Horseriding Holidays

Our Horses and Our Rides

Horses in Bulgaria – the country without fences
Bulgaria is a horse country. The Bulgarian state was founded already in the year 681 by the proto Bulgarians - nomads coming from Mongolia on horseback and having horse tail as their flag.
Nowadays there are hundreds of wild horses in Central Balkan who live outdoors all year at 30 °C in summer down to −20 °C in winter, and search for food on their own.
Bulgaria is the perfect horse riding destination. Like Mongolia this is a country where fences and gates are a rare sight especially in the mountain regions where our rides take place.
Here most of the land though private is not cultivated, which leaves vast open areas - forests, pastures etc.

Our riding centres and our rides
Our experience in horse riding holidays dates back to 1991-92 when we sent the first riders to Strandza and Rila mountains.
Now we run our own riding bases - Purvenets and Krivina with about 20 horses, The riding centres are located in Rodopi (just 20 min. drive from Plovdiv) and Teteven Balkan (one hour drive from Sofia). They are carefully selected, surrounded by plenty of pasture land. Horses welfare is of primary importance and for us the synonym for a happy horse is a free grazing horse.
The horses are locally bred Karakachan along with East Bulgarian and Arab crosses.
Their withers are between 1,40 m and 1,60 m, so all weights can find an adequate tour companion. The horses are strong, agile and used to hard work. Their stamina and agility are outstanding and they are tough and extremely sure footed over rocky, even snow covered mountains.
On our Sredna Gora rides we use Shagya Arabs from Hissar riding centre.
Most of our clients are intermediate riders, confident with trot and canter.
From Krivina riding base we can also arrange rides for novices.
The maximum group size on all our tours is 6 riders.

Saddles:
Western and English saddles are available. Helmets and saddle bags are provided upon request.


Rodopi Ride - 5 days, Bulgaria

There is a mountain in Bulgaria like no other - the Rhodopes! An ancient mountain, surrounded by...

2-day horse riding tours (Teteven Balkan, Rodopi Mountains and Sredna Gora)

2-day horse riding in Teteven Balkan Everyone says that Teteven Balkan is the most beautiful, but...

3-day horse riding tours (Teteven Balkan, Rodopi Mountains and Sredna Gora)

3-day horse riding in Teteven Balkan Panorama views, century-old beech forests, hidden meadows and...

Thracian Trail (8 days progressive ride in Sredna gora mountains)

Horse riding combined with beautiful scenery, ancient Thracian and Roman cultural monuments, superb...
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View all» What people say about us

Christie

Tour: Balkan Kaleidoscope
★★★★★
I just returned from a 2 week tour of the Balkans and thoroughly enjoyed the experience offered by Penguin. Communication leading up to the tour was exceptional. Our itinerary was fast paced and comprehensive and the sights were spectacular. Accommodations were were clean and amenities sufficient for the price paid for the tour. The tour leader, bus driver and the local guides were efficient friendly and knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend Penguin travel, especially for off the beaten path destinations.


Mauricio

Tour: Iraqi Kurdistan
★★★★★
My recent trip in Iraq organized by Penguin was excellent from start to end. Both Penguin tour guide (Nessi) and the local guide (Fahad) managed all topics efficiently and facilitated an amazing experience for the group. Now I dream about visiting the Northern part of the country, too.


Peter

Tour: Socotra Island Adventures (Yemen)
★★★★★
Thanks for everything in terms of your work and help with this trip to Yemen. It was an amazing experience - one I would recommend to almost anyone. By the numbers of people who travelled to the island, it is only going to get more exposure. The local company was very good - so you can have no problems with them at all. I was really lucky though - there were only 2 of us on the trip - and it was a really nice experience. I will continue to work with Penguin in getting ideas for great places to travel.


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