Everyone in my family loves horseback riding, which is great because it’s an easy activity to incorporate into many family vacations. We’re all so excited that little Rachel (my two-year-old) is finally old enough to sit with me on a horse (our six-year-old, Jake, sits with Kevin, my husband). This summer we went on our first vacation involving horseback riding since before I was pregnant with Rachel, and we all had a great time.

This year went to a ranch in Wyoming that is part of a national forest. We had an opportunity to herd cattle as well as going on rides together. Even better, they have great discounts for kids. It was a lot of fun.

When choosing to incorporate horseback riding into a family vacation, make sure that everyone in the family will be happy with that. Everyone involved should have experience with horses. Even my little ones have been around our horse, so I knew they wouldn’t be scared.

Introduce your children to horses before you go. If it’s possible to take a riding lesson somewhere near where you live, do that for the kids (and adults) who aren’t as comfortable with horses. That way no one will be scared or upset on your vacation, and everyone will basically know what to do.

Family horseback riding excursions often have riders of varying skill levels, but the instructor may not be able to stop and help you if one of your kids has a problem.

Once you know that everyone will be comfortable and have fun on a horseback riding vacation, you need to decide how much of the vacation you want to devote to horseback riding. If your kids are new to horses, you might want to try an afternoon ride as part of a vacation filled with other activities before you plan a vacation that’s little except riding.

Many vacation destinations, especially those near national parks, beaches and forests, offer short horseback riding excursions. To find people offering horseback riding in the area where you’re planning your vacation, type “horse tour” or “horseback riding” and the location in your favorite search engine. These types of rides usually run a couple of hours and prices vary widely. Rides with per hour or group discount rates will be best for you if you have a big family.

After you’ve gotten your feet wet with a short horseback ride and have decided you’d like to try a longer horseback riding vacation, the Internet can be your guide once again. Search for horseback riding vacations and the region or state you would like to visit to find a ton of information about different vacation options.

The tour we chose this year was wonderful because it specified that it is for riders of all ages (though the instruction for beginners is mostly provided through videos, which is less than ideal) and that the pace of the ride depends on the group. If people need to stop and rest more often (as we had to with two small children along), the group will accommodate that. It’s also good because the maximum ride in a day is about six hours, which is about all my little ones were able to handle.

When looking for a horseback riding tour of your own, check on things like group size, the kinds of horses that are available, any age limit for children and a weight limit if you have overweight people in your group. Some breeds of horses simply can’t carry that much weight for long periods of time, so it is a real concern when you’re looking at long rides.

Once you’ve narrowed your selections down, visit each company’s website. Look for testimonials from satisfied customers. Look at the pictures—do the people look like they’re having a good time? Do the horses look healthy? Are there children in the pictures? What kind of accommodations are provided, and are there pictures? What is included in the fee and what’s extra? These kinds of vacations can get costly very quickly if you have to add on the cost of food, drinks and other entertainment.

A horseback riding vacation is something your family will never forget. It’s a wonderful way to bond, get out in nature with your kids, and spend a lot of time away from those dastardly electronic devices. I can’t wait to share it with my family again!