TasWeekend: Take a trail ride with Cradle Country Adventures at Narawntapu and Bakers Beach

Riding past giant roos to canter along a deserted beach is just part of the pleasure on this horseback adventure.

Laura and Ray Becker of Cradle Country Adventures at the start of their Bakers Beach horse ride. Picture: AMANDA DUCKER

I’M cantering along a Bass Strait beach on a big chestnut horse with Laura Becker beside me on a grey Arab. She often rides along this stretch of sand, but as we slow down to re-join our group she looks as exhilarated as I feel.

“I love sharing my passion for horses and I love making people happy,” says the French ex-pat, who runs Cradle Country Adventures, a horseback tourism venture in the state’s north with her Aussie husband Ray.

Laura spent her childhood on ponies in the countryside near Orleans. She’s always lived and breathed horses. Today the Kimberley couple, who met here in 2011, run three guided rides, including this one in Narawntapu National Park and along Bakers Beach.

When we meet at 9.30am at the horse yards in the national park, we are sized up and partnered with suitable steeds for the three-hour ride.

The couple’s little boys, Liam, 6, and Ned, 2, play in the grass near the horse truck while Ray gives our group a safety briefing before we set out. As Laura moves among the horses checking saddlery, larrikin Ray goes for laughs. She giggles at his jokes. Their banter is a fun part of the day.