There is no greater feeling than riding a beautiful horse out in nature, but sadly this is not always possible. For times where you are unable to ride for one reason or another, there are a few excellent alternative activities which should scratch the itch and allow you to still feel closely connected to horses.

After all, equestrian is a way of life for many people who spend most of their day thinking about their favorite pastime.

If this sounds familiar to you, then you may want to consider any of the following activities if you are not able to ride that day.

1. Watch Horse Films

The great beauty of horses has been a key part of many fantastic films over the years, and this is the perfect activity for a rainy day. There are many different films to consider where horses and horse riding is a major feature of the film - a few good examples include Dreamer, Seabiscuit, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and The Horse Whisperer.

2. Read An Equestrian Book

Similarly, you could find an intriguing equestrian book on Good Reads to get stuck into which might teach you more about your favorite hobby. There are endless options here so you should always be able to find something that takes your fancy.

A few popular choices include Centered Riding, How to Think Like a Horse and Know Better to do Better.

3. Online Betting

Online betting at places like Unibet is another activity that equestrian lovers will find enjoyable as it provides a similar thrill to riding a horse. Not only this, but you may also be able to find horse betting opportunities or virtual horse riding games to try.

Read more: 5 Activities For Horse Lovers When You Can’t Ride

by CD Davidson-Hiers

Cobra was a wild young mustang from Nevada when Tallahassee horse trainer Marsha Hartford-Sapp first met him in 2010. Now, nearly a decade later, he’s the only mustang to ever win the National Horse of the Year award presented by the governing body of equestrian sports, the U.S. Equestrian Federation. It’s a prestigious award, and one that was decided by online voting, open internationally. On Jan. 12, Hartford-Sapp was in West Palm Beach for the USEF awards ceremony. She knew Cobra was one of three horses nominated, but the final results of the voting were kept secret. Hartford-Sapp described it as the Grammy’s for horses.

Read more: A Cinderella story: Local Mustang Wins National Horse of the Year

by Brittany Bevis

Upon entrance to the main dining hall, visitors are greeted by a high arched interior flooded with light, supported by massive wood beams that give the feeling of a grand equestrian estate. As if there were any doubts as to the inspiration behind the design of this property, the vintage saddles, velvet hunt caps, and horse show ribbons that adorn the living spaces confirm a decidedly equestrian vibe.

The newest Balfour Senior Living center in Littleton, Colorado, is the brainchild of AQHA and APHA breeder and amateur exhibitor, Susan Juroe, and her husband, Michael. The planning for this new location began four years ago and is their ninth project to date. Susan and Michael are the co-founders of Balfour Senior Living, a luxury senior housing company they built from the ground up. They strive to provide an experience that cultivates a better quality of life than a traditional retirement home. “We’re passionate about each project we do at Balfour and design it as if we were going to move in ourselves,” Susan says. “We don’t believe that aging means you like plastic furniture covers or bad architecture.”

Read more: Living in the Lap of Equestrian Luxury

by Brock Colyar

Kesha Morse is the first female president of New York City’s Federation of Black Cowboys, which offers rodeos, school visits, and horsemanship training programs for New York City youth. Based in Queens, the groups aims to revive traditions of African-American cowboys in the Old West — and you even might spot them on an eight-hour trek from one end of Brooklyn to the other.

Hoping to raise awareness about its mission, the FBC teamed up with the denim brand Wrangler to produce a short film about the organization’s history. The Cut asked Morse about leading the FBC for the past decade, and what it means to be a cowboy in bustling New York City.

Is there a reason why cowboys wear jeans?

Oh yeah! The material is thicker so that while riding the horse, you don’t get friction on your legs. And then it is just part of the culture. Thank goodness, Wrangler started making stretch jeans. It makes it that much easier when the jeans move with you.

How the heck do you even ride a horse in New York City?

Horses have the right away. They were here before the cars were! We do have to follow the rules of the road, like the red lights, but we ride in the street. The ability to do that is declining more and more, even in Central Park. They’ve reduced the number of horses and carriages there, so as far as being able to do that in New York City, I really don’t see that happening. I don’t see them trading off land to house horses in place of housing.

Read more: How the Heck Do You Ride a Horse in NYC?

by Lauren Mauldin

Gentlemen, I know you’ve heard about us – the horse girls. Whether it’s the infamous tight breeches or how we’re known to be just slightly crazy, our reputation precedes us. Try Guy, Keith Habersberger, even listed loving horses as his number one dating dealbreaker in a 2015 video.

Well Keith, you’re not wrong.

But us equestrians are more than the great butts we’re rocking in these breeches. So what do the horse pictures in our dating profiles really say about us?

Read more: Swipe Right: What Those Horse Photos in Dating Profiles Say About Equestrians

by Penelope Miller

The equine world has a lot of jargon; from racing to pleasure riding, horse people often use common words in colloquial ways, and that can be very confusing if you find yourself in a conversation with horse lovers! Here are 15 words that mean something different to horse people.

1. Bay

To most people: A body of water indenting a shoreline.

To horse people: A brown horse with a black mane and tail.

Read more: Fifteen Words That Mean Something Different to Horse Lovers

It's easy to find great movies for horse lovers. The movies include both those films that are based on the adventures of horses and even more that have to do with training and utilizing horses. These movies include beloved classics, big-budget action movies and epics, and great horse racing movies as well. What the best had in common was treating the horses with respect.

The next best thing to people riding and loving their horses is to watch movies about the beloved horses in their spare time. With Oscar nominees, documentaries, new classics, dramas, and family pictures, here is a look at the best horse movies of all-time.

10. WAR HORSE

Based on the 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo, Steven Spielberg directed War Horse in 2011 about a thoroughbred horse named Joey. The story starts with Joey's birth and then his training by a boy named Albert. However, when Albert's dad sells Joey to the army when they need money to pay rent after a downpour destroys their crops, Albert watches as his horse is sent off to serve in the war.

War Horse then shows Joey's work in the war, with Albert eventually enlisting when he reaches legal age. As expected, Albert is reunited with Joey. Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Eddie Marsan lead the cast with Jeremy Irvine as Albert. This horse movie received six Oscar nominations.

Read more: 10 Best Horse Movies Of All Time

There’s nothing better than being able to go on holiday and still do the thing you love most, especially if that thing is horse riding. Luckily, there are some incredible riding holidays that you can experience that will take you to far-flung destinations and exotic locations. Here’s a roundup of some of the most exciting horse-riding holidays and holiday destinations in the world.

Explore the Beauty of the Camargue

The Camargue region in the South of France is renowned for being a place of natural beauty and one of the most popular European destinations for equestrians, no doubt due to the wild horses that roam through the heather here. Riding holiday specialists In the Saddle (www.inthesaddle.com) run a marvelous seven-night trail-riding holiday, which begins in Marseille before heading to the ancient village of Lauris where you’ll meet your equine companion. The trail itself takes you across the delta with its pink flamingos, through plenty of fortified medieval villages, traverses the Alpilles mountains and ends deep in Provence and the Rhône Valley.

Experience Rural Rajasthan

Whether as a riding holiday or not, India is one of the most exotic destinations that we are lucky enough to be able to visit, but the experience is even more special when done so on horseback. Exploring the deserts of Rajasthan from the saddle sounds like a dream come true for any rider with an adventurous spirit, and thanks to Wix Squared (www.wixsquared.com), it can be a reality.

The company runs a seven-night itinerary, which is tailor-made to suit different riding abilities. You can expect to spend at least three days on a riding safari in Rajasthan, traveling via the local horse breed Marwari and discovering this fascinating part of the country.

Read more: The World’s Most Exciting Horse-Riding Holidays

by SoaringRaven

No one really knows how these old hobby horses got here, but the herd keeps growing.

On a small slice of wide-open pasture in the town of Lincoln, Massachusetts, broken-down rocking horses, plastic ponies and other assorted horse toys have been holding court. As if by magic, ponies have been proliferating along this winding country road, resulting in the peculiar “Ponyhenge”.

The plastic and metal horses started arriving anonymously sometime in 2010, with the placement of a lone hobby horse along picturesque Old Sudbury Road, about 15 miles west of Boston. How and why the rusty little fellow appeared is a mystery, even to Lincolnites who’ve been around a while. One story has the first horse hanging around after a kids’ short-lived lemonade stand, another that he was left over from a Christmas display.

Read more: Ponyhenge