Horse riding holidays in Europe

Europe: history, culture and nature

To talk about Europe as a Horse Riding Vacation destination is to talk about the origin of this activity, because it was in Europe where this concept of equestrian trips was born.

Horseback riding vacations in Europe allow you to discover its essence, antiquity, culture and history, in addition to its many natural landscapes; learn about its different regions and its people, as diverse as its geography.

What made Europeans develop this Horseback Trip modality?

Several factors were the triggers – a growing personal well-being culture, mass tourism and, mainly, an increase in the purchasing power. All this contributed to the emergence of this new activity for horse lovers, in all its disciplines.

This type of tourist activity, whose main objective is to enjoy horse-related activities, is commercialized through specialized tour operators, although there is an emerging self-management trend of some suppliers of these services that sell their products directly.

In Europe, this tourism modality, which involves horses and equestrianism, has a considerable number of enthusiasts, although there are millions all over the world.

According to the Fédération Française d’Equitation, at present there are 350 certified equestrian tourism centres and over 80,000 kilometres of riding trails, 18,000 specifically marked, as well as 2,500 associations and other horse-related institutions.

What does Europe offer travellers on horseback from all over the world?

Equestrian tourism in its purest form, an activity that is intended for both beginners, who have never ridden before, and experts, and that is very much related to the principles of sustainable and responsible tourism, the search of authentic experiences and a direct contact with nature.

Trails and routes filled with history are waiting for you here, so you can travel along them on horseback, as the ones who wrote this story did hundreds of years ago.

The horse was and still is a part of the history of Humankind, and during your Horse Riding Holidays in Europe you can travel along the same equestrian trails where History passed.

Europe has a lot to offer riders and equestrian tourism enthusiasts, since it has the most diverse number of equestrian tourism offers in the world.

In order to meet this growing demand, it is necessary to have organization, professionalism and a deep knowledge of the area where the service is provided, in addition to the real interests of consumers, expert riders or not.

A key issue is designing the routes, with organized stops and with the right resources to ensure comfort for both riders and horses, the true protagonists of these riding adventures.

In this continent, suppliers, with years of experience in this activity, are well prepared with all those resources.

What to expect from your Horseback Riding Vacations in Europe?

Many people have travelled to Europe once, but most of them don’t know this continent very well and there is much more than what you see in movies, tourist brochures, internet advertising, etc. There is a lot of information but it can’t describe the essence of the Old Continent.

This essence, its antiquity and history and its many natural landscapes, make discovering Europe on horseback the best way to explore it and to see the different regions of this continent and its people – as diverse as its geography.

Seeing it on horseback is to rediscover it, to go further and deeper into the true Europe.

It’s a way of rekindling the history of humankind by visiting the different places that offer so much history, culture and nature. Taking your time to visit this place is a very good decision.

Why is it better on horseback?

Exploring Europe on horseback enables a different and special vision of everything, which is not the same if you travel using other alternatives. Of the many different options, to see it on horseback is the best way.

If you want to live, feel and experience first-hand what the first settlers lived, felt and experienced, you must do it riding.

Riding around its trails, you can see Europe just as it was seen and lived by the ones who created western history. You can plunge into the time of kingdoms, empires, disloyal and honest people, when the only means of transport was the horse, hundreds of years ago.

Where to go?

There are many places and destinations you can choose from. Don’t rush and go slowly – hundreds, or maybe thousands, of years of history is like a drink that you can’t down in one gulp.

The places you can choose to ride in Europe are numberless, such as a castle in France, an icy landscape full of adventure in Iceland or the rugged cliffs of Ireland.

Discover the beauty of Italy with all its characteristic romance, its history and culture of sightseeing tours in Tuscany, Campania or Sicily.

Countries like England, Scotland and Wales offer their rich history, whereas Greece treasures unmissable ancient ruins.

And you shouldn’t forget to go for a ride in Spain, which is world famous for its equestrian tourism; visit Andalusia or go down the trails of Don Quixote of La Mancha in Castile.

Turkey merges the ancient traditions and modern infrastructure. Horseback riding through the spectacular "Fairy Chimneys" is something unique.

You can also go for a ride in the mountains of Austria, or along the beaches of Cyprus or or through the dense forests of the Black Forest in Germany.

Discover also the tourist destinations in Eastern Europe and explore the Balkans in Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria, or enjoy equestrian tourism in Romania, where horses still outnumber motor vehicles in the rural areas of Transylvania.

Discover the pleasure of riding on ice and don't miss the stunning Northern Lights in Norway or Finland.

Europe has beaches and mountains, exuberant forests and green valleys, offering numerous options for horseback riding..

Go trail riding along the beaches of Alentejo in Portugal on a Lusitano horse – one of the country's most popular horse breeds.

Ride through the vast expanses of the Great Plain in Hungary enjoying the nice weather and experiencing the most amazing landscapes and medieval towns.

And if you are a fan of equestrian sports, enjoy a riding holiday in Holland where you can attend the different competitions organized by the Dutch Federation of Equestrian Sports.

There’s something for every rider. You can travel many kilometres at a walk, relishing every place that you visit on your horse. You’l llarge extensions of open space to gallop freely and obstacles to deal with along the way.

Travelling around its riding trails is the best way of seeing Europe, just as it was seen and lived by the ones who created western history. It’s plunging into the time of kingdoms, empires, disloyal and honest people, when the only means of transport was the horse, hundreds of years ago.

Do you also love the idea of exploring Europe on horseback?

Download our free eBook on equestrian tourism in Europe and and enjoy both trail riding and history.