Unlike catback riding, horseback riding is an effective mode of transportation, a reliable source of entertainment, and rarely derailed by scurrying mice or gangs of canine cat rustlers. Give feline spines a break with today's Groupon: for $48, you get two 60-minute private horseback-riding lessons at Equine Unlimited in Rescue (a $120 value).

Perched on a sweeping 28-acre landscape dotted with panoramic pastures and rustic barns, Equine Unlimited has been instructing ground walkers in horseback gallivanting for 25 years. American Riding Association-certified owner and operator Malinda Kregoski and her assistant trainers can help budding equestrians from 3 years old to well over 60 absorb their expertise in grooming, tacking, and riding. Fledgling jockeys can select from English, jumper, and western riding lessons, though jousting lessons are restricted to time-traveling knights. Equine Unlimited's expansive outdoor arena, which is clad in state-of-the-art synthetic-fiber footing, provides top-notch terrain for cantering cowboy and cowgirl trainees.