Riding holidays in France?

[SanguinePenguin]

I just got a wild hair tonight and decided I wanted to combine two of my favorite things: France and horses. Who has suggestions for wonderful companies to book with? I wouldn’t mind taking lessons while there, or doing a self-guided tour, and the more wine/food involved, the better. Most importantly, I want to have a blast and ride truly great horses that are well cared-for and happy.

Edited to add: I really like experiences that aren’t too “touristy,” if you know what I mean. I don’t want to be hassled to buy things, I don’t need fancy accommodations, and while I love European history, I’m not all that interested in visiting historical sites, unless I’m staying there.

TIA!

[Saskatoonian]

I’ve been trying to get my sister to commit to a trip hacking through Provence during lavender season, unsuccessfully (ARGH!) with this outfit, recommended by an old friend with impeccable taste and a good sense of adventure. I’ve spoken with the operator and liked her a lot. Since I can’t go, I can share without losing my space. Go and report back! https://activeridingtrips.com/trips/france/

[pologirl27]

Does anyone remember that catalog that used to get mailed out in the 90s of riding holidays? Cannot for the life of me remember the company but we did one in 2002 in Provence. It was awesome, and we rarely saw other people while out riding. We did 3 days just riding out from the ranch where we also stayed and then did one overnight trip where we stayed at a goat farm. We stopped at a vineyard one day and during the hot part of the afternoon would drive to small local towns.

The horses were in great shape and our guide was super sweet. One horse was named Missouri and she pronounced it Misery to much amusement of the Americans.

[Xanthoria]

My husband and I did a great unguided ride around Carcassonne - about 150km in a week. It’s on the horse holiday sites but we booked thru a smaller company and saved $$$. Had an amazing time! Lmk if you want more details.

Edit: It was this trip: https://www.equitours.com/horseback-riding/randonnee-liberte-ride/

[gottagrey]

@pologirl27

Does anyone remember that catalog that used to get mailed out in the 90s of riding holidays? Cannot for the life of me remember the company but we did one in 2002 in Provence. It was awesome, and we rarely saw other people while out riding. We did 3 days just riding out from the ranch where we also stayed and then did one overnight trip where we stayed at a goat farm. We stopped at a vineyard one day and during the hot part of the afternoon would drive to small local towns.

The horses were in great shape and our guide was super sweet. One horse was named Missouri and she pronounced it Misery to much amusement of the Americans.

Cross Country International - they went belly-up. There was a great trip in France several years ago that looked fabulous. I know some folks who went on it. Let me check my emails to see if I can dredge up the name. Hopefully they’re still in business.

[beginner_s_luck]

I went with a couple friends on a riding trip to Greece through Equitours. They were great! And have rides all over Europe.

[lep]

I’ve never been here, but an American guy co-owns this BNB plus boarding facility. They do lessons, and I would assume they have lesson horses. Looks like a nice place to get away to plus do some riding.
http://www.lacormiere.com/en/

[jcc813]

French Riding Holidays! They’re in the Averyon (about 1 hr north of Toulouse). My husband and I have done a lot of riding holidays and this is the only one we’ve been back to multiple times–3 years in a row. They have a lot of repeat guests.

The staff is amazing and so much fun. The guy who runs it, Derek, is a one of the most knowledgeable horseman I’ve ever met. Just sitting and talking to him at dinner you will learn more about horses than you thought possible. The horses and tack are great. LOTS of wine (and other alcoholic beverages if you choose), amazing food and of course cheese.

There are a lot of different trails and varying terrain. We rarely run into other people as it’s situated in the countryside. Onsite they’ve built a Trec course where you can practice different obstacles or jumps. They have a few progressive rides scheduled throughout the year. One year we did a 100km trek over a 3 days. Part of it included a community rally ride where a lot of people from the surrounding area joined in.

We usually fly into Paris since there are more flight options and take a train–there’s an overnight option which we’ve done a couple times. They’ll pick you up from the station. No need for a car unless you want to explore afterwards. One year we rented one from a nearby town and drove through Provence.

You can read my TripAdvisor review for more: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser…Occitanie.html

[sophie]

@jcc813

One year we did a 300km trek over a 3 days.

