Ride Overview
The very name of Bordeaux has come to mean great wines. No part of France is able to produce a wider variety of the noblest wines than the Gironde area surrounding the city of Bordeaux.
Riding through this area, you will have the opportunity to taste great wines such as Medoc, Cote de Blaye, Cote de Bourg, Bordeaux Superior, Bordeaux Lalande, Pomerol, Saint-Emilion, Cadillac, Graves, Sauternes.
You will ride through landscapes of some of France’s richest architectural land, You will pass near picturesque farms, rolling meadows, ancient villages, churches and castles. Much of the area has not changed significantly for the last several hundred years …
2024 Rates: $3,260.00 USD per person in a shared room (Single Supplement: $615.00 USD)
Non rider rate in a shared room with a rider: $2,135.00 USD
Dates: May 11-18, May 19-26, Sept. 28-Oct. 5, Oct. 6-13, Oct. 19-26, Oct 27-Nov. 3
NOTE: the level of riding for this ride is for an experienced rider who has mastered all 4 gaits (walk, posting trot (posting is mandatory), canter/gallop in a forward seat on varied terrain and in open spaces. You must be able to control the speed and direction of your horse without being rough on their mouth or back. There are many long trots and canters, so you need to be physically fit. You must also be able to mount unaided. If, on the first day of the ride, the guide does not feel you have adequately met these guidelines, you will not be able to continue by horseback but may travel with the support vehicle. A 300 euro fee will be charged for transporting your horse back to the farm. No refunds will be issued in the event you are not able to ride to these guidelines.
Included
- 7 nights accommodation
- 6 days of guided trail riding
- All meals
- Horse and all tack
- Guiding services
- Luggage transfers
- All taxes
Not Included
- Airfare
- Travel insurance
- Visits/Tastings outlined in the itinerary (c. 30€)
- Drinks with evening meals (bottled water, wine, beer, soda)
- Airport transfers
- Gratuities for the team at the end of the stay
Day 1
Arrival and pick up at Bordeaux airport at 6:00PM at HALL B at the "Brioche Dorée" snack bar .
Transfer to the bed and breakfast in Ruch and enjoy a briefing and dinner.
Day 2
Breakfast at 8AM and then transfer to the horses at 9AM. The ride begins after all are introduced to their horses and head out at 10AM.
This day's ride will take us through the Entre-deux-mers region with its varied, hilly, wooded landscapes and beautiful vineyards. We pass by the 13th-century Château de Rauzan before arriving at our picnic area.
In the afternoon, we continue through the Bordeaux vineyards, returning to
Château du Courros (Bordeaux Supérieur) for a tasting (fee not included). Built on
the grounds of a pre-6th-century religious community dedicated to Saint Vincent (said to be the patron saint of winegrowers), Château du Courros lies a few kilometers south of St. Emilion.
Overnight stay and dinner in a B&B in Ruch.
Day 3
Breakfast at 8AM, departure from the hotel at 9AM and then mount up to ride out at 10AM.
Today, you will ride through the Côtes de Blaye and the Côtes de Bourg in hilly and lush landscape. Lunch will be a picnic at a wine producers’ place at Lamothe castle and include a tasting of the Côte de Bourg.
At around 3PM, you’ll mount back up and ride toward Cubnezais through a flatter landscape good for longer trots and canters. You’ll enjoy the micro climate en route, with distinct areas of humid zones.
The evening will be a delight as you’ll visit the winegrower of the vineyard Gravette’s where you will enjoy a tasting (fee not included) during the evening meal.
Overnight on site.
Day 4 - PM Ride
The morning is free. You can enjoy Saint Emilion. This unusual medieval town opens its doors all year round to adventurers, wine lovers and the simply curious. A city steeped in history, perched on a rocky promontory, Saint-Émilion and its vineyards draw their originality from the limestone that has shaped their identity. This is evidenced
by the 200 km of underground galleries that provided the limestone needed for the construction of many of the region's buildings, including Bordeaux.
We picnic where we left the horses the day before on the Château Le Gay property.
In the afternoon, we ride through vineyards interspersed with small woods to Château Mayne-Veil (Fronsac), where we leave the horses.
Overnight stay and dinner at the hotel in Libourne.
Day 5
On this day, we head for Mouillac through varied landscapes of vineyards, meadows and forests.
Picnic at Mouillac's little Romanesque church, where you'll have time to find the 9 canonic dials.
The day continues on to Cubnezais. The landscape here is divided between the vineyards of the "Blaye - Côtes de Bordeaux" appellation and the forest of pines and hardwoods.
At the end of the day, we leave the horses at Domaine de la Gravette.
