Movement at the station

CLANCY of the Overflow never had it this easy. Today's horsemen and women sleep in soft beds after a day on the high country trails, writes Pamela Robson.

Life's (not) hard ... trail rides in the Snowy Mountains come with well-mannered horses, gourmet food, beds with clean sheets and even a masseuse at the end of the day

AN INDUSTRY has been created around delivering a taste of the Man from Snowy River.

It's a way of keeping the high country active in the non-skiing summer season.

Danielle Ternes and Glen Dixon, of Snowy River Horseback Adventures, offer two, three and five-day treks out of their cattle property not far from Jindabyne, where they have access to some great riding country – sub-Alpine foothills, tall timbers, tinkling creeks and views of the generally snow-tipped mountain peaks.

There are roos, rosellas, echidnas and the tantalising prospect of glimpses of wild brumbies.

Better still, there are well-mannered and trained horses, gourmet food, beds with clean sheets and even a masseuse at the end of the day.

It seems anyone and everyone with a love of horses and great scenery wants to give it a go – from honeymooners to jockeys on holiday. More than half the guests are from overseas. Brits and Americans top the list with the Irish, Germans, Dutch and French not far behind.

But there are also Japanese and Indonesians who want to put on a Driza-Bone and straddle a stock saddle.

A New York art historian called Laura tells me she was hooked on "The Man" when she was a slip of a schoolgirl in the early 1980s and saw the movie.

Dionne, from Kansas, has dreamed about riding in Australia since she was six. Now she has a pony-mad daughter and three dressage horses at home.

She's brought along her husband, Dennis, whose equine experience boils down to a couple of hours' practice in preparation for the holiday.

Irishman Donal has spent even less time on a horse but he's athletic and adventurous and doesn't seem to mind that his mount, a cheerful big-hoofed Cleveland called Clancy, makes all the decisions about where they go and at what speed they travel.

Also on the track are Jacqueline and Robert who own a big cattle property in Queensland's Gulf Country. They ride with the grace and ease of people who live in the saddle.

I join the group on the second day of their adventure and realise I have some catching up to do.

The horses are well-trained and responsive, which turns out to be everyone in the group's main prerequisite whether they can ride or not – they definitely didn't want the conventional nose-to-tail horse trek experience.

Danielle, who is leading us today, prefers participants to have had riding experience or at least lessons before they arrive.

Throughout the morning we make our way through cool forests of tall ghost gums. It feels like we're in a Tom Roberts painting.

Buddy, the cheeky dark brown pack horse, trots loose. He is carrying our morning tea and lunch. He might be small and down-line in the natural equine pecking order, but out here on the track his elevated status as food bearer gives him the edge over his paddock mates.

Lunch is eaten leisurely among the trees at an old stockman's camp next to a free-flowing creek. There's plenty of history attached to the place; the stockmen have been coming up here to muster for decades. Lunch is a big spread of fresh cheeses, cold meats, salads and bread with a glass of wine or water from the creek.

Food plays a central role in making this a superior horse trek. The more energy we expend, the more we discuss meals eaten and those to come.

Homestead cook is the extravagantly elegant Evelyn – she looks like a former model – who floors us by announcing she hates cooking. But we don't believe her.

Evelyn is Danielle's mum, who came six years ago to help the venture get off the ground – and stayed.

Breakfasts couldn't be heartier and dinners are three courses and memorable, especially the desserts, which she admits she likes to make.

There are about a dozen trekking routes regularly used, each 35km-45km – or a five to six-hour ride – and all returning to the homestead. This means we get to sleep in a comfortable bed every night.

It's clear that Danielle and Glen have gone out of their way to make the holidays a cut above the average horse trek. Groups are kept small. Horses are carefully matched with riders' abilities and personalities and they are swapped if need be.

Pamela Robson was a guest of Tourism NSW and flew Qantas.