If you’re weighing the pleasures of tourism against the
discomfort of going abroad at a time when our country seems
widely abhorred, you might want to consider savoring a new way
of traveling: on horseback
If you’re weighing the pleasures of tourism against the
discomfort of going abroad at a time when our country and
culture seem widely abhorred, you might want to consider
savoring a new way of making an entrance into that picturesque
Provence village. Leave the trains, cars and tour buses to
others. What really elicits a warm welcome from locals abroad is
arriving in town on horseback.
“Anywhere in the world – Iceland, Tierra del Fuego; France,
India – local people greet riders in an overwhelmingly open and
friendly way; there’s an instant rapport,” says Bayard Fox, the
founder of Equitours, the oldest and largest riding vacation
company in the United States. “Horses aren’t just a great
passport to some of the most beautiful spots in the world, they
are a passport to the hearts of people everywhere.”
Fox, who, with his wife, Mel, has spent the better part of
twenty-five years taking Americans to every part of the globe on
equestrian vacations, is no stranger to chilly foreign
relations. A former CIA operative from the Cold War era, he’s
spent years living in Paris, riding with nomadic tribes in Iran,
and posing as a big game hunter in Central Africa, all to gather
information for the U.S. during the 50s and 60s. His knowledge
of foreign cultures is enormous; and his experience has been
invaluable in carefully choosing the world’s best riding tours
in places that highlight natural beauty, cultural interests, and
riders’ safety.
Combining his love of world travel and horses satisfies Fox’s
craving for the romance, excitement, and color of exotic
locales. It is a passion he loves sharing with others,
especially as a way of counteracting some of the preconceived
notions and misperceptions foreigners have about Americans and
Americans have about the world.
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m a missionary to show people the
advantages of traveling on horseback.,” says Fox. “Riders are
not limited to the roads and can see parts of a country that
most tourists never dream of. They have time to look at the
country they traverse and it is easy for them to talk with
people along the way.”
It’s incredibly gratifying to show the people in the places we
travel to that Americans are curious, open, generous,
adventurous people,” he adds.
Indeed, although Equitours draws diverse groups of people from
all walks of life, even all levels of riding skills, which the
company takes special care to match to the appropriate riding
vacation, they all share the willingness to truly explore.
Whether its galloping after zebra in Kenya, touring castles in
France, or exploring the Pelion Coast of Greece, the common
denominator is a love of adventure and an openness to new
experiences. For the impression they leave about Americans in
the people they meet along the way, Bayard considers them true
American ambassadors.
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