Was it an endurance ride, 100 km a day?! The MOST I’ve done on a trek was 45 km in one day and that was really pushing it…

[SanguinePenguin]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Keep it coming! I will look into all your suggestions

[Putter]

@pologirl27

After some google research, I’m pretty sure we went here: http://www.cap-rando.com/

I went here with 3 friends in 2002 (when Cross country international was in business). We spent a few days in Paris, then headed to Provence for rides through mountains and lavender fields.

It was a fabulous trip, even with the exception of some “unique experiences” provided by 2 of my friends…involving food poisoning on the plane leading to a short lived first class upgrade, a busted knee, a broken leg requiring surgery and subsequent blood clot, and a mad dash through the German airport which resulted in an upgrade to business class for the two of us who made the trip home.

Despite all of that, the riding part was great, and all of us would highly recommend the trip. We rode out every day, stopped for lunch and a siesta mid day, and had one overnight trip to another inn. The horses were well cared for, our hosts were very pleasant and fun, and our guide was awesome. And the scenery and food was truly amazing!

Pologirl27 were you on the same trip?

[pologirl27]

@Putter I don’t think so but crazy it was the same year! It was my parents and I, the first part of the trip we had 2 American teenagers with us (no idea where their parents were) and then we had 1 other French lady the last couple days. Doesn’t sound like you and your accident prone friends!

ETA we were on the same itinerary for sure though.

[Nelliebelle]

I also went to Cap Rando in Provence but almost 20 years ago, through CrossCountry International. One of the best trips I’ve done. We did a 6 night inn to inn and I really recommend that - all the places we stayed were terrific. I’ve done stationary rides as well(did a week in Italy at a place called Malvarina) and you end up riding through a lot of the same landscape since there’s only so many ways there and back. We had an adorable guide and the trip was about half Americans and half French. Food was fantastic and really varied by the places we were staying. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Pack the advil though - I ride quite a bit and even I was sore after the third day of 6+ hours.

I’m currently really interested in the trip to Jordan that they are offering - it looks amazing. Riding around Petra and Wadi Rum!

[jcc813]

@sophie

Was it an endurance ride, 100 km a day?! The MOST I’ve done on a trek was 45 km in one day and that was really pushing it…

Oops, that was a typo! It was 100km over 3 days. This year on the progressive ride we did over 200km in just under a week.

[xeroxchick]

FWIW, my recent experience with Equitours was not especially good. They arranged the trip, but after that you are really on your own. When my luggage was lost I needed an actual physical address for delivery and when I emailed them numerous times all I got was a cheery “good luck!” And then a cut and paste from their website info which I already had. No cell number of the outfitter either. They really are just a way to arrange the trip, and you can do that yourself on the Internet. Just look at Yelp or trip advisor reviews. Also, the trip I was on was for intermediate riders and up, and they signed up some people who hadn’t ridden in 30 years. Some people had never ridden at a gallop. Not their fault, but Equitours could have screened them better as we had a few incidents.

[BlueMoonJumper]

Try High Pointe Tours, which is based in Florida. I did this trip a couple years ago and it was outstanding; definitely the trip of a lifetime.

https://highpointetours.com/ride/france-inn-to-inn-loires-castles-and-gardens-of-the-kings/

High Pointe was very responsive and my group had no issues. This particular tour was “no frills” and you will be sweaty and dirty at the end of a long ride every day. Something I really appreciated was the expectation that you participate in your horse’s care. No sitting around, tourist! If you have hands and you’re not riding, you’re grooming, feeding or carry water buckets.

Oh - and take your own soap. A couple of the hotels, while clean and perfectly serviceable, only provided a quarter sized amount of body wash. I’m not kidding. One night I had to choose between legs or arms because I couldn’t wash both.

I’m also not kidding that you will have the time of your life. There are places you will ride through that are so beautiful you might cry.

[Romany]

@Xanthoria

My husband and I did a great unguided ride around Carcassonne - about 150km in a week. It’s on the horse holiday sites but we booked thru a smaller company and saved $$$. Had an amazing time! Lmk if you want more details.

Edit: It was this trip: https://www.equitours.com/horseback-riding/randonnee-liberte-ride/

We did the same unguided tour, many years ago now! It was fantastic. Met wonderful locals, rode neat horses, really got a chance to soak up the ancient and gory history of that beautiful area. We booked through Equitours, as we’d previously been on one of their guided tours in Portugal, and loved it.