Czech Republic horse riding holiday
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Guesthouse & Riding Club Suchá. Located 3 kilometres from Litomyšl in a neat village of Suchá (70 permanent inhabitants), the guesthouse and riding club employ local people. It is a family-run business, 24 beds, 2-4 beds per room, in each of the rooms there is a bathroom with shower, water savers are installed. The rooms and the guesthouse are furnished with locally produced wooden furniture. Full board is provided in own restaurant, vegetarian and only-organic food can be provided upon request. Wastewater is cleaned in the facility’s own wastewater treatment plant and is pumped over to a small pond nearby. The guesthouse uses environmentally friendly detergents and washing powders. Photovoltaic cells and solar panels are about to be installed on the building‘s roof.
Attached to the guesthouse are stables, riding school and a stud run by the family.The owners respect the family character of the guesthouse; they make sure that their presence does not harm local wildlife and create good conditions for the animals – install bird boxes, make sure there are enough bushes and woody plants in their neighbourhood. The complex is surrounded by pastures and meadows. The place is an ideal starting point for trips in the region of East Bohemia.
We prefer train and other means of public transport whenever possible, as the public transport network is excellent in the Czech Republic. We use car only to get to the places that are difficult to access by public transport and to the nearest train station.
Community
Suchá stables were founded after 1989. They became a family-run business picking up the horse breeding tradition established after the World War II. The renovated 19th century buildings were originally used as a sheep-farm. During the WWII the buildings were empty, after the war ended, the former sheep-farm changed into stables for military horses that were to be used in agriculture. This was the beginning of horse breeding in Suchá. After the communist takeover in 1948, the place started to serve as a foal rearing station serving the needs of the army and agriculture.
However, as early as 1953 the number of horses was dramatically reduced due to increasing agricultural mechanisation. Only twenty horses were left out of the original herd of one hundred. Luckily, they the herd was saved after being taken over by the riding club of the Socialist Youth Organization, which managed to keep at least the minimum herd required for breeding. Nowadays, 10 to 15 foals are born in Suchá every year. They are used for sports and recreation alike. Horse breeders like the Skrivan family have contributed to the rising number of horses in the Czech Republic after 1996. Currently there are about 70 thousand horses and ponies registered in the Czech Republic.
Suchá Boarding House and stud are a family-run business employing a number of local people who have found their job right in the place where they live. The stud and boarding house have changed the village of Suchá into a family trip and horse lover destination. By bringing people closer to horses, the riding school gives a chance to anyone who tries to understand the nature and other living creatures that share our living space.
During your trips you will meet and support local people by using their services and buying their products. The guide is local as well as all the suppliers. We choose and recommend locally owned tried restaurants, and souvenir shops are either part of the local craftsmen’s workshops, or they are owned by local people. The guides are local; they were either born in this region, or have been living there for many years. The entrance fees paid at historical sites are part of the income sources used for their conservation; this is a usual source of income for the historical sites in the Czech Republic.
You will have an opportunity to support small local craftsmen by visiting their workshops and buying their traditional products. You can also join the nature conservation experts and help them build a wild animal rescue station. If you like, you can visit a typical country family and learn about living in the Czech countryside.
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