Upper Hunter Horse Stud Tours offer visitors a unique insight into Australia’s thoroughbred horse breeding industry. Operated by Upper Hunter Tours, the stud tours offer a wide range of unique, personalised tours across the Hunter region. Travel with guide Craig Benjamin - a man with a passion for the industry - as you visit world-renowned thoroughbred studs.
This pristine area is home to some of the most famous and historic horse studs in Australia, including internationally acclaimed names like Godolphin, Coolmore and Arrowfield. Upper Hunter Horse Stud Tours also take in renowned studs like Darley, Vinery and Widden and surrounding areas including Denman, Scone, the Widden Valley and Mulawa Arabian Horse Stud.
The Upper Hunter Country of NSW is home to more than 200 thoroughbred studs and is the centre of Australia’s multi-billion-dollar thoroughbred breeding industry. With origins dating back over 200 years, it’s the second-largest concentration of thoroughbred studs in the world.
Each tour is a unique experience, custom-designed by Craig Benjamin for visitors and groups. Every stud is a working business enterprise, with some owned by one family over generations, while others are privately owned companies with Australian and International interests.
There is something different to discover on each tour, from farm buildings to immaculately landscaped gardens, architecturally designed stallion barns to high-tech operating practices. Each stud has a story to tell about its history and heritage and the role it plays in Australia’s national and international breeding and racing scene.
Upper Hunter Tours offer a captivating glimpse into the world of thoroughbred breeding, set against a picturesque country backdrop.
An Upper Hunter Horse Stud Tour is not your average farm tour. It’s an education - a glimpse into the region’s rich equestrian heritage. Travelling through the pristine Upper Hunter region, tour guide Craig Benjamin shares the history of the farms, gives insights into the science behind horse breeding, and tells fascinating stories of some well-known horses that began their lives in the Hunter Valley.
Craig shows visitors what few people outside the industry ever see. His horse stud tours often include close-up encounters with mares, foals, and even retired racehorses. Guests have the chance to learn about and connect with these majestic animals.
The prestigious horse studs visited on the Upper Valley Tour breed and raise champion racehorses that race on national and international tracks. Guided tours of these magnificent properties enable guests to learn about the breeding process and what’s entailed in the daily care and training of these elite thoroughbreds.
‘Horse Country’ as it’s known, stretches west through Denman to Widden and Bylong Valley, east to Muswellbrook and Aberdeen, north through Australia’s horse capital of Scone and into Segenhoe, Gundy and Murrurrundi.
Upper Hunter Horse Stud Tours visit prominent studs such as Arrowfield, Coolmore, Godolphin, Woodlands, Kelvinside and Widden. The tours can also include a visit to the wonderful Mulawa Arabian Horse Stud.
The Upper Hunter is nestled in the Hunter Valley, surrounded by the Wollemi National Park and is part of the Greater Blue Mountains Heritage Area and the Barrington Tops National Park. Upper Hunter Horse Stud Tours operates in the broader Hunter Valley, with options for the Scone and Widden Valley areas.
Upper Hunter Horse Stud Tours are fascinating any time of the year, but especially during the Spring Foaling season, where visitors can see future champions in the making!
Our team is always happy to help if you have any questions about us or our tours. Fill out our form and we will get back to you soon.
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We are a Green Travel Leader. This is awarded to businesses which have consistently proven their commitment to sustainable tourism management over ten years.
As a Sustianable Tourism accredited business, we are proud to offer engaging tourism experiences that follow sound sustainability practices and environmental appreciation.
Quality Tourism accredited businesses like Fun Over 50 lead the way by offering the highest industry standards of customer service, satisfaction, reliability, and ethical practices.
We are committed to operating in ways that respect and reinforce Indigenous cultural heritage and the authenticity and integrity of living cultures of Indigenous communities.
We have incorporated strategic climate change responses across all relevant levels of our planning and operations. We are working towards becoming carbon neutral.
With Advanced Ecotourism certification, we offer outstanding experiences which let you get back to nature, help conservation, and minimise environmental impact.
We are a credible, well trained, and professional business. We conduct business in compliance with Australian Consumer Law and in accordance with ATAS Charter and Code of Conduct.
The Council of Australian Tour Operators represents tour operators and wholesalers. As a full CATO member, we provide authentic and original holidays with sustainable travel.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them, their cultures, and to the elders both past and present.
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