Horse riding vacations in Catalonia

“Five star, definitely five star, every bit of it provided what my family, from 4 to 40 years old, needed for a perfect vacation. They gave us a list of great places to visit, they had horse riding just down the road where my daughter would spend the day there if she could! It is definitely a place we will go to again.”
– Caroline O in a review of her Catalan riding vacation

The volcanic Catalonian countryside and Pyrenean foothills outside Girona provide one of the best places in Europe for a horse riding vacation. You might ride through beautiful nature reserves to wander inside ancient caves, canter over extinct volcanoes now covered in grass, and around stunning mineral lakes that are very inviting for a lunchtime dip.

In the mornings you can spend some time in the ring with qualified riding coaches, practicing styles such as dressage, jumping and Western. In the afternoons, knowledgeable guides lead you out on treks through the countryside, framed with dramatic mountain panoramas, a chance to discover the area’s geology and culture, or just practice your language skills. And in the evenings you’ll unwind in a historic country house, perhaps with a soothing massage, and share meals with your fellow guests.

These trips are particularly ideal for families, as they can be tailored to dates throughout the year and the lessons and treks can be shaped for different levels of experience – little ponies are available for younger children to have a go too.

You will be quite isolated, so hiring a car is useful for making the most of many other activities in the area too, such as mountain biking, kayaking or canyoning. Daytrips to Girona or Barcelona are a good way to add some culture into your trip, but there is plenty to do onsite as well including taking a horse-drawn buggy ride into town! Another treat, for experienced riders only, is taking the horses down to the river for a bath.

“For beginners, we recommend a maximum of two hours’ horse riding a day. Other activities include hiking, biking, kayaking, ropes and zip line, canyoning, river trekking and sightseeing. Always at the start the guests are taken in the ring and given a lesson in how to stop, start and turn the horse to the right or left. They also check the experience of the guest, to make sure they are right for the route. Other guests choose to do one hour just in the ring for a lesson, or jumping, Western or horse dancing to music. It is very flexible, depending on what they would like to do. There are many beautiful treks as well in the countryside, so it can be mixed up, depending on the guests’ requirements.”