Overnight stay and dinner in a B&B in Civrac de Blaye.
Day 6
This morning, we ride through the rolling hills of the Côtes de Bourg.
Picnic and tasting (additional fee) at Château Lamothe (Côte de Bourg). Departure around 3pm for the Citadelle de Blaye.
We enter the 18th-century Vauban citadel on horseback - like in the original days. With its 1.5 km of ramparts, gates and underground passageways, the citadel has preserved intact the defensive system designed by Vauban, as well as the buildings necessary for the proper functioning of a garrison: former convent, prison, barracks and powder magazine.
Overnight in hotel and dinner in Blaye.
Day 7 - AM Ride
After breakfast, we cross the Gironde with our mounts on the ferry to Lamarque and the Médoc (duration 40 mins.). We ride through the Médoc vineyards to our picnic at Moulis en Médoc.
Afternoon at leisure, tasting at Château Maslescasse (Haut-Médoc) (additional fee). Located in Lamarque, between Margaux and Saint-Julien, Château Malescasse was built in 1824 in the purest neo-classical style.
Overnight stay and dinner in a bed & breakfast in Moulis en Médoc.
Day 8
After breakfast, transfer to Bordeaux airport at pre set time.
Deb R.
I’ve done quite a few rides with this company and every one is my favorite until I do the next one! Having said that, this one really was my favorite! I knew Bordeaux would be nice, but I really had NO idea how wonderful this trip would be.
The guides David and Britta were superb! Their expertise and care of the horses were remarkable. The routes taken were carefully planned and modified easily if needed, you never felt there was a change in plans as it all went so smoothly. Britta was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the places we visited and had great fun stories to tell as well.
The chateaus where we stayed were above and beyond. The food and flavor or the region was so well prepared by the warm accommodating families at the chateau…and then there were the wines! C’est magnifique!
The horses were mainly Lusitano and Arabian with some crosses mixed in but ALL of them were amazing! The sure footedness and sound minds of these well taken care of horses made everyone so comfortable that all that was left to do was enjoy!!
Mandy J.
I loved so many things about the ride! First, Britta and David were very kind to their horses. The horses came from varied backgrounds, yet they were all trained so well for the ride that there was never an issue. They and were very sweet and safe and easy to handle both on the ground and in the saddle.
Britta shared extensive knowledge of the wine industry, the land and the history of Bordeaux. She was an excellent tour guide. I was confident in David’s navigation skills – he kept us on course and on time to all our wine tastings and lodgings and meals.
We stayed at many beautiful small wineries and chateaus and castles. Every host and hostess we met were so friendly and the meals they prepared for us were fabulous. We stayed at several very nice hotels as well and meals were always memorable.
I still can’t believe all the planning that went into that trip and how the timing always worked out. Our horses were always ready for us to start the day, lunch was always waiting for us to arrive, and our destination was never disappointing.
PS – my only regret is that I didn’t spend a few days like you did exploring the Bordeaux area. Your photos were beautiful! And so different from the vineyards and towns that we saw from horseback!
Evelyn P.
I recently went on my first equestrian excursion with Active Riding Trips and Cheval Voyages in the Bordeaux area of France.
Although it was my first time on an equestrian tour, I always felt confident and safe. Our hosts, Davide and Brita, were knowledgeable horse professionals. The horses were well cared for and fun to ride. Brita is a professional horse woman with wonderful horse stories to satisfy the horse lovers’ soul, but in addition she was so knowledgeable about the history of the area, the vineyards, the making of wine, and even the wildlife and foliage that we encountered.There was no question she couldn’t answer.
The route was challenging, fascinating and informative. The wonderful accommodations were different every day. The three man crew of Brita, Davide and Pierre kept us well fed and happy, and looking forward to the next days’ adventure!
I would definitely travel with Active Riding Trips and Cheval Voyages again.
Henriette G.
Riding horses through the vineyards of the Bordeaux region; well trained horses, beautiful landscape, sampling wines. What could be better than that?
A very well organized week with attention to every detail, run by Davide and Britta (our hosts); we stayed in a new place every night, either a small hotel or a charming B&B. A great and fun week was had by all.
Thank you!
Betty R.
Castles, vineyards and wine all while sightseeing on a horse thru Bordeaux. Our guides were great and gave us some history of the area as we rode thru vineyards and towns.
The most memorable part for me was riding up the ramparts and entering Blaye Castle under the arch. Of course loading the horses onto the ferry to cross the Girobde River was also special. Our accommodations were grand.
Did I mention the wonderful food? And Wine!!
Another perk of these rides is meeting new people who share the love of riding and often join you on your next adventure.