HOOF WORKSHOP AND RIDE
In our hoof workshop (in German only) we learn about everything to do with the horse's hoof - its structure and function, hoof problems and hoof protection.
After a delicious lunch we take the horses out for an afternoon's hack in the forest
Price: EUR 75 (does not include lunch)
ALSACE EN CALECHE
If there's any other place I like to be as much as I like being on horseback, it's driving a carriage. This tour is a very special package for carriage drivers only.
Participants have to provide their own horses and carriages.
We drive along a different route every year. In 2016 we will drive along the Alsatian "Route des Vins" from the north to the south. On Whit Sunday we will be the only DWA trail riding centre not to offer a "Truffel ride", but to offer a very special "Truffel drive" - with delicious chilled cremant and a host of delicious treats from our picnic basket.
The price for "Alsace en Caleche" depends on the number of horses in the team and the number of people on the carriage. Please contact me for further information.
BALADE EN ETOILE
After a brief round in the saddle to make sure that every rider gets the right horse, on the first day we head off in the saddle to a viewpoint up in the mountains, offering a view over the Rhine valley, to the Vosges mountains in the West and the Black Forest in the East. I don't want to say which order the rides on the following days will take - that all depends on the weather and the participants' preferences!
Possible trails include:
Climbronn chapel - a ruined 13th century chapel with a "healing spring" in Climbach. This very special location offers views over the North Vosges, and is the perfect spot for a picnic. After lunch we ride up into the forest, and on the way back we ride through vineyards and past fields of fruit trees. (5 hours)
The battlefield of Woerth - this is where the final battle in the Franco/Prussian war took place in August 1870. On our way there and on the battlefield itself we pass all kinds of monuments to this terrible battle, which also offer wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. After stopping off for some delicious tarte flambée at a friend's stable, our ride back takes us through villages which have won prizes for their floral arrangements and gardens (5 hours).
Castles aplenty! - past the Maginot Line bunker and tank in Lembach, along fabulous sandy trails in the forest that are just perfect for a canter, on to four castles - Fleckenstein, Hohenbourg, Löwenstein, and, after crossing the border to Germany, Wegelnburg. After a scrumptious lunch in a village pub we head back along a beautiful creek-side trail and over the Col du Pfaffenschlick (8 hours)
Picturesque villages - Alsace is famous for its villages with their charming half-timbered houses and fabulous floral displays. We ride through the rolling hills at the foot of the North Vosges, passing through one gorgeous village after another. (5 hours)
Paysage d'Alsasce - we ride through Birlenbach and on to Schoenenburg with its mysterious Maginot Line bunker in the heart of the forest. Our horses can have a break here, while we enjoy a delicious lunch in a French restaurant in the forest. After lunch we head back through beautiful Alsatian villages and rolling hills.
(5 hours)
Well-behaved dogs are welcome.
The price does not include lunch, picnics or drinks.
You can join the ride with your own horse. I am happy to provide a separate paddock, hay and hard feed for your horse for a small fee.
Price (full board, double room): EUR 990
supplement for a single room: EUR 150
ECHAPPER EN ALSACE
How about just running away.... "Echapper" in French.... Putting every-day life behind us and enjoying the countryside and culture in the Vosges mountains. Of course we'll be in the saddle. What could be better! We will stay in a charming Ferme Auberge in Le Hohwald which has its own dairy and makes delicious cheese - and it goes without saying that they make their own Münster cheese. As the farm only has a very limited number of rooms, this exclusive trail is limited to three participants.
Day 1: Arrive at 3 pm. After settling in, we saddle the horses and ride to Neuntelstein - a rocky formation in the mountains which offers a splendid view of the surrounding countryside. Our evening meal is in a restaurant.
Day 2: Full-day ride. The Vosges mountains are a stunning mix of mountains and beautiful villages. The "Col de Bellvue" offers a tremendous panorama view over the mountains and valleys. After a picknick lunch we can experience the very best that nature has to offer, with the sounds, colours and scents of the day.
Day 3: Full-day ride: Mont St. Odile is known way beyond Alsace. This mountain stands proudly at the eastern edge of the Vosges. It reaches a height of 763m over the Upper Rhine Plain, and is crowned by a world-famous monestary. It offers superb views over into the Black Forest in Germany, and it is also studded with all kinds of other sights, such as the Pagan Wall, a Druid's Grotto, and beautiful rock formations. The riders can visit the monestary during our lunch break (on foot).
Day 4: Last ride: After breakfast we saddle the horses one last time for a short, last ride.
Price per person (double room, full board): EUR 595
Price per person (single room, full board): EUR 695
ENGLISH ON HORSEBACK
Are you having problems deciding on whether to take a holiday to improve your command of
English or to head off on horseback? Well why not do both!
This trail ride includes an English course - while on horseback. English is my native language and my "other" job is as a translator. During the ride I talk English to my riders. But of course I can explain everything in German or French if there are any comprehension problems.
The price includes a horse, trail guide and "English conversation". It is possible to participate with your own horse (separate paddock for a small extra fee with hay and hard feed).
