faile626

I'm planning a September trip to the south of France. I'm interested in a short, 1 or 2 hour riding excursion into the Camargue in France. There isn't much on the topic on this forum ( I searched for "horse" in France and didn’t get a lot). <BR><BR>My questions:<BR>1) In popular guidebooks, rates are cheap – 13 E for 1 hour, 21-25 E for 2 hours. This can't be for real…or can it?<BR>2) I've found limited web presence for short riding tours like this, even searching wanadoo.fr. Does anyone know of any riding websites that are NOT for multi-day vacations?<BR>3) I've read that these places dot the roadway from the coast to Arles. Are reservations necessary, or are they so common that horses are always available? (I am a planner!).<BR>4) Are these rides enjoyable? I've only ridden a horse once before, when I was 13 (a decade ago) – as part of a cruise ship tour in Mexico. The horses were tired, and I just felt sorry for them. The other person with me has never ridden before, but is very excited at the prospect.<BR><BR>Any advice or answers will be greatly appreciated. <BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>faile<BR>

John Burkus

Two tips:<BR><BR>Try:<BR>http://www.beyond.fr/sites/camargue.html<BR>and, <BR>download the free Google search engine from www.google.com<BR>If you enter camargue horses you will get a lot of info about the horses and Camargue. <BR>If you enter just Camargue there is even