Sunday, October 2, 2016

The Horses of Mackinac Island

 As vacations go, this destination would have been perfect for the 'horsey girl' in our family. There was a subtle yet constant twinge of guilt while on Mackinac Island where the work horses take center stage. From horse riding stables on Market Street to 'rent your own' horse and carriage rides to tour the island; all it takes is a mini lesson, and you're off. Apparently the horses know the drill. And Angelica would have been enamored of every opportunity to ride, pet, or watch the horses in action.
Several in our group took a horse drawn carriage tour of the island. Halfway through the tour, you are transferred to a large wagon that is pulled by three horses. These are the world's largest and widest horse drawn carriages, holding approx. 35 tourists. This portion of the tour takes you through Mackinac Island State Park which comprises 83% of the island.

Grand Hotel Stable
The tourist season runs from May to October. Sometime in October, the majority of the horses are returned to pastures on the mainland, some travel as far as Minnesota or Florida, where they will have the winter season 'off'.  This website has additional information on the horses of Mackinac Island. 

4 comments:

relevanttealeaf said...

You captured so many wonderful scenes on Mackinac Island. I'm enjoying your posts. My computer is up and running again [although I'm looking for a new one], and I'm glad to be blogging about the MI Tea Tour again even though I am behind everyone else.

Angela McRae said...

Oh my, I have a horse-crazy niece right now who would have loved this as well! I'm enjoying seeing everyone's different take on the trip!

Teresa said...

I'm sure Angelica would have enjoyed the horses. They were certainly very mild mannered.
Sips and Smiles,
Teresa

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

We could hear the horses clomping up the drive to the hotel late into the night and again early the next morning from our room.