That could be you riding there...
Are you ready for your Camargue horse riding adventure?
The sun is a red-hot disc in the sky, knee-deep waters are all
over, the sansouïre smells of its salty promise of the Mediterranean
Sea. The Medieval saddle feels secure and the Provençal shirts are a
confusion of colours. The black bulls of Camargue are howling their fury
to be locked up and waiting for the doors to open. Horses snort and
fiddle. This is it, no mistakes now, guys...
Come horse riding with me to one of the most wondrous of the European regions,
La Camargue in southern France. It is a mixture of salty winds, strong
sunlight and the hardy Camargue horse, a true gentleman.
The nature in Camargue is black, white, pink and green, with a never-ending horizon of purple skies. The country which is not yet the Sea, but neither is it dry land any more. Sunny, wet, salty beaches, dry and crackelated, wet marshlands are our domains, and the horse of Camargue is our companion.
Small groups, caring guides
My groups are hardly ever bigger than eight people, making it possible
for each guest to feel not just like any other guest. Here in Camargue
we are cared for by a set of incredibly interesting people, from the
owners of our small family-run hotel to our guides, Les Gardians de la
Camargue. We are guided by a very local, very colourful person like
Louis - some of the best horsemen and women you will ever meet are to be found here.
I am personally always with you on these rides, to help you translate
and interpret both nature and culture.
Camargue - Fairy Land. We stay away from the beaten tracks, and manage to get really close to nature and local culture, thanks to Louis, our true Camarguais.
Amazing horses
This adventure is full-immersion into all that is hot, warm and sunny
with the south of France, with the added bonus of the Camargue horse,
truly one of the worlds more unique characters.
In spring all the birds have young and mares with foals abound. In the fall the whole marshland starts to turn a purple winter colour, far from the greys we are used to in more northern countries.
A special trail ride
I only do the ride 2-3 times a year, and only off-season. With Louis we
manage to enter lands that are private and normally totally off-limits
for tourists. You may have visited Camargue before, but you have never
really seen her yet... Louis can and will take you and me for a ride we
never will forget.
The food has to be mentioned! It is, of course, the fine cuisine of Southern France, with a lot of traditional Camargue recipes thrown in. Vegetarians have a special delight in the dishes our chef prepares!
Full board
Our small hotel takes care of both our picnic lunches (usually in
saddlebags) and our dinners taken all together in the restaurant in the
evening. They have also learnt how to cook fantastically for
vegetarians, so there is no need to think you might starve in case you
do not like fish or meat. The wine is of course all from the region, Le
Vin des Sables.
Want to come along?
Please read the Camargue Program for 2005! It is a pdf-file (92k), and you need
Acrobat Reader to read it.
If you feel like joining us after reading the program, please fill in
the Booking Form.
In case you need more information about this trip, please write to me
using the Contact Form.
If you would like to see a short film from Camargue riding, please go to
the Camargue Ride Film (5.5MB).
Or maybe you prefer to see one of the Camargue Bulls (5.5MB) taking out
his anger on the sideboards of the Arena in Les Saintes Maries de la
Mer? Both movies were taken by Jeffrey Williams-Jones from Ynys Môn, Wales. And you can read his story in the Testimonials.
I can also set up a trail ride for you and your friends on other dates -
four or more travellers needed.
Welcome!
Anna Widstrand
World Horse Riding
World Horse Riding
Email:
anna@worldhorseriding.com
Telephone: International +46.46 14 52 25
International +39.0363 30 14 34
Dates 2005