About high country horse adventures - lake coleridge
Experience the high country on horseback ! Choose from a part day or one day trail ride out of Lake Coleridge Village or a classic 3, 4 or 5 day backcountry trek through some of New Zealand's most spectacular remote high country, camping overnight in authentic musterer's huts.
We have horses to suit all levels of rider experience, from beginner and novice to the experienced rider. If you are an experienced rider, let us know and we will let you ride to your full ability where the group experience mix allows.
Enjoy the spectacular Canterbury High Country - only 75 minutes drive from Christchurch - yet a world away !
Take in breathtaking views of the iconic Canterbury High Country - mountains - lakes - rivers. This is New Zealand's 'Big Sky Country' !
We have gentle horses, we match the horse to the rider and your level of riding experience and skill. Novice rider and a bit anxious about jumping on a horseback ? Don't worry, our guides are here to make sure that you will be safe all along. You will have an hour of briefing about how to ride, behave with our horses and all the safety rules. Plus, we would be delighted to have you for just a nice walk along those breathtaking views.
Outside of our peak Summer season, many of our rides are run as exclusive groups, couples or families. Additional riders are added to smaller groups at our discretion.
We have horses to suit all levels of rider experience, from beginner and novice to the experienced rider. If you are an experienced rider, let us know and we will let you ride to your full ability where the group experience mix allows.
Enjoy the spectacular Canterbury High Country - only 75 minutes drive from Christchurch - yet a world away !
Take in breathtaking views of the iconic Canterbury High Country - mountains - lakes - rivers. This is New Zealand's 'Big Sky Country' !
We have gentle horses, we match the horse to the rider and your level of riding experience and skill. Novice rider and a bit anxious about jumping on a horseback ? Don't worry, our guides are here to make sure that you will be safe all along. You will have an hour of briefing about how to ride, behave with our horses and all the safety rules. Plus, we would be delighted to have you for just a nice walk along those breathtaking views.
Outside of our peak Summer season, many of our rides are run as exclusive groups, couples or families. Additional riders are added to smaller groups at our discretion.
Are you looking for breathtaking views away from places crowed with tourists ? Lake Coleridge is Canterbury's hidden gem, mainly surrounded by local farm land. You can combine your trail ride with other activities in the area, high country walking, jet boat rides on the Rakaia River, trout and salmon fishing, 4x4 tours, golf at the nearby Terrace Downs Golf Resort or Skiing during the winter at the nearby Mt Hutt and Mt Olympus Ski-fields.
Meet the team
James Cagney
I'm South Island, New Zealand born and bred, growing up in the rural MacKenzie Country and the Wild West Coast, in a farming and outdoors family. After a career in the NZ Air Force I settled with my family back in central Canterbury 26 years ago, working in the rural, outdoors, conservation and aviation sectors. We established our tourism business 10 years ago, adding the horse trekking in 2017 when we purchased the business from long established local operator Noel Stanger. We've worked a number of seasons in Northern BC, Canada working with trail horses in the Northern Rockies. We handle, tack and run our horses here in much the same way as we did in Canada.
We live at our base at Lake Coleridge Village, where we love our wild and pure mountain environment. Ours is a family business with our son Dylan, local girl Rosa and help from a couple of other local horse girls. I do a lot of the guiding and all of the shoeing. We're blessed to live a wonderful life with our horses and friends in such a beautiful natural environment.
Our horses
Discover joy in the wild! Beside their stunning grazing area, our 20 happy horses will sometimes roam freely in the stunning New Zealand mountains, taking a well-deserved break from their work. Experience the beauty of nature and the spirit of our four-legged friends! We've got 20 horses on our team, a mix of NZ station bred and standard bred horses. We get our horses from South Island High Country Stations (Ranches) and some of our horses are rescue horses. Our horse numbers allow us to rotate horses during busy times so that horses get rest days.
Western style riding
Immerse yourself in the rugged beauty of New Zealand's mountains with a unique horseback riding experience! Mount up with a Western saddle or Australian stock saddle and channel your inner cowboy as you traverse the breathtaking landscapes of the high country.
Feel the exhilaration of riding through the wild terrain, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, lush forests, lakes and crystal-clear rivers. Let the rhythmic gait of your trusty steed carry you along winding trails and into hidden valleys that showcase the natural wonders of New Zealand.
I'm South Island, New Zealand born and bred, growing up in the rural MacKenzie Country and the Wild West Coast, in a farming and outdoors family. After a career in the NZ Air Force I settled with my family back in central Canterbury 26 years ago, working in the rural, outdoors, conservation and aviation sectors. We established our tourism business 10 years ago, adding the horse trekking in 2017 when we purchased the business from long established local operator Noel Stanger. We've worked a number of seasons in Northern BC, Canada working with trail horses in the Northern Rockies. We handle, tack and run our horses here in much the same way as we did in Canada.
We live at our base at Lake Coleridge Village, where we love our wild and pure mountain environment. Ours is a family business with our son Dylan, local girl Rosa and help from a couple of other local horse girls. I do a lot of the guiding and all of the shoeing. We're blessed to live a wonderful life with our horses and friends in such a beautiful natural environment.
Our horses
Discover joy in the wild! Beside their stunning grazing area, our 20 happy horses will sometimes roam freely in the stunning New Zealand mountains, taking a well-deserved break from their work. Experience the beauty of nature and the spirit of our four-legged friends! We've got 20 horses on our team, a mix of NZ station bred and standard bred horses. We get our horses from South Island High Country Stations (Ranches) and some of our horses are rescue horses. Our horse numbers allow us to rotate horses during busy times so that horses get rest days.
Western style riding
Immerse yourself in the rugged beauty of New Zealand's mountains with a unique horseback riding experience! Mount up with a Western saddle or Australian stock saddle and channel your inner cowboy as you traverse the breathtaking landscapes of the high country.
Feel the exhilaration of riding through the wild terrain, surrounded by snow-capped peaks, lush forests, lakes and crystal-clear rivers. Let the rhythmic gait of your trusty steed carry you along winding trails and into hidden valleys that showcase the natural wonders of New Zealand.
Our Location
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Our office and base are located at 1 Hart Place, Lake Coleridge Village, a pleasant 75 minute drive from Christchurch or 30 minutes from Methven.
Our day ride meeting place is the Coleridge Club, located at 3 Riverview Terrace, Lake Coleridge Village. Our trail rides are in the Lake Coleridge / upper Rakaia Valley area and surrounding high country. You can zoom the map in and out to see more detail. |
