The Urban Outdoor Education Program’s new trip will burst out of the starting gate on Dec. 8 when 15 students and two chaperones will trot, canter, and gallop on the first horseback riding trip in Urban School history as they ride to Point Reyes National Park from Olema, Calif.

Director of Outdoor Education Rachel Fristedt will lead the group with Wendy Parkman, Drama and Circus Teacher, also chaperoning. Urban Sherpa Lara Bajakian (’14) said that the ride would have “amazing views.” Fristedt agreed, expressing hope that riders would get “views of the ocean.”

In the past, the Outdoor Education program focused more on trips that required greater levels of physical exertion and larger commitments. This year, however, Fristedt has attempted to “…provide trips that will appeal to a [wider] variety of interests.”

Fristedt, who replaced Sarah Fontaine this year as program head, went on to say, “Horseback riding is a great way to get outdoors and explore a new area. It is not something that many students get to do on a regular basis, so I decided to offer a trip so that more students can have the opportunity to try it.”