Fall Colours Best Seen from the Saddle - Autumn, one of the most colourful times of the year, is my favourite season for riding. The pesky bugs are gone, the air is crisp, and the horses are fresh and eager to head out on the trails. Nothing beats a good canter in the woods as the reds, yellows, and oranges of the leaves go whizzing by. Living in Ontario, we pride ourselves on the colourful vistas our province displays as the trees dress themselves in fall finery, but a hop across the border into Vermont provides the rolling hills of the Green Mountains as a scenic backdrop.

It’s hard to believe that the Government of Canada would own a spectacular horse ranch adjacent to the Rocky Mountains, where trail riders are welcome to camp and ride. But it exists. Ya Ha Tinda Ranch — owned by Parks Canada and the only federally operated working horse ranch in the country — turned 100 years old in 2017.

Spending all day with your horse, visiting with friends, and riding a variety of trails pretty much describes horse camping, so it’s no surprise that many riders consider horse camping to be the ultimate adventure. Although performance riders often haul to a different facility for a clinic or competition, put their horse in a stall, and camp out in their rig, trail rider-style horse camping is a bit different.