Riding bases
Organizing horseriding trips require the presence of well developed riding bases for breeding and training horses. This should be also combined with nice conditions for riding, accommodation and not the least – with natural resources, providing possibilities for adventurous and unforgettable rides through picturesque environment!
However these are in brief the riding bases we use for our tours:
Balkan
The riding base is named after the biggest Bulgarian mountain – The Balkan Mountains.
The range is over 700 km long and starts in Serbia in the west and end in the Black Sea. The Balkan is nearly dividing the country into two parts: The northern part with the Danube River and the southern part with the Thrace Plain and the Rhodopi, Rila and Pirin Mountains.
The mountain village of Apriltsi is situated on the northern side of the Balkan Range. Our riding center is placed in one of the small quarters of the village not far from the end of the road. Riding center “Balkan” is the name of our all-year-round riding base. It’s where our stable is situated and the areas our horses are relaxing on. Here our horses are grazing, here we train them and take good care of them. The riding center is placed in one of the most beautiful valleys in the Central Balkan and with the most fantastic panorama behind the buildings.
The Valley of Roses
In the very heart of Bulgaria – between the towns of Karlovo and Kazanlak, at the foothills of The Balkan Range and its smaller brother Sredna Gora Mountains, one can see a sea of flowers and to enjoy the smell of millions of roses – this is the renown Valley of Roses.
Far away in the mountains closing up to The Valley of Roses is situated a small forgotten village. Sveschen is full of exiting history and a strange way of living surrounded by mountains, old woodlands, open meadows with cows and sheep grassing and with fields not bigger than a stamp still are cultivated by man and horse. To ride out, to watch and to explore this area from a horseback is a out-and-out a culture- and nature adventure.
The center in our riding base is situated high above the village in 1000 m. The chalet Sveschen is in three floors and partly renovated. Each floor has private facilities. Further there is a dinning room with an open fireplace. Here you can play table tennis and different kinds of board games, cards and dice. The standard is simple and nice. Right outside the chalet is the summer stable. In the high summer weeks we have a part of the horses on post here and of course they are the main attraction here, but also they are on a kind of holiday – they know exactly what is in store for them. It a time when the watch is on holiday too and of course this reflects on the horses.
Iskar ranch:
Ranch was created in 1970 and lies on the whole right bank of the biggest artificial lake in Bulgaria also called Iskar. It has more then 60 horses that are well trained, reliable, patient with beginners but very wiling with more experience riders. Horseriding is the central activity at the Ranch where many of the horses have been raised and trained. 30 horse under saddle (not counting untrained colts, mares) makes it easy for us to provide suitable horses in top conditions for our guests throughout the season no matter what their level of experience is. Mares with colts are taken to a wide enclosed area and riding there is possible and very interesting. The terrain of the Ranch is flat with low hills which provides great opportunities for hacking and galloping along the green meadows and pastures. There are two small ponds on the territory of Ranch where you can swim, fish or just relaxing there. If the weather allows picnics, barbeques and parties in open air can be organized. Rich animal world can also be seen-presented by flocks of Red, Fallow and Roe deers, wild boars, foxes and mouflon. The Ranch is well supplied with flora and fauna for the nature lovers, there are also many species of bird to be seen.
