Swim With Your Horse: The Rides That End in the Sea

Somewhere in this horseback series I knew the beach rides had to get their own post, because there is one thing that keeps showing up in my feed and stops me every single time: people riding their horses straight into the ocean and swimming with them. Not near the water. In the water. The horse swimming, you on its back, the whole thing.

It turns out that is a real experience you can book, and there are a few places in the world that do it better than anywhere else.

Bonaire: the easy one, and honestly the most fun

If you want to actually do this without flying to the other side of the planet, Bonaire is your answer. It is a small Dutch island in the southern Caribbean, and there is a spot there called Lac Bay, a big calm turquoise lagoon on the quiet side of the island, where you ride Paso Fino horses down to the water and take them in for a swim.

Here is why I love it as the pick for most people. The water is warm and shallow and calm, the Paso Fino is a smooth, gentle-gaited breed, and the whole thing is set up to be doable even if you are not a lifelong rider. You walk out, the horse starts swimming, and suddenly you are floating along together in the Caribbean. It is not expensive, it slots right onto a regular Caribbean vacation, and it is the kind of morning you talk about for years.

Nihi Sumba: the bucket-list version

Now the other end of the spectrum. Nihi Sumba is a famous luxury resort on a remote island in Indonesia, and it is regularly named one of the best hotels in the world. It sits on a mile-and-a-half of private beach and keeps its own stable of Sandalwood horses, the island's native breed.

At Nihi, the ride is the thing people fly across the world for. You take a horse bareback down the sand at the edge of the surf, and you can ride it right into the ocean for a swim, often with nobody else in sight. It is stunning, it is remote, and it is a genuine splurge. This is a honeymoon, a big anniversary, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip, not a casual add-on. But if you have seen the photos, you already know why it is on the list.

Two more worth knowing about

• Vieques, Puerto Rico. Off the main island, with quiet beaches like Sun Bay, you can ride the local Paso Fino horses on the sand and into the shallows. It has an easygoing, off-the-beaten-path feel, and it is an easy reach for anyone who wants the experience without a passport.
• Byron Bay, Australia. On the country's east coast, you can ride along the beach and take the horses into the water. If an Australia trip is already on your radar, this is a beautiful morning to build in.

The honest part about swimming a horse

A few real things to know, because I always tell you straight:

You do not need to be an expert, but you do need to be okay in the water and okay letting go a little. Swimming a horse is not about technical riding skill, it is about staying calm and balanced while the horse does the swimming. The good operators pick steady, experienced horses and keep it safe. If you are nervous around water, or you have never sat on a horse, tell me and we will talk it through honestly.

Warm, calm water is the whole point. All of these are set up in protected, gentle spots for exactly that reason. This is not a crashing-surf adventure, it is a warm, floaty, once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing.

Bonaire and Vieques are the affordable, easy-to-reach picks. Nihi Sumba is the splurge. Same basic magic, very different budgets, and I can help you figure out which one actually fits your trip.

Let's get you in the water

This is one of those experiences that sounds almost made up until you are doing it, and then it is the best hour of the whole vacation. If riding a horse into the ocean is on your list, email me or send me a DM and tell me which one caught your eye. I will help you build the trip around it. And if you want to see how the water rides compare to the rest, the full series recap sorts every trip by skill level and dream.

Talk soon, Cindi