Our minimum age is 10yo, however all children will be assessed on their own individual level of confidence or experience, our staff reserve the right to stay at a slower pace where they deem it necessary or keep the child’s riding horse on a lead (the child’s horse is led by a mounted staff member).We prefer an adult or guardian to ride on the trail ride with any child under 12 years of age, unless previously reviewed and approved by the management. We reserve the right to refuse to ride to a child if the child seems frightened or is crying.
We use traditional Australian stock saddles and gear, matched to consider riders comfort and correct fit to the horses back. We will do our best to fit your saddle to one of our horses, however, we will need to assess if the saddle will be suited to your horse and for bush riding. English or dressage saddles are not appropriate for riding in the Australian bush.
Our trail rides depart as a group with the different ride durations subsequently returning to the stables. Our staff offer riding tuition during the ride and all riders are given opportunities to trot and canter. The 2-hour ride is more suited to children and novice riders, the half day ride has a few more opportunities to have a canter in the Alpine National Park and the full day ride would be more suited to those with some previous riding experience and an adventurous spirit.
No we do not allow BYO horses for customer safety and farm bio security reasons.
We have been breeding and training our own horses since 1989 combined with regular work – the magic ingredient to make a good horse – we have a range of horses that suit all levels of rider.
We require a 20% deposit to secure a booking with final payment due 30 days prior to tour departure. Call our office to discuss any special needs you may have regarding payments of a tour.
We require all staff to have some previous riding experience send your inquiries to Lin Baird.
Our daily trail rides are suited to all levels of rider experience. Around 25% of our half day riders would be first-time riders. We take great pride in our pre-ride briefings that equip novice riders with the basic skills of managing their horse, our guides are available to you throughout the ride to assist and advise and we take great efforts to match horse to rider.
You can arrange a gift voucher for any of our products.To Arrange a gift for one of our day ride products, go to our Gift Cards page, or any of our other products are available to buy as a gift by choosing the product, then click ‘buy as a gift’. The recipient will receive a customised email with voucher code and details on how to book, if you would like to keep it a surprise make sure you add your email to the recipient email field.
A first aid trained staff person is present on all of our riding activities.
Our Parks Victoria tour operators license permits us to conduct our packhorse tours from December through to April, we offer Weekend Packages and Daily Trail Rides into the lower levels of the Alpine National Park all year round.
We can arrange transfers to and from Albury, you can select this option when booking one of our products online.
We travel at a fast walking pace during the day, with canter opportunities once we are on the High Plains. The distance we travel averages between 15 to 25 kilometers a day with a lunch break and other chances to hop off for a stretch. We often have complete beginner riders on our longer tours. We suggest you would need to have a moderate level of fitness to partake in our overnight adventures.
There is relatively good coverage on most of our itineraries, however, we suggest you turn your phone off for the week and enjoy your great High Country break
The Kiewa Valley enjoys a warm temperate climate, with four distinct seasons.Our tour season is planned to operate in the summer and autumn months. Our warm to hot, dry summers with cool nights produce some wonderful cool climate wines. Day time temperatures in the summer are generally in the 25-35 degree Celsius range. Night time temperatures are cool. In our mountain camps above 5,000 feet, the days and are nights are up to 10 degrees Celsius cooler.Winter sees the surrounding mountains covered in a mantle of snow, whilst spring and autumn are just magnificent. Local Weather.
Spring Spur is situated in the spectacular Kiewa Valley in the heart of the Victorian High Country. Take a look at our contact page for more info
Rail – There are daily rail services into Albury from both Melbourne and Sydney. There are also some rail services that connect with coaches running right to Mt Beauty. V/Line can give you details on all services.
Check-in is from 4 pm to 9pm, Check-out is at 10 am.
Bookings for our daily trail rides are made by appointment. We generally need about 24 hours notice, longer for holiday weekends etc. You can make a booking over the phone or book online. Please note that not all rides are listed online so if you have a specific date in mind give the office a call to discuss options 0455 944 459 or Book Online.
We will provide all camping gear required; including tents, swags, sleeping bag, inflatable mattress, kitchen, and all group camping equipment. If you would like to bring your own sleeping bag make sure it is suitable to alpine conditions.
We would encourage all of our visitors to experience a ride in the beautiful Kiewa Valley on our wonderful homebred horses, however, if it is just not your thing we can cater for non-riders.
We do not operate in this area, however we do visit older and more authentic huts that were not purpose-built for a movie!
There are 12 places available on our pack rides, plus staff members.
Our recommended minimum age for the pack treks is 12yo, however, we would suggest some young riders are more confident and resilient than others. A parent or guardian should consider the child’s confidence on a horse and camping experience before committing to a tour.
Our minimum age is 8yo. We recommend our 2-hour ride for anyone under the age of 10. Confident young riders may go on any of our longer rides with permission from their parent or guardian.
Each riders riding ability, size and confidence are considered when choosing an appropriate horse and saddle.Do you have a weight limit for riders? Are there showers and toilets on the pack horse rides? Do you have a minimum or maximum age for riders?
We set up a toilet and privacy screen of an evening with access to soap and a hand wash basin. We do not provide a portable shower, however, there are some opportunities to jump in the creek for a High Country bath.
Yes, if you are above 95kg we will need to assess your height and weight ratio to consider if you will be suitable to participate in a riding activity. We reserve the right to refuse anybody that does not meet our weight restrictions.
It is not required, however, it is preferred if a parent or guardian accompanies younger children on a ride, especially for those who are a little nervous.
Kath and Steve Baird settled in Tawonga with their two young boys Lin and Clay in 1986. They arrived with a truck load of horses and a vision for a family business that would honour the traditions of the High Country horse and offer unique quality visitor experiences. That vision still drives this family business. Spring Spur is truly the home of Bogong Horseback Adventures, the Baird family sanctuary, and for the visitor, a country home away from home.
