Every year, Hooves Around The World organises incredible horsey meet-ups in lots of different countries. Here, we ride horses every day, become friends with amazing, like-minded people from all over the planet, and experience new cultures. This October, we went to Tuscany again with a small group of lovely women from Canada, the UK, and France. Keep reading to find out how it went!
You can get all the information about our horse riding holiday in Tuscany and how to book here.
Our next equestrian meet-up in Italy is from 26 June to 3 July 2023, hosted by Hanna Rogers.
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Since we were only a group of four people, we were able to join most of the rides that we wanted to do. We were three experienced riders, all from different disciplines, and one intermediate rider. The lovely woman who was an intermediate rider had not been on a horse for six years after a bad fall before this trip, but she did absolutely fantastic. This experience really showed me that this horse riding holiday in Tuscany is the perfect place to get back into riding. Due to the calm horses, challenging but not dangerous terrain, and great staff, she quickly felt comfortable and confident on a horse again.
We did lots of half day rides, one short cultural ride of one hour, and a full day ride including a picnic and barbecue by the river. I got to ride the fantastic Fiera again most of the time, and also tried out a new pony called Capitano, whom I fell in love with immediately. The other girls swapped horses every now and then, and were super pleased with the sure-footedness and great personalities of all the horses they rode.
The trail rides are not very fast-paced, due to the rocky terrain we are riding in. We did manage to get some lovely canters in here and there, and the views while walking through the Tuscan hills are stunning. Especially at golden hour, the view is unlike anywhere else I’ve ever ridden.
On this horsey meet-up, the women were from Canada, the UK, and France. Our trip from the airport to our final destination went smoothly, after we all crammed ourselves and our luggage into my tiny Fiat 500. It wasn’t the most comfortable or spacious drive, and one of the horse riders definitely convinced me to get a slightly larger car in the new year, but we arrived just in time for dinner and wine! It was hilarious to see how we all had to get used to each other’s accents, and we became friends very quickly over a bottle of wine on the terrace.
Similar to our group on the Mexican horse riding meet-up, we all bonded over our love for horses and travel, despite our age differences, being from different equestrian backgrounds, and from all over the world. We’ll definitely be going on another meet-up with these lovely ladies again soon!
October in Tuscany is a beautiful sight, everything is green and lush again after the dry, hot summer, and the temperatures are perfect for long hours in the saddle. The horses are also very happy with the cooler temperatures. The pool is not in use anymore at this time of the year, so we went to look for entertainment down in the village of Montieri. It’s just a 10 minute walk down the hill to this stunning, small village, where you can find a little supermarket, beautiful views, two bars, and one of the best pizzerias I’ve ever eaten at. We went to Montieri every day, either for lunch or dinner, and obviously had dinner at the pizzeria several times during our stay. We hung out at the country bar while we chatted about horses, went for drinks at the cafe during lunch, and even ended up visiting the local chestnut festival!
Next year, the lovely Hanna will be hosting the meet-ups in Italy. You can sign up for this horse riding holiday by contacting her directly on Instagram, or by sending her an email: hanna@hoovesaroundtheworld.com.
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