Hey all, My original plan a few years ago was to take some horseback riding vacations in some other countries, but from the cost and what you get, i ditched it and went with traveling to various countries and try to p/u a ride in each place if possible. So for any of you in the know. Im heading out this Sept to Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Brussels and Luxembourg city and if any of you know of any places to ride for an hour or 2 in or around the city it would be of help. I have some possible places already, but im game for more suggestions. I loved the ride thru Hyde Park, not alot of place you can do that anymore! It would be nice if it was thru a park, but if its around a ring, i can handle that. Im not stepping one foot in a car unless its at gunpoint - my way of traveling so it has to be accessible by train, tram, boat, foot, bus or taxi (exception). I would like to keep it close to the city centers due to my limited time in each city since i will have to juggle the ride time with my sightseeing time. btw, i used the search function but all if not all of the posts were old. Many thanks and happy trails
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17229 posts
You are talking about big cities, which are not the best places to ride horses. I have ridden in Norway, but it was well away from Oslo. And I have traveled a lot in Denmark and never seen a horse, other than the royal guard horses in Copenhagen. You can find wonderful places to ride in Europe, like the beaches of Ireland, the mountains of Austria, or the alpine pastures of the Dolomites. But cities only ofer riding rings, or parks with boundaries. That would not be my choice for places to ride.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I could have helped with something near Brussels, but your preconditions (no car, in or close to a city), rules out the options I know. I seriously doubt you will find any horseback options within the cities you listed, with the possible exceptions of small enclosures in the outer districts.
Posted by
OP
2081 posts
@ lola, i spent 99% of my riding time in a ring, so its not biggie. i was hoping there would be some parks to ride. again, riding in park w/boundaries isnt a big deal either since its the experience im after. Im not opposed to take a dressage lessons again since it would be interesting to see how other countries approach it. have you heard "the worse day in the saddle beats the best day behind a desk"? thats how i feel on the back of a horse. @ Tom, I really dont like driving, even over here in the US, so im trying not drive in Europe. To me, the transportation system in Europe is really easy, fast and convenient and makes it sooooo easy to dump the car. just an fyi, this will be my 2nd trip solo trip to Europe and i WILL be back (as long as job & $$ holds out). On my first trip to a new country, i try to see the stuff in the big city(s) first and the next trip headout into the countryside or other smaller city/towns. So, if i dont ride there the first time, i will when i return. i posted this jic any of the local natives know of some stable or riding place that isnt on the www. thanks alot and if theres anything that pops up, pass it on. happy trails.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5790 posts
Ray, I've seen people horseback riding in Stockholm on Djurgården so I did a quick search of Swedish language pages for horseback riding and found this company (with info in English too) that offers riding tours: Häståkeriet There is also a riding club, but unfortunately the pages are only in Swedish. They indicate that they have a riding school, 60 horses of which 35 are for lessons, a 20 x 40 indoor arena and a 30 x 65 paddock and access to many riding trails. A private lesson is 640 SEK, but I couldn't find any info as to whether you could just hire a horse. You could also try contacting them. Here is a link with contact information for the Riding School. Djurgårdens Ridskola Djurgården is the island with Skansen and the Vasa Museum.
Posted by
OP
2081 posts
@ Laura, thank you. i did a google search also, but wasnt getting alot but i did find the same one (Häståkeriet) in Stockholm. I will be contacting them in a few months. I also found one in Oslo on the outskirts of town SE of oslo between Gronlia & Simensbraten. it appeas there is some public transportation close by too, so thats going to also be on my list. Happy trails.