Price per person (double room with full board): EUR 990
Supplement for a single room: EUR 150
ST. MARTIN
In Germany 11 November is "St. Martin's Day". One of the big traditions is to have a special roast goose, the "Martin's goose".... Have you ever had roast goose from the barbecue? In the middle of the forest? Then now is the perfect time. Another tradition is to have a lantern-lit procession. Normally the children carry the lanterns, but it's fun to do that on horseback too!
Price: EUR 95
PAYSAGE D'ALSACE
Starting at the Auberge des Sept Fontaines we ride to Birlenbach and on to Schoenenburg, with its mysterious Maginot Line bunker in the heart of the forest. Our horses can take a break while we enjoy a delicious lunch in a French restaurant in the forest. After lunch we head back through beautiful Alsatian villages and rolling hills.
Lunch is not included in the price.
Approx. 5 hours
Price: 95 euros
POUR LES DEBUTANTS
Are you longing to get back in the saddle after a long time? Or have you just started to learn to ride? You would love to take a riding holiday? Then this beginners' ride is just right for you. The beauties of nature that this wonderful corner of Alsace has to offer often seem even more intense if we experience them on horseback. On the first day, we get to know our horses in the field, where they live together in the herd. Then we get to know them better as we lead them to the hitching post and brush and saddle them together. This helps us to build up confidence. And then what do we do with a horse that's been saddled? Of course! We head off for a relaxing ride. The speed we ride at is totally up to us, and we can really enjoy this unique connection to our four-legged partners. Take some time out, kick back and relax, and let the horses' tranquility work its wonders.
5 nights / 4 1/2 days of riding
Price per person (double room, full board): EUR 990,00
Supplement for a single room: EUR150,00
RANDONEE ALSACIENNE
Day 1: Auberge des Sept Fontaines via Col du Pfaffenschlick to the Maginot Line bunker in Lembach. We enjoy a picnic in the orchard just above Lembach where we can enjoy the beautiful scenery with views over the North Vosges. The trail through the Fôret de Katzenthal is perfect for a long canter up to Disteldorf, which is nestled in the heart of the forest. This is the remains of an 18th century hamlet that was home to the charcoal makers before it was alost entirely destroyed during the second world war, leaving just two houses standing. Then we put the forest behind us and ride through the charming villages of Nierdersteinbach and Obersteinbach, our first overnight stay.
(5 hours)
Day 2: If there were to be a land of knights, then it would surely be Alsace! This is our first castle-filled day, and we ride past the ruins of Grand Arnsbourg,
Wasigenstein, Blumenstein and Wegelnsburg – the highest castle in the German state of Rheinland-Palatinate and which offers marvellous views over the Pfälzer Wald. Of course the specatular Rocher
des Bohemiens is also on the itenerary. Lunch is at the restaurant in Wengelsbach - with superb French dishes for all tastes.
We will spend the night in Bundenthal, just below Wegelnburg
Reitzeit 5-6 Stunden
Day 3: We leave Bundenthal and head back to France, and of course there are some more castles on the way: Hohenbourg, Löwenstein and Fleckenstein. We stop for lunch in the
Gimbelhof – a charming restaurant nestled at the edge of the forest. The remainder of the route takes us along the Heimbach with its lakes that make you think you could be in Canada, through
Petit Wingen and Pfaffenbronn, over the Col du Pfaffenschlick and back to the Auberge des Sept Fontaines.
(5-6 hours)
Price: EUR 500
Of course, if you're coming from further away you can book a room at the Auberge des Sept Fontaines for the evening before and after your stay. I would be happy to make arrangements for you.
The price does not include lunch, picnics or drinks.
You can join the ride with your own horse. I am happy to provide a separate paddock, hay and hard feed for your horse for a small fee.
PRINTEMPS EN ALSACE
If you love trail riding then you'll certainly know that feeling that hits you in the spring: the countryside has turned green again, the fruit trees are blossoming, and you are just longing to get back in the saddle and out on trail. This is the perfect ride to ease you into a summer of trail riding. After arriving at our holiday apartments we enjoy some delicious Tartes Flambées with our host family. Over the next three days we explore the wonderful countryside of the North Voges mountains with its miles and miles of terrific sandy trails.
Price per person: EUR 500
GERMANY'S WILD WEST
The Hunsrück region is known as Germany's Wild West. Why's that? Just come along and find out!
Price per person: EUR 1400
DWA RELAY RIDE 2014
The DWA relay ride is coming to Alsace. The relay baton, which has made its way from St. Moritz in Switzerland through the alps, past Lake Constance and through the Black Forest, will be handed over at my wedding in Lampertsloch on July 12. After a day of rest we leave Lampertsloch on July, 14, Bastille Day. Our route takes us through the gorgeous scenery of the North Vosges - first to Lembach for a picknick, and on to Obersteinbach, were we will stay in the wonderful Hotel Anthon which offers superb rooms and excellent French cuisine. We ride back to Lampertsloch the next day. The price includes: accommodation in a double room with evening meal
and breakfast. The price does not include: the picknick, lunch on the second day, drinks.
Price (on one of my horses): EUR 270
(All of my horses are already booked for this ride, but you can still join with your own horse)
RANDONNEE INDIVIDUELLE
Of course I can also tailor a trail ride to your wishes - just let me know what you would like and I'll put a ride together for you.