Europe offers some of the world's finest equestrian escapes

By Daniela David Mar 30, 2010, 7:52 GMT

Berlin - For many horse-lovers a holiday spent in the saddle is like a dream come true.

Galloping along a beach or scaling a mountain on horseback are not easy to do at home and a holiday offers an ideal opportunity to realise such ambitions and relax at the same time.

Europe offers a wide range of equestrian holidays and there are plenty of organised rides along exhilarating trails.

Horseback riding is particularly popular in Austria. Tourists will not get much higher than during a trekking tour through the alpine state of Corinthia, following in the footsteps and hooves of the 'Saeumer,' the pack horse drivers of yore who used these routes to transport goods around the mountains. Toni Sauper knows these paths like the back of his hand and he regularly takes a group of riders from the Schlosswirt inn in the Moell Valley up into the mountains.

The shoes worn by these compact native Austrian horses are fitted with hardened metal pins to stop them slipping on stones as the going gets steeper. Alpine horseback riding is not for people who are in a hurry to get somewhere 'but those who explore the mountains on horseback enjoy a more intense nature experience,' said Toni.

As the summit at 2,120 metres draws near, it is time to survey the magnificent upland landscape with alpine vistas seemingly beyond the reach of those on two or four legs. Suddenly a breeze ripples through the horse's mane and the ascent has been accomplished.

France is famous for trips in the saddle alongside the Loire river. The much-vaunted 'Garden of France' can boast more chateaux and stately homes than any other region in the world. 'During the Renaissance era the French royal court moved around constantly and naturally on horseback,' explains Pierrot Chemineau of the Les Abrons riding academy. Today, centuries later, tourists can hark back too to the age of the gentlemen hunters, the Chevaliers.

Daily rides in small groups cover between 24 and 39 kilometres a day and there are stops for lunch with a handsome castle as a backdrop. While the horses recuperate in a paddock, their riders can take their pick of castles such as Chenonceau, Amboise, Cheverny and Chaumont, all of which are on the itinerary.

The sparsely-populated Black Mountains in southern Wales are largely untouched by tourism and lake Llangorse See in the Brecon Beacons National park is the starting point for riding trips lasting several days at a time.

Myfanwy Mitchell of the Ellesmere Riding Centre has 20 animals for visitors to choose from. ''From the saddle of a Welsh Cob you can really feel the pulse of our country,' said Myfanwy. These muscular animals trot past quaint farmhouses surrounded by natural stone walls, across green fields and copses and alongside meadows of grazing sheep, cows and Welsh pit ponies. The landscape is predominantly green with a multitude of hues, a calming panorama which soothes both the eyes and the soul of the rider.

Most people who hear the word puszta think straight away of herds of galloping horses pounding across the landscape in Hungary. The image also conjures up the Magyars, a once nomadic people renowned for their horsemanship. This is exactly what visitors can expect when they accompany former showjumper Arpad Szabo on one of the myriad of sandy tracks which fan out from Kiskunsag Puszta, south of Budapest.

At his ranch near Kunszentmiklos staff clean, saddle up and bridle the horses in readiness for day-long excursions into the vast wilderness of grass and bushes which make up the flattest part of Hungary. Not that flat means dull - riders pass by small homesteads with thatch roofs interspersed with forests, orchards, flocks of sheep and indigenous Hungarian grey cattle with their impressive horns.

On the west coast of Ireland Willie Leahy guides his visitors through the heart of a timeless and beautiful landscape. Riders spend between four and six hours a day on well-mannered, surefooted Irish hunters and Connemara ponies which bring their natural agility to the rocky trails. The horses are fearless, which is more than can be said for some of the riders. Needless to say, Willie has tours for both novices and experienced equine enthusiasts.

After several days in the saddle and several nights spent in old- fashioned hostelries and hotels along the way, the rugged Atlantic coast comes into view. The surf pounds Mannin Bay near Clifden as the horses wade confidently through the waves. They are limbering up for everybody's favourite part of the trip - the chance to charge across a deserted beach on horseback.

Visitors to Nicole Werner's riding station in Spain can join her on a trip up the side of a volcano. She keeps eight horses at the Finca Estrella close to Icod de los Vinos on the north side of Teneriffa island. Visitors ride up the hill western-style, through groves of Canarian pine trees, eucalyptus and olive.

The horses have no trouble reaching the cone of the now extinct volcano Negro 1,400 metres above sea level. An outbreak in 1706 buried the once bustling nearby town of Garachico under a sea of ash and lava. Riding here is like traversing a moonscape and in the distance Mount Teide, Spain's tallest mountain, soars aloft.

Suddenly the riders find themselves enveloped in cloud. A veil falls on the the peak which usually dominates this island and it vanishes from view.