Things to Do in Orillia

Towering evergreens surround The Polo Organization’s 100-acre collection of playing fields and arenas, which host students during riding and polo lessons. Instructors take on both beginning and experienced students, revealing subtleties of the sport such as objectives, technique, and why water polo is not regular polo on seahorses. Mallets, helmets, and horses are provided during each 60-minute lesson, and students are advised to wear jeans or riding breeches along with flat-soled riding boots. While students meld body and spirit with new equine friends, a professional photographer snaps photos, which pupils can then hang on a wall or embroider to the chest of a collared shirt.

On their 25-acre parcel of scenic countryside, Rosemary Richardson and Sarah Thomas, Gemstone Equestrian’s mother-daughter team, teach students to ride properly and respect their equine friends. Lessons are held year-round either outside or within the indoor facilities and cater to riders of all experience levels, whether they aim to ride recreationally or for competition. Students choose among the riding arts of dressage, which stresses obedience and balance; hunter/jumper, which takes place on the hunter course or jumper ring; and Western, which focuses on how to visit the Pacific by hitching a skateboard to a team of wild horses. No matter the riding style, safety remains of utmost importance—the center offers ASTM–approved helmets for no extra charge and caps lessons at a 1:2 staff-to-student ratio for beginners and 1:4 for experienced riders.

Each voyage the MV Woodman takes with Scugog Island Cruises pays tribute to the rich maritime history of the area. The double-decker vessel carries the moniker of an 1850s-era steamship that cruised Lake Scugog for more than 70 years, and the crew recounts tales from bygone days of glamorous lake parties and the time that carp ran for mayor during each sightseeing excursion. Whether they are steering up to 100 passengers for a wedding, birthday shindig, or themed dinner-dance cruise, the trained personnel aim to dip each experience in the colours of the area's rich history.

Gliding beneath the maple trees overhanging the shore, a kayaker propels himself sans paddles toward an upcoming bend in the Holland River, which opens to banks of cattails that stretch to the horizon. Located at the Holland River Marina, the staff of Fishing Boating On The Marsh outfits visitors to explore these scenic routes, renting kayaks and fishing tackle. Designed for fishermen, Hobie kayaks sport pedal-driven propulsion and enhanced stability, leaving the passenger's arms free to fish or practice shadow puppets on the water's reflection.