HORSE TOURING
The leading portal for equestrian tourism in Italy.Italy is a unique country, where natural and historical landscapes may vary dramatically in the distance of a few kilometers. This variety – along with the consequential biodiversity – has been fostering the friendliness and creativity of the Italian people for centuries - its endless variety of fine food, its outstanding wines, its love for beauty.
Such variety and historical depth can also be found in several unique Italian equestrian traditions as well as in the local breeds of horse that can be found in Italy.
The Roman army invented the shoe for horses; at the Naples Royal court the first classical riding academy was founded in the sixteenth century. In the south, the Sicilian nobles bred(?)_ the Oriental warmblood from arabs and local mares; in the north the grey horses of the Austrian Empire Court were bred (from Neapolitan stallions); in Sardinia the Piedmont kingdom army used to breed their own powerful AngloArabs (nowadays unified with the French studbook). Also significant, are the many local breeds of work horses which are nowadays proudly preserved by the descendants of those who used these hard working animals in their every days lives in the countryside. These breeds include the Maremmano, Murgese, Bardigiano, TPR (fast draft horse), among others.
At the beginning of last century an officer of the Italian Cavalry invented (maybe ‘cultivated’?) the modern showjumping technique (for our beloved French cousins: we know you think it was Mr. Danloux, but that’s not quite correct 😉).
Not to mention the many working equitation traditions: from the legendary Butteri, Italian cowboys whose superior horsemanship infuriated Buffalo Bill (he lost a bet against them) to the crazy Sardinians, who gallop between the buildings of the city of Oristano standing on their horses with a mate on their shoulders!
HorseTouring aims to be your gate to such a wonderful, colorful world of diversity.
We provide only authentic, sustainable, high quality certified horse holidays and experiences in our country.
Be it a one week long trek on top of the Dolomites sleeping in a tent or a top class dressage clinic in a luxurious castle of Tuscany; a thrilling horseback trip to the Sicilian volcano or a relaxed week in a cozy country-hotel in Sardinia (of course with its horse jumping and endurance horses just outside your bungalow door); Whatever experience you choose , you can be assured that a HorseTouring holiday has been selected by horse riding enthusiasts and has been trialed to ensure the best in terms of : horses wellbeing, accommodation, food, logistics and safety procedures, and is offered by horse people that love to share with their guests the secrets of their home, land and horsemanship.
We endeavor to give each of our customers not only an outstanding horseback holiday in Italy, but unforgettable emotions and everlasting memories.
That’s why our catalogue is small and is growing slowly. We wish to ensure that only the best holidays we have personally tested have been included.
