The island of Catalina, which has many horses in its history, but stopped offering trips to visitors in 2008, is bringing the walks of the paths.
Catalina Avalina Adventures, based in Avalon, offered their first guided trips on February 22. Most of the walks take 45-90 minutes and include hills, valleys, cliffs overlooking the ocean and occasional meetings with deer and foxes of island.
This movement is based on the tradition of the island that dates back to the 1930s, when the owners of Catalina, the Wrigley family, established a ranch known as the hidden ranch, which became a reproduction operation of Arab horses. The work ranch continues, 12 miles outside of guarantee, is often open for Saturday tours.
Catalina Horseback Adventures offers attractions on the island.
(Ryan Longnecker / Catalina Aventures on horseback)
But the new guided trips are a separate business, owned by Jeff Skelton, with Catalina Island Co. as owner. Until now, the operation includes 12 horses, “but we have more in a few days,” Skelton said Friday. The stables also have a mini horse (not available for assembly), called Peanut in a community name contest.
All walks are directed by guides and open to the runners from beginners to advanced, from 9 years and older. The weight limit for passengers is 240 pounds.
The introductory prices for a 45-minute group trip are in the range of $ 125- $ 175, Skelton said, and can be adjusted as the operation is installed. Prices will be higher for private trips, which can include only two guests and up to 10 (Catalina residents get discounts).
Public travel on horseback were a characteristic of tourism of the island for about 60 years until 2008, when Catalina Island Co. (which has most of the island's developable lands) closed the stables near the golf course of Catalina Island. At that time, the company cited security concerns about possible floods after fires that had stripped the vegetation of the hills above.
The new stables are in the same location, but with a different design, Skelton said. The paths to mount cross the golf course, which means that the golfers occasionally stop so that the riding groups “play”. Once they reach a more rugged territory, riders are sometimes found with island deer or foxes, but not for the bison known for traveling other parts of the island.
Skelton said that the idea of bringing back the walks on public trails emerged in recent years while he was on trips with a group called Los Caballeros, which has organized private trips on the island since the 1940s.
“I kept saying that someone should do it,” Skelton said, and it turns out that “it's me.”
