France Horse Riding Holidays

One of the biggest countries in Europe, France is at the heart of the continent and is a centre for business, the arts and tourism. The county is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world, offering everything from city breaks and beach holidays to skiing and activity holidays, like horse riding.

The country is served by an excellent transport system which links it to the rest of Europe and the wider world, there are excellent roads that connect France to all its neighbouring countries: Germany, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy and Switzerland. Internally the train system is top class and the TGV, or high-speed train, connects many of France’s cities together meaning you can quickly and easily move across the country on public transport. The Channel Tunnel also connects the country across to the United Kingdom, or ‘Chunnel’, which gives France a fast train service into London.

France is also well connected beyond its borders. There are dozens of national and international airports all over France that allow travellers to enter and leave the country and visit any location in the world. Metropolitan France also has a number of a number of overseas regions and protectorates, and they are linked to the mainland by air. Corsica, Guadeloupe, Réunion and Martinique are good examples of this.

There are all kinds of opportunities to ride horses in France, and a great many types of terrain to explore on horseback. There are still a great deal of Medieval Castles and chateaux that you can visit or take the horses around the grounds of the buildings. You can also take the horses and visit the vineyards of Bordeaux and perhaps combine horse riding with a little wine tasting, but not too much! If you prefer more unspoilt countryside you could go into the Loire Valley and take in the valleys and fields before moving towards the coast and a view of the Atlantic Ocean.

The mountainous regions of the Pyrenees are also great for horse riding; you can get great views from the mountains. There are also epic beaches you can visit, from the rugged Normandy coast, to facing the Atlantic and finally the more tropical climes in the south of France, in Cannes, and St. Tropez onto the Mediterranean Sea.

There are all kinds of facilities for people looking for horse riding holidays in France. You can of course live in or at the edge of a city and drive out to the countryside, or you can of course stay at a beach house, camp site or in the countryside. There are a great deal of chateaux that you can stay in, or for a more modest budge you can book a small cottage, or ‘gite’, and live ‘à la française’ enjoying French life. You can often find deals that combine a place to live and the horse riding centre fees, these deals are very popular for short stays, for people who want to live close to the facilities and are equestrian enthusiasts.