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Sunjoy
I had a great one day ride with Fiona. The scenery was some of the best NZ has to offer, there were stretches to ride faster and a lovely place to take the horses for a swim. Fiona is good company and makes sure "your" horse is suited to your ability and confidence. The lunch was also very tasty and the day ended with a drink and conversation. Actually, the day ended with shearing a sheep under Richard's instruction, which was fun!Hopefully I can return again, with the rest of the family, and get to enjoy the lovely cottage and the rest of the trekking!
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Shaler
Fiona and Richard's ranch is one of those special places where the world stops for a moment and you get that chance to experience it's beauty and awesomeness. First I may surprise you by saying none in my family of five adults (Our kids are 19, 22, & 23) are experienced with horses. Nevertheless, after reading other reviews we sensed Baton Run would not only be a great intro to the world of horse trekking, but also much more. Horse Trek: Fiona and her young neighbor Benita (who bonded quickly with our kids) made us feel comfortable right away on the horses, as we spent a half day trekking through the picturesque country side. As others have mentioned, the trekking through the river brings out the best in the horses as they love to stop and play. By play I mean splash and splash and splash some more. We loved the experience and I expect we'll return to enhanced those riding skills.Sheering the Sheep: Being suburbanites from the USA, the only sheep we'd seen were in zoos. Pulling up to Baton Run we quickly realized there are thousands of sheep here and this is a working sheep farm. Richard's love for this part of the ranch will open your eyes to a new world. He took us all down to the sheep sheering barn where not only did we watch him sheer sheep, he also invited us to sheer them as well. We all did and were totally immersed in the experience! What a cool and unexpected adventure for us.Four Wheeling on Suzuki 4WD Quads (400 and 500cc): Now this isn't just a ride through some country trail, this is on an adventure that climbs some 2,300FT to the top of the mountain. Fortunately for us we do have extensive experience with riding quads, and we'd use it all. The scenery as we scaled the mountain just got better and better. Richard would stop and give us explanations of the trees and vegetation, along with fun stories as this land has been in his family for generations. He took plenty of pictures of us too. Skeet Shooting: Once to the top of the Mtn, Richard went over to his cabin and brought out a shot gun, 2 cases of shells, and a box of skeet. My son and I had a blast shooting the skeet off the top of the mountain. Then Richard asked if we wanted to climb the last part of the mountain on foot so we could stand on the pinnacle and look down. And that we did and the view from up there was mind blowing! Cabin: Now this little cabin looks at the mountains and sits in a lush green meadow, not far from the pristine river. Sitting on the porch you watch the curious lambs pass by as they graze with their mums, calling out to the others that there are visitors. Almost a surreal experience. My wife would have been content to set on the porch and read all day. The cabin is solar powered, uses a fire to heat the water, and the shower, tub, and toilet are all outside. This just made the experience more real and quaint. Again, we are not country people at all and up to this point our experience with camping was a Holiday Inn. The cabin is where Fiona brought us our meals and we cooked steak and more. Her neighbor helps her with the preparation of the country food which was very tasty!As you might guess, we loved the experience and Fiona, Richard, Daniel their nephew, and Jamma their WWOOFer from the UK all are amazing people in their own right.
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Periperi8
We went on a 2 day horse trek with Fiona and another lady who was there for a 5 day horse trek. Everything was perfect! The horses were good fun on the trail and very reliable. Fiona is very experienced and helpful. We always felt comfortable. The surroundings are just incredible. We would definately recommend it to everyone who loves horses and nature. Besides that the provided food was beautiful and the cabin we stayed at very cosy and a real experience.
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278isabellam
For a start, I booked this ride very naively, as they don't generally run in winter. Fiona emailed me to tell me that even though they weren't officially open, she would love to go for a ride with me. Even though the weather had been a bit on and off with rain, we decided to go ahead and chance it while I was staying in Nelson. Fiona picked me up from the Baton Bridge and drove me back to the property where we saddled up two beautiful mounts. I was privileged enough to ride Ruby, who was the most honest, beautifully behaved and careful horse I've ever ridden - and I'm an experienced rider who has ridden for 12 years. The ride itself was absolutely breathtaking - the scenery is monumental and the bursts of trot and canter we managed to fit in on the dry spots was such fun! I would absolutely recommend Baton Run to anyone who wants to have a beautiful and enjoyable ride on lovely horses. A huge thank you to Fiona for having me!
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Kingdom103
An excellent all round experience for anyone who wants a bit of fun and excitement, but also gain access to excellent scenery with the horse doing most of the work. Horses well kept and in excellent condition. Caters for all levels of rider, but particularly good if you know how to ride. Horse owner/guide is a great character. Not cheap, but you will certainly get what you pay for.
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Jannalis
Are you searching for a great adventure experience? The Baton Run offers everything you want for a perfect riding day! Rides trough beautiful landscape, across crystal clear rivers and up to big hills or nice valleys on loverly horses! Beginner or experience, fiona and her horses take care of everybody. Also sleeping in the nice cozy hut with the little fireplace for the night after a cold swim with the horses in the river was awesome. Don't want to leave this place! Thank you so much Fi, Suzie, Summer, Trinny, Duke, Antoinette, Emilie, Verano, Orca, Annie and Ruby for all the weeks full of fun! I come back, thats for sure! Love xoxo
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WeloveNZ
If you go on a trek with Fiona you will be taken care of and know that the horses you are riding are also very well taken care of. Fiona runs an amazing business in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Our time with Fiona and her horses was nothing short of one of the best days of our lives; beautiful, relaxing, fun, inspiring, and rewarding. Thank you Fiona, you are truly a wonderful person and a competent and knowledgeable equestrian.
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sjcolhoun
Both me and my husband (on honeymoon) would be pretty experienced riders having worked in racing yards for quite a number of years and having amateur jockey licences for a time. So while Fiona and her horses can cater for beginners or inexperienced riders, we both STRONGLY suggest any competitive or experienced riders to make Baton Run a MUST-DO during your trip to NZ!!!! Fabulous horses in great condition and a wonderful guide Fiona along with some of the best riding possible. Short of going on an African horseback safari I don't know how this place could be beaten. We really should have had a GoPro camera to show the kind of terrain we covered! We did the two days and stayed in the log cabin.had the best night's sleep of our trip so far. Wish we'd booked 4 or 5 days but I am making a plan to be back to do a proper multi day with Fiona and hopefully the little wonder-horse Suzie:)
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ukwe
Baton Run and Fiona gave our family a two day treat on horseback. (2 adults and 2 teenagers)We had long canters on the meadows, overlooking the valleys, a swim in the stream with the horses and some quite steep climbings. The horses are well behaved, surefooted and in excellent condition. With the fantastic nature, the warm hospitality and fine horses - our visit to Baton Run was one of the highlights on our New Zealand visit. We can recommend to stay over night in the cabin. Take a bath in the outdoor tub and watch the stars! This is a place to come back to, again and again.
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JaneA903
I loved: the horses and ponies, Fiona, swimming in the river, the views and everything else so much that I have just booked flights back to nelson to spend Easter there and do it all again!
