Last week, while my aunt was visiting from Ohio, my mom, aunt and I headed to central Virginia for wine tastings and horseback riding. The beautiful sights of Virginia wine country are a must-see the next time you are in the state. And what better way to explore some of Virginia’s best wineries than by horseback!

green utility jacket | black jeans | white tee | cowboy boots

Horseback Riding with Indian Summer Guide Service

My mom first discovered Indian Summer Guide Service last summer when she had the opportunity to go horseback riding at a different vineyard here in Virginia. She had a great experience and decided that the next time my aunt was down visiting us, we would have to plan for it. This was only my second time horseback riding and it was so fun! While we decided to ride at Pollak Vineyards (more on them later), Indian Summer Guide Service has a list of several wineries where you can ride with them.

My horse, Gracie, was very well-behaved. All the horses were! I am far from being “outdoorsy” and when I first got on Gracie to start the ride, I almost panicked. I forgot what being on a horse felt like and was so afraid she would take off running! She listened so well though. Except when she was tempted by some of the grass 🙂

I can’t recommend Indian Summer Guide Service enough! Our guide, Ashton, was knowledgeable not only about the horses but was also able to give us some background about the area and the winery. Also, he took the majority of these pictures for us! Can you even believe they were taken with an iPhone?!

This is in no way a sponsored post! We had such a great and fun experience and I love sharing things that I have enjoyed and helping spread the word about small businesses. If you have plans to be in Virginia or even the Washington, D.C. area (it’s only about 2.5 hours from downtown D.C. to this particular vineyard) seeing Virginia wine country by horseback riding is a must!

Wine Tasting at Pollak Vineyards

After our ride through the vineyard, we stopped in the tasting room at Pollak Vineyards for a tasting. When my mom was planning this trip, she had asked me what winery would be the best choice. We had visited Pollak a little over a year ago (you can see the post about it here). Not only was the setting and tasting room both gorgeous, the wine was some of the best we have had in Virginia.

As I mentioned in my previous post about Virginia wine country, we love that Pollak grows all the grapes that they use for the wine. It is relatively common in Virginia for wineries to source grapes from other parts of the state or even California. It’s wonderful to taste Virginia wine that actually comes from Virginia grapes! We have always loved a good Meritage and Pollak did not disappoint! The rosé was also delicious! If you are visiting the Charlottesville area, I would highly recommend Pollak!

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Thanks for stopping by, friends! See you back here tomorrow for some Fourth of July food inspiration. Have a great start to the week!