Victoria Park from a different perspective
Spend an hour roaming the trails and exploring the park by horseback
Victoria Park is known by many as one of the high points of a visit to Truro, and has often been called the “hidden gem” of Truro, nestled in the downtown area and spanning over 1,000 acres. The park offers many activities such as swimming, hiking, cycling, and now guided tours on horseback.
Shelby Gatti, owner of Forever Memories Equestrian Centre, thought of the idea when she realized no one else was offering trail-riding sessions this close to town.
“It’s such a beautiful park, and this gives people a chance to enjoy it by horseback,” said Gatti. “I often have clients with mobility concerns who want to see the further reaches of the park, and this allows them to do so.”
Gatti offers the guided tours on weekends, and can take groups of five riders through the park. If there is a special request made in advance, she can also bring in extra horses to accommodate more riders. The group stays together at a calm pace, and follow trails to points of interest like the town reservoir, the Wood Street trail entrance, and other locations. Special rides are also available upon request.
The trail rides are available to anyone over the age of eight, and require no previous experience with being on a horse. For Gatti, the favourite part of operating the tours through the park is seeing the reaction of riders. “Many people can’t believe how beautiful the areas of the park we ride through are. It gives me the opportunity to share my love of horses with people.”
The tours cost $45 plus HST per rider, and each tour lasts one hour. Gatti meets customers at the parking lot of Victoria park pool, and allows time for riders to become comfortable on their horse before the tour.
More information can be found on their website forevermemoriesequestriancentre.com as well as on their Face--