Equine, Wine and Song Week

Lodging at the lovely The Hill House Inn of Mendocino, a luxurious hotel and restaurant with the warmth and charm of a small bed and breakfast. The convenient hill top setting overlooks historic Mendocino Village and Northern California's stunningly beautiful Pacific coastline. Mendocino Headlands State Park and Big River Beach surrounds the tiny town located on a peninsula jutting out into the ocean. Garden Rooms at the The Hill House Inn offer polished brass beds with cozy comforters and elegant furnishings with modern bathrooms. The Hill House Inn is located in just outside town, within walking distance to the many restaurants, galleries and shops that the village has to offer. Upgrades to ocean view rooms are available.

Mendocino Music Festival: A cultural event which brings world class musicians, both classical and contemporary, and music lovers from around the world to a summertime tradition in the most picturesque town of Mendocino. The Mendocino Music Festival is a magical blend of fine music by outstanding performers in one of the most enchanting sites in Northern California.

Evenings under the heated big tent by the ocean on four nights include breathtaking concerts featuring the Festival Orchestra, chamber music ensembles, dance, blues, world or folk music, culminating in the magnificent full Opera.

The Equine and WineSong Riding Vacation includes luxurious accommodations, full hearty breakfasts, daily lunches, elegant restaurant dinners, four nights at the Mendocino Music Festival, an all day Mendocino Wine Tour, and five days of riding. Cost for this extraordinary vacation is $ 2,695.00 per person, double occupancy. Single Occupancy Surcharge of $475.00 applies.

Day One: A three and a half hour drive from San Francisco takes you through famous Sonoma and Mendocino Counties wine country to Pacific Coast Highway One. Come to Ricochet Ridge Ranch and enjoy a get-acquainted ride on the beach after an orientation and riding demonstration. After your ride, check into the lovely Hill House Inn in Mendocino, followed by a lovely three course dinner with wine at the Hill House Inn's restaurant. After dinner, your evening is free to relax and stroll around the lovely village of Mendocino.

Day Two: After breakfast at the Hill House Inn, head to Jackson State Forest, California's largest state forest, a 54,000 acre gem of redwood and Douglas fir canopy. This days ride includes ample opportunities to trot and canter along old stagecoach roads and along Indian Springs Trail, fording the headwaters of the Noyo River. These old trails whisper of history and of a time forgotten.

After the ride the group will head to the Noyo Harbor for a post-ride dinner at Chapter & Moon restaurant. Perched on the pier overlooking the river, we will have the opportunity to watch as fishing boats bring in their catch of the day, while opportunistic sea lions await their arrival. After dinner, our first night of the Mendocino Music Festival awaits.

Day Three: A leisurely breakfast leaves you energized and ready for today's ride, a dream come true for many guests. Meet your horses and your guides for a ride on Ten Mile Beach. After warming up the horses with a visit to Seal Rock, the group strikes north to open, deserted beaches where we can trot and canter for miles and miles. Once reaching the Ten Mile Estuary, the group will take a short break before looping around and turning back towards the ranch, with opportunities again to trot and canter for miles along the ocean's edge where seals and cormorants cavort offshore.

After your ride, enjoy a few short hours respite, before convening again for an early supper at the Bay View Café, the local's favorite restaurant for outstanding views overlooking the Mendocino Bay. After dinner, enjoy a private wine tasting with the owner of the Wine Shop in Mendocino, just across from the Music Festival Tent. Taste interesting wines and explore rare varietals with Dan and his staff, before heading to the festival tent for another evening of remarkable music.

Mendo Wine Tours stretch SUV limo

Day Four: Today, your limousine will meet you at the Hill House Inn to take you on a exclusive tour of the Anderson Valley Wine country, visiting four award winning boutique wineries. Experience the magic of Mendocino County's undiscovered wine country. Local wine guides will lead you in style to the lairs of some of the best-and least known-of California's North Coast vintners. You can kick back and sip sparkling wine as you enjoy the Anderson Valley's beautiful scenery. A gourmet lunch will be served al fresco at one of the wineries. You can taste as many wines as you want during the day without the hassle or hazard of driving. Your visits to wineries will afford opportunities for barrel and reserve tasting, behind-the-scene tours, discussions with the winemakers, and discounted case pricing. You will also be able to purchase limited production wines not available to the general public.

Upon returning to Mendocino after this magical excursion, dine at the Mendocino Café, local favorite for ethnic and Thai style food. After dinner, return to the Music Festival tent for another enchanting evening of song.

Day Five: After breakfast, it's back to the horses! Today's ride will include a "mock endurance ride" where you learn how to check your horse's cardiac and respiratory recovery rates, capillary refill, skin response, muscle tone and gut sounds, just as its done at a "vet check" on a competitive trail ride or endurance ride. Ride along ridge tops with mountain views, and down into the river valley beyond. Lunch is under a grove of giant redwood trees. After lunch, those who would like to may ride an optional additional loop, trotting and cantering as one might do in an endurance ride.

A hearty dinner awaits you at Fort Bragg's finest Italian restaurant, in the heart of downtown. This restaurant boasts a well thought wine list, with a global focus.

Day Six: Our last day's ride begins at the Orca Pasture, a vast cattle ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Today you'll canter up a long gradual trail to the very peak of the mountain, where you are literally "on top of the world"....the views are absolutely spectacular. And that's just the beginning…After lunch on the top of the mountain, basking in the view, we head back to Ten Mile Beach for an hour long canter in the surf. After today's exhilarating ride, dine at the Hill House Inn once again, before heading to closing night at the Music Festival where the Opera awaits.

Day Seven: Enjoy one last breakfast at the Hill House Inn before checking out. Farewell to Mendocino.

PRICE REDUCED $100 FROM 2010! Cost per person (2011): $ 2,695.00 double occupancy. $ 475.00 single occupancy surcharge applies.