Alsace Villages

Introduction
Alsace France
The Alsace region has many well-maintained trails and tracks, allowing riders to discover it from the back of a horse.
From the mountains of the Vosges to the plains of Alsace, this trip has you wandering from South to North, passing through the vineyards, quaint villages (Riquewihr, Ribeauville, Kayserberg...), forests and mountain passes. Your guide will tell you everything there is to know about the local flora and fauna and his trained endurance horses.
You will ride fit Anglo-Arabs allowing for many fun gallops on the way! This is a fast paced ride that will satisfy any experienced rider.
During the trip, you will stay in small, traditional and typical French hotels / guesthouses or country inns and enjoy the famous French cuisine to the fullest.

Accomodation


Accommodations
This is a progressive ride, so you will be staying in different locations during the trip.

Description
The overnight stays take place in small, traditional and typically French hotels / guesthouses or country inns.

Accommodation Itinerary - subject to changes based on availability
Night 1: Hotel in Wintzfelden
Night 2: Gite in Oberhaslach
Night 3: Gite near Climont
Night 4 & 5: Gîte in Aubure
Night 6: Gite near Orbey

Hotel in Wintzfelden 
This small hotel offers 22 rooms of different sizes (1 to 4 pax per room). Each room features an ensuite bathroom, cable TV a phone and internet access. Some rooms have a balcony with a magnificent view over the Vosges mountains and the garden. Facilities include a patio, a small garden and an indoor pool.

Gîte in Oberhaslach
This beautiful country house located on the edge of the forest offers cozy guestrooms. Each room is uniquely decorated with original wooden furniture, typical of the region. Bathrooms are shared.
Guests are welcome to take a dip in the swimming pool or to relax in the garden. Internet access is available and some rooms have Wi-Fi.



Gîte in Aubure
Opened and renovated in 2019, this former hotel built in 1879 offers a stopover gîte for up to 25 people. You will be staying in one of the 6 private rooms with a beautiful wooden floor reminiscent of mountain chalets.
There are 4 bathrooms shared between the guests.
Guests also have access to a relaxation room (with books, games and Wi-FI), a patio and a garden.

Gite near Orbey
Located at an altitude of 850m, this lovely gîte will offer you a comfortable accommodation for the night in their guest room (capacity 2-6 people), located on the second floor. The guest room is made up of a spacious bedroom with a double bed and 2 single beds, a living room with a sofa bed for 2 people (with a real mattress and a real box spring), a bathroom and an independent WC. A TV corner is available in the common room and there is a library in the bedroom. There is also free Wi-Fi access at this property.
From the patio, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the Orbey Valley.
Breakfast and dinner is taken in common with the other holidaymakers and with your hosts, in the former stable, now converted into a dining room.
The meals are made with fruits and vegetables from our orchards and vegetable gardens, supplemented by a weekly organic basket. The region's traditional cheeses (munster, organic barikass, goat, etc.) come from local breeders.

Room Occupancy
Single rooms are sometimes available (based on availability) and a single supplement fee applies. The single supplement fee does not apply if we cannot find another rider to share a room with you.



Meals
All meals are included with this trip.
Evening meals and breakfasts will be taken at the hotel. Lunch will be generous, inspired by traditional country cooking, warm or cold according to the weather. 
At noon, it is always a pleasure to see from far away a well-dressed table, in the middle of a field, waiting for us.

Alcoholic beverages are not included with this trip but you can purchase your own at the local restaurants.

Dietary Restrictions
We can cater to most dietary restrictions with prior notice.

Riding


Horses
We know that the key to a horse trip is the horses.  That is why we have chosen and breed our own. They are all born in the Morvan region and they have lived all their life in the same region.  They are calm, well in their heads but when need be or when requested, they are fast and generous.  They are capable of anything, they will surprise you and they will allow you to experience a unique riding trip.

Pace
We will cover about 30 to 40 mile journeys every day with long and frequent canters and, at times, abrupt downhill sections.

Riding Experience
Riders need to be confident and in control at all paces on varied terrains. They also need to be physically fit, as this is a demanding ride.
You should have ridden regularly for more than 5 years and also feel comfortable trotting and galloping for a long time. There are some downhill canters. 

Itinerary


Sample itinerary - subject to changes

Day 1: Arrival
Arrival in the late afternoon to Wintzfelden (southwest of Colmar). Guests arriving by train to Colmar can be picked up at the train station at 6:30 pm. Welcome dinner and trip briefing in the evening.
Meals included: Dinner
Overnight at Hotel in Wintzfelden

Day 2: Birkenwald to Oberhaslach
After breakfast, we finally get into the saddle for a full day ride. We stop for lunch in Cosswillers and then ride up to Oberhaslach, where we spend the night.
Riding approx. 35 km
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at a Gite near Neufeld

Day 3: Oberhaslach to Climont
Beautiful views will accompany you on your way up to the Champ du Feu, where we stop for lunch. We ride through Grendelbach forest, crossing the Bruchberg pass and Rothlach.
In the afternoon, we ride down to the Col de la Charbonniere and the Col de Steige in ordef to reach Climont.
Riding approx. 40 km
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at a Gite near Climont

Day 4: Climont to Aubure
Today's ride goes mainly through forests with many opportunities to canter. We will come across the Cold de la Hingrie and Sainte Croix aux Mines before reaching Aubure.
Riding approx. 30 km
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at a Gite in Aubure

Day 5: Loop Ride around Aubure
Since yesterday, we ride through the Ballons des Vosges Natural Park. At the end of the day, we reach the wine growing villages of Riquewhir and Ribeauville, some of the most beautiful villages in France.
Riding approx. 36 km
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at a Gite in Aubure

Day 6: Auburel to Orbey
This beautiful stage allows us to ride on lovely crest trails (at about 1000 m high), passing through Bagenelles pass, Bonhomme pass and Louschbach pass. We eventually arrive at the Lac Blanc ski resort, near the Col du Calvaire.
We spend the night in the lovely village of Orbey
Riding approx. 35 km
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at a Gite in Orbey

Day 7: Orbey to Kayserberg
The last riding day offers a smooth ride. We ride down the Munster valley to Kayserberg, a beautiful Alsatian village. Depending on your departure time, we might be able to go to Kientzheim or Sigolsheim.
Riding approx. 30 km
Meals included: Breakfast & Lunch

Rates and Dates for Alsace Villages

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: Colmar or Wintzfelden
Airport: Basel, Freibourg or Mulhouse
Transfer: Colmar train station

Climate:
                                                Kayserberg area