18 May Places for Horse Riding Holidays: How to Choose the Right One for You
There is no shortage of places for horse riding holidays, and that is exactly the problem. Every destination photographs beautifully and every operator promises the ride of a lifetime. The useful question is not which place is objectively best, but which type of country matches the way you actually like to ride. This guide works through the main options by riding style, so you can narrow a long list down to two or three.
Start With How You Want to Ride, Not Where
Riders who end up disappointed have almost always chosen a destination for its scenery and then discovered the riding did not suit them. Someone who lives for long canters will be frustrated on technical mountain tracks. Someone who wants to climb and descend all day will be bored on flat plains. Deciding your riding style first makes the geography obvious.
Four Questions Worth Answering First
Before comparing destinations at all, it helps to be honest about what you want from the week. These four answers will eliminate most of the options on their own.
- How many hours a day do you genuinely want to be in the saddle?
- Do you want to move forward each day, or return to the same base?
- Do you want challenge and distance, or scenery and recovery?
- How much does the horse itself matter to you compared with the location?
That last question separates riders more than any other. For some, the destination is the holiday and the horse is transport. For others, the horse is the entire point and the landscape is the setting. Both are valid, but they lead to completely different bookings.
The Best Places to Go Horse Riding, by Type of Country
Grouping destinations by terrain rather than by country makes the choice far clearer, because terrain is what determines the pace, the difficulty and the feel of every day.
Mountains and High Country
Mountain riding means steady climbs, technical descents, forest tracks and river crossings, with walking sections where the ground demands it. The reward is scale and silence. The Alps, the Pyrenees, the Andes and the Sierra de Gredos in central Spain all sit in this category. It suits riders who enjoy a considered pace and a horse that thinks about its feet.
Open Plains and Pasture
Flat and rolling country is where you can canter properly and cover distance. The Hungarian puszta, Patagonian steppe, African plains and the Spanish dehesa all belong here. If long, unrestricted canters are what you dream about between holidays, this is the terrain to look for.
Coast and Beach
Beach riding has an obvious appeal, though it usually forms part of a week rather than all of it. Ireland, Scotland, Portugal’s Atlantic coast and parts of the Camargue offer it. Tides and access restrictions mean it is rarely as unlimited as the photographs suggest.
Wildlife Country
Riding among game in Botswana, South Africa or Kenya is unmatched for excitement, but it demands genuinely confident riders and comes with strict safety requirements. In Europe, riding through protected habitat such as Monfragüe National Park offers something gentler: raptors, vultures and Mediterranean forest at a horse’s pace.
Historic and Cultural Routes
Some of the most memorable riding follows routes that existed long before tourism: pilgrim paths, drove roads and old trade routes. The Transhumance Ride follows livestock trails shepherds have used for centuries, and the Trujillo to Guadalupe route connects two monumental towns across the Villuercas.
Why Spain Covers More of These Categories Than Most
Most destinations do one thing exceptionally well. Central and western Spain is unusual in offering several types of country within a few hours of each other, which is why a single week can feel far more varied than the map suggests.
Sierra de Gredos
Granite peaks, pine forest, mountain rivers and clear natural pools, with medieval stone villages between them. The Castles of Gredos, Four Valleys and Crystalline Waters routes all work this landscape differently.
Extremadura
West of the sierra the land opens into dehesa: enormous holm and cork oak pasture crossed by ancient drove roads, grazed by Iberian pigs and cattle. It is ideal ground for relaxed canters, and it is the country the Conquistadors Ride crosses.
Between the Two
The Gredos to Salamanca route travels point to point across Castile from sierra to historic city, changing landscape almost daily. This is where mountain riding and open country meet inside a single itinerary.
The Horses Matter as Much as the Location
Wherever you go, the horse decides the week. Ours are mainly PRE (Pura Raza Española) with some Hispano-Arab crosses, and most were born and raised on the farm. They live out in herds on common mountain land and dehesa, covering long distances in freedom, which is why they arrive fit, sure-footed and calm. Matching is done in person, taking account of height, weight, experience and confidence. Read more on the our horses page and about the breeding farm.
Practical Considerations Before You Book Anywhere
Once you have shortlisted two or three destinations, the remaining differences are practical rather than romantic, and they are worth checking carefully.
- Group size, and whether horses are matched individually to riders.
- Whether luggage moves with you, or you carry it.
- Season and climate: the same place can be perfect in May and unbearable in August.
- Flight time and transfer distance from the nearest airport.
- What the price actually includes, and what sits outside it.
Our rides run in small groups, are guided personally, and include horse and tack, accommodation along the route, meals with field picnics, luggage transfer and full guiding. Current figures are on the prices page, with the steps in how to book.
Riding Level
These week-long routes suit intermediate to experienced riders. You should be comfortable at walk, trot and canter in open country and in a group, with a seat independent of your hands, and fit enough for four to seven hours a day. The riding level page explains honestly what each day involves.
What Guests Say
Riders who have compared several destinations before booking tend to comment on the same things:
- “Delightful trail ride in rural Spain with excellent hosts.” — Mark, UK
- “Loved this ride, great horses and fantastic countryside.” — H. M., UK
- “It was a super wonderful week.” — Nathalie, Switzerland
- “Thank you so much for this absolute great week, very tasty food and lovely horses.” — Sarah, Switzerland
Notice how rarely the location itself is what people mention first. The horses, the hosts and the food come up far more often, which is a useful reminder when you are choosing between places on scenery alone.
Narrow It Down With Us
If your shortlist is still too long, tell us your riding background, the terrain you enjoy most and your preferred dates. We will tell you which of our routes have availability and which one genuinely suits you, and if none of them do, we will say so.
You can also call us on +34 635 433 079, or read more about horse riding holidays in Spain and holidays on horseback.
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