Short break horse riding holiday in Tuscany
| country: | Italy |
| location: | Tuscany |
| departures: | Weekly departures between May and October |
| price: | From €390 (4 days) excluding flights. From €250 for non-riders. Price is per person based on 2 people sharing until May 1st. |
| more info: | Price includes 3 nights accommodation, all meals, 2 days guided riding, and transfers to and from the station |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |

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introduction to Short break horse riding holiday in Tuscany
Tuscany is a fantastic destination for riders all year long, this winter is an excellent chance to try a shorter horseriding holiday or to decide whether you would befit enough for a full week riding adventure.Excellent, well heated accommodation, hearty Tuscan food, and pristine countryside make this an excellent mid winter escape destination.Experienced riders can enjoy full days of exciting horseriding with lunches in local trattorias.Novice riders can spend the mornings in lessons, and take a half day trail ride in the afternoon to enjoy the countryside and put their newly learned skills into practise.
Accommodation on this trip is here at the farm. The view from the farm is of the stunning Val d Elsa Valley. Non riders can play tennis, take a mountain bike excursion, play golf, or enjoy the local countryside by foot.This trip is fabulous way to escape winter at home.
Accommodation on this trip is here at the farm. The view from the farm is of the stunning Val d Elsa Valley. Non riders can play tennis, take a mountain bike excursion, play golf, or enjoy the local countryside by foot.This trip is fabulous way to escape winter at home.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive at the estate. Before dinner, you will have a chance to meet other guests and have an introduction to the next few days at activities and events |
| Day 2: | Experienced riders embark on a full day ride to San Vivaldo convent, where we will lunch in the nearby village before carrying on to the Roman Cistern archeological site with a return trail back to the estate via San Leonardo's mineral rich terrain.Novice riders take an 1.5 hour lesson in the arena, learning basic equitrekking techniques. Lunch at the farm. Afternoon ride to the Pietrina sanctuary.Dinner at Iano. |
| Day 3: | Experienced riders head to Castelfalfi and Tonda, both stunning medieval hamlets with panoramic views. Ride through the famous woods of Iano, once treacherous trails when feuding kingdoms sought to use their materials for the art of glass blowing.Lunch at Castelfalfi. The afternoon is dedicated to exploring the countryside, riding past abandoned farmhouses, rustic hamlets, and natural forest beauty. Novice riders start the day with another full 1.5 hour lesson, improving the skills learnt the day before, and learning new ones.Lunch at the farm.Afternoon half day ride to Vignale and abandoned hamlet, through the thick forests of Iano. |
| Day 4: | After a typical Tuscan breakfast, transportation to the train station or airport is organized. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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The Equitrekking stables of Kiwi / Italian hosts Jess and Paolo is located 35 km west of Florence, and offers authentic & unique horseback trails and riding vacations through one of the most beautiful parts of Italy. We use horses that have been specifically chosen for the job at hand, tack that is designed for those who spend time in the saddle, and both our guides and ourselves have years of international experience in the equine industry. For us responsible travel also is all about the treatment of our most valued assets- our much loved horses . Our equine friends live out in established herds during the summer and the winter as we believe that it is important for our horse’s mental and physical well-being that they get time to 'be a horse' they need time to play, groom, roll and interact with other horses at some point during every day - this is the horses way of relaxing.
We do not keep our horses stabled 24/7 for convenience, they live as close to nature as is practical and this is what makes them happy, relaxed and a pleasure to handle and ride. Environment Responsible Travel is important to us. We have an environmental policy in place to make sure that the eco-system here is not damaged in any way. Our staff are trained to uphold this policy and are fully briefed on appropriate/responsible behavior whilst riding through wilderness areas. Our “Leave No Trace” ethic is applied to all trips. We are proud to be recommended by the Rough Guides "Clean Breaks" 2009 edition earlier this year. One of the greatest benefits that you will enjoy when you choose one of our rides is the intimate, exclusive experience that is not often found with trekking centres, pack outfits, working ranches or other trail rides where 12-50 riders are common. A smaller group means more personal attention, more privacy ,more individual space and minimizes the impact of horses on the environment. You won’t get lost in a crowd with us; group size is limited to 8 enthusiastic riders per ride. Many riding stables prefer to keep large strings of unhappy horses, their overhead dictating that each ride must be as large as possible in order to stay afloat. To us, that's not a good ride. So, we based our whole business on using great horses, well treated and well trained, and on giving great responsible travel service to the people who come ride with us. We use only locally owned transport, restaurants, shops and accommodation on our tours. The atmosphere at the farm is inspired by a genuine love of the local traditions of the places, people and culture that surrounds it. It has recently been completely restored and divided into country style apartments preserving original, rustic and farm-like characteristics. Food produce is local, and where possible organic and specialized to the area. Wine is produced on the very terrain you ride across, and is of a very good quality. Local staff that know the area well are hired. During this holiday you will meet real people, and experience the culture that many larger tourism outfitters neglect. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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