Authentic Khmer village horse riding in Siem Reap, Cambodia

This post about a horse riding experience I had in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I have been planning to write this post since I did this ride, as it was one of the highlights of my post medical school elective travel that I did with my university friends. I did this ride with Happy Ranch Farm, which was through a Khmer village and offered fantastic views of local temples and fields.

“The Happy Ranch Horse Farm was built and established in Siem Reap Angkor in 2002. Siem Reap is the world famous city of the unique Angkor temples. The ranch is located 2km from the center of Siem Reap and is the only western style horse ranch in Cambodia.”

The stables is run by Mr. Sary Pann, the Founder of The Happy Ranch Horse Farm, who is a Cambodian that lived in America for 30 years. He grew up in Siem Reap, Angkor, and then worked for the US embassy in Phnom Penh for five years.

Tuesday May 29th - the day of my ride, and this was the weather.

We had been staying in this amazing AirBnB which I had found (the Cambodia trip was my responsibility) and it was brilliant, we had a pool in the living room and we had a competition to do different ‘shows’ in the pool, such as a dance to the nutcracker and songs from Frozen. I am laughing just thinking of it, as it was so bizarre and silly but heaps of fun.

I found this horse riding trip by searching online as usual. The farm was only about 10 or 15 minute tuk tuk ride away and I set off there on my own (as I often am on these riding trips). Arriving, there was a beautiful selection of horses tied up, some of them looking ready to ride.

What a beautiful yard, I love how authentic it looks.

So, I went inside and signed the paperwork which of course excludes my liability for any accidents that may occur. I think it’s always important to make sure where you are riding is reputable as this is one of the things that worries me most about riding abroad, you never know what safety level is a standard for them, plus you never know how well trained their horses are. In my experience it is generally better to undersell your riding experience but be clear what it is you were hoping to do (e.g. have a trot, or a canter) and set your expectations off initially so that everyone is on the same page.

Signing the paperwork in the centre.

I was paired up with one of the guides and there was nobody else booked onto the afternoon ride that day so it was just a solo excursion. I did meet a girl who had just finished the morning ride and she was buzzing, so I was really excited to see what the hype was about. I borrowed a riding hat and went to meet my horse.

The horses were tacked up English style, which suited me just fine. Supposedly this is the only Western-style horse riding ranch in the whole of Cambodia, which is quite amazing really.

“Set on 10 hectares of beautiful Khmer countryside, around a miniature lake, the ranch accomodates 46 horse sand ponies , stallions, mares and foals. The facilities include a round pen, a 20 x 40m dressage arena, a horse preparation area, and 40 large clean stalls in the stables. We are fully equipped with European standard English and Western style saddles, imported from the USA and Europe. We also provide safety helmets to all riders.”

By nature the Cambodian horses are very small in stature, and have a slim build, but they are also very strong.

“Most of our horses and ponies are crossbred with Arabian horses; many are born and bred here at our stables. Our aim is to produce larger varieties so that we can cater for all riders.”

I had borrowed the hat from them which was in good condition and quite clean, and I only had very limited clothing due to living out of a suitcase for 5 weeks; which meant riding in my trainers - never best practice as they simply do not provide the same level of security for your foot in the stirrup. At the very least one should wear closed shoes, which even then I didn’t have in my ride in Dubai and my feet were mashed up by the end of that.

These temples were particularly special because they were actually used by locals frequently and hadn’t become a tourist attraction (yet). For example, we visited Angkor Wat which was incredible, but it just was full of tourists and by contrast this more low-key temple was definitely interesting to see as there were people around cleaning and children playing. I know that Angkor Wat still do have monks that go there to pray and they do interact with tourists but I have always preferred a more natural and casual feel when I am travelling.

Absolutely stunning temples and seeing the local people was just such a connecting feeling. I had so much fun waving at all the kids, they were equally excited to see me as I was to see them.

We went for a canter down this dirt track which, although fun, was a bit hectic as my horse kept bucking / he didn’t really like my guide’s horse and so it wasn’t as comfortable as it could have been. Also, halfway through my phone (which was in this sort of see through pouch dangling around my neck) flew off and I hadn’t even noticed until this man came zooming up to us on a motorbike and gave it back. The guide said we were lucky because it was his friend who had found it.

Daily lives of locals in a Khmer village.

I loved this village look, it was so natural and it reminded me of the places that my grandma describes to me in her stories of India, with the cows and chickens wandering around.

We stopped here for a short break and for the horses to have a snack on the grass.

Rice fields and swampy marshland.

On the way back to the ranch.

Capturing the sounds of a beautiful Khmer village - funeral chant and children playing.

Brilliant views of the temples, the ornate woodwork and detailing was wonderful. It was such an honour to be able to visit some of these more quiet and local temples where the locals go about daily.

You can definitely see the Arabian bloodlines in this guy’s nose and face shape, and I definitely was not used to riding such a slim horse having spent all my time on Joy, the thick-boned Irish beauty who just feels as though you are riding an armchair. Still, it was a fantastic ride for the scenery and the experience and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is visiting Siem Reap.

Thank you to Happy Ranch Horse Farm!