Enjoy the Ride

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move. – Robert Louis Stevenson

The happiest travelers honestly enjoy the act of getting from Point A to Point B. Really. They understand that travel is not just about reaching their destination; it's about the journey.

We could all learn a thing or two about travel from horses. For years we have had horses for our resort for guests to enjoy. One of our most popular horses was named Hoover the Mover. He got that name because he was slow. He was curious about his surroundings and thoroughly engaged in every step of every trail ride we took him on. From the minute you walked up to him with saddle and bridle he perked up. You could almost hear him ask, “Where are we going this time? Can we play in the water today?”

Other horses we used for rides were less than enthusiastic. There’s a term for horses that either won’t leave home willingly or that speed up on the second half of the trail in order to return home (their ultimate destination). Horses that don’t enjoy the ride are called “barn sour.” It’s a hard habit to break, but it can be avoided with a little creativity in the first place. To avoid boredom we always varied our route just enough to keep the horses wondering what was coming next and we often made sure that there was something special in store for them before they finished traveling for the day. When there were multiple rides to do, we treated all the horses to brushing and rub downs before the next set of riders.

Hoover liked Coca Cola, so that’s what he got between rides. He could spot a red aluminum can from a hundred yards. Give him a few minutes slurping Coke poured into the cupped hands of a giggling child and he was ready for anything. 

Sometimes being Travel Happy is just that simple. Change your route; take a closer look at your surroundings; stop for a Coke.

You can read more about Hoover on our resort blog.