a quick snack is usually the most disobedient thing they have in mind.

Usually, they will have your horse ready to go for you when you arrive at the ranch. If wanted, they can (most times) arrange that you to help them. As this usually takes longer, they would charge a little bit more for the extra time they have to invest. Please send an inquiry for more information.