My name is Lucienne Bennett and I am the owner of The Wern Horse and Rider B&B in the Brecon Beacons National Park. We offer B&B and evening meals for guests who bring their own horses with them on holiday.
We have researched a variety of 'Petal' rides, day rides centred round our B&B and supply the riders with marked up maps and detailed route notes. As I am the Rights of Way Officer for the British Horse Society, I have worked extensively with the BBNP right from the start. I was asked to be part of the Equine Cluster Group which was being set up under the COLLABOR8 INTERRG IVB program. It has taken a while to get the various horse riding businesses to realise that working together is actually beneficial to all businesses in promoting the area as a riding destination.
My husband and I have developed a 4 day, 75 mile circular trail ride leaving and returning to our B&B with 3 overnight stops at other horse B&Bs. This is called the Brecon Beacons and Radnor Loop. As we make use of pubs en route, use a local outdoor pursuit centre for supplies such as compasses and map holders and have a local blacksmith on stand-by this is a prime example of how working together can benefit a variety of businesses.
Obviously, the Equine Cluster Group is a positive development with joint marketing being extremely useful and financially beneficial to all the Equine businesses.
By sourcing local produce for our evening meals, which the other horse B&Bs en route do as well, we are engaging with another cluster group, one aimed at promoting the taste of the area. It all works towards the same aim: getting the BBNP noted as a holiday destination.
Since the working visit to Belgium where I visited the Outback Riding Centre, a riding establishment offering half/full day trail rides and riding lessons, I have been in contact with them. We have exchanged web site links to enable our and their customers to look at possible holidays in each other's countries. The owner of Outback Riding has expressed interest in bringing a party of his customers over to ride in the BBNP either with their own horses or on horses hired from one of our Equine Cluster partners.
I have recently spoken and emailed with Donie from Killarney Riding Stables to discuss link exchanges and promotion of each other's business. I hope to have the link up and running in December.
