Slovenia Horse Riding Vacations Review
Since I'm always looking for new places to horseback ride and travel and know that many of you are as well, I wanted to post a review that a rider from Toronto, Ontario sent to me about her time riding in Solvenia. Thanks Felicia for letting me post this! If anyone else has information on their adventures riding around the world, I'd love to hear about it, so please contact me. Here's a listing of horseback riding destinations in Slovenia from the Slovenian Tourist Board.
Lipica in the Republic of Slovenia, Review below by Flicia from Ontario
I did 2 private lessons a day at the Lipica Stud farm in Slovenia (situated right by the border of Italy) for 6 days which killed me, but I was a much less experienced rider at the time. In hindsight, I would have been better off with a three day schedule. Stayed in one of the two hotels on site - perfectly adequate (food so-so) although there was a casino in one of them which was a bit odd. The farm itself is just gorgeous with a ton of history and the Lipizzaners were outstanding - probably the best horses I have ridden. Good instruction, however on the first day, the instructor (Darius?) spoke very little English and my Slovenian is well, non existent which had its challenges. However, I had two other instructors for the remainder of my stay and they were just fine.
We worked on the lunge as well as basic dressage exercises. The classical riding school practiced in one of three indoor arenas (a joy to watch) and put on shows throughout the year. Other activities included a carriage ride to a small town for the afternoon, tennis, cycling, walking, golf, massages etc. There were only two other riders from Germany during the week who were at an intermediate to advanced level and they thoroughly enjoyed the instruction. There was not any opportunity for hacking out which is a huge drawback in my opinion, but they may offer it now. Lipica Stud Farm is also a tourist and recreational farm as well as a riding school so you will see visitors embarking on tours of the stud farm and area.
I enjoyed my stay there and I did improve my riding skills - but I was a novice rider and I feel it may benefit a more experienced dressage rider. Will admit to being a little restless after the lessons were over as I did not rent a car and one could only stroll around the grounds for so long. Rates were very reasonable for lessons and accommodation. Slovenia is a beautiful little country, with excellent railways and also a good jumping point to explore Croatia or Italy.
Learn more about Equitrekking on PBS and check out great equestrian vacations in the Equitrekking.com Vacation Guide and at EquitrekkingTravel.com, which features exceptional equestrian vacations, many of which are based on the Equitrekking crew's travels filming Equitrekking.
Learn more about TV host and travel expert Darley Newman.
