What’s the most romantic date you can think of? Unless it involves horseback riding, you’re wrong. Every cliché romantic movie needs a good couple horseback ride along the beach in slow motion; the slow motion is up to you, but here on the Sunshine Coast you can recreate this same stroke of romantic genius with your honey-bunny. It had been a while since I last performed a grand gesture of love to sweep my girl off her feet, so this past weekend I decided to enlist the help of Equathon – a group that offers a wide range of horseback tours and classes, both beach and bush based, ranging from merely a few hours, to an entire week.

Equathon offers an award winning two-hour private horse-riding tour across the beautiful beaches of Noosa. The tours are lead by owner and proprietor Alex Watson on the back of beautifully trained and presented Australian Stock Horses. The horses are matched to each rider’s level of experience. An absolute beginner like me felt completely safe and in control. The two-hour private beach tour is perfect for guests needing a little extra personal attention and instruction – ideal for special occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays. Tours are available twice a day between 9:30am and 1:00pm. Riders have a choice between spending the entire ride on the beach or doing a combination of bush and beach.

Although we opted for the two hour tour, there were some other packages that were very tempting, and I may very well revisit when time allows; namely the seven day tour. ‘Our Australia Bush and Beach Horse Riding Tour is targeted to the horseback riding enthusiasts who would like to discover the Australian countryside in luxury. Australian Triple Olympian, Alex Watson and his wife, Rebecca, will be your hosts. They personally sought out the best horses and trails to develop this destination ride along Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and pristine hinterland. You will canter on a beautiful beach, ride through tropical rain forest trails, and ride into the wonderful Australian bush to muster cattle. Amazing scenery and wildlife such as kangaroos, koalas, hundreds of native Australian birds including many species of colourful parrots await you. Fall in love with the Australian Stock Horse “the breed for every need”, famous for their athletic ability and temperament.

For those brave enough to give it a go, the tours are led by somewhat of an Australian equestrian celebrity. Alex (Watson) has been involved in Olympic sports as both a competitor and organiser. During Alex’s career as a pentathlete he was Australian national champion a record number of eight times and selected for four consecutive Olympic Games – 1980 Moscow, 1984 Los Angeles, 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona. In incredibly good hands, the quality of these tours is assured.

For more information on Alex, wife Rebecca, and Equathon – check out the Equathon website.