Riding Vacations

Horseback vacations appeal to people who ride regularly and want to see new vistas and to those who love to ride but seldom get the opportunity. This year it's possible to take a riding vacation on almost any continent. While some trips are for experienced riders, many are suitable for novices as well.

Fourteen outfitters belong to the Eastern High Sierra Packers Association in California. Members offer a wide variety of excursions, including pack trips, base camp trips, day rides, and burro trips. There are painting workshops; classes in natural history, photography, horsemanship and fishing; and horse and cattle drives.

To receive a ``High Sierra Vacation 1987'' brochure, write Eastern High Sierra Packers Association, 690 North Main Street, Bishop, CA 93514, or telephone (619) 873-8405.

In Arizona, Adventure Trails of the West Inc. leads trips in Canyon de Chelly National Park and Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, as well as a five-day trip called the Annual Zane Grey Ride. Address is PO Box 1494, Wickenburg, AZ 85358; telephone (602) 684-3106.

Teton Trail Rides Inc. offers pack trips, trail rides, and guide service in the Grand Teton National Park. Address is Moose, WY 83012; telephone (307) 733-2108.

FITS Equestrian has by far the greatest assortment of riding trips. Its free 40-page color catalog describes 1987 itineraries ranging from Europe to North Africa, to Central and South America, to Canada and the United States. Address is 2011 Alamo Pintado, Solvang, CA 93463; telephone (805) 688-9494.

Boojum Expeditions organizes several unusual holidays in China. This summer its schedule includes two by horse: to Inner Mongolia (accompanied by local herdsmen as guides) and to the Sichuan Grasslands on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. For details, write Boojum at Box 2236, Leucadia, CA 92024, or telephone (619) 942-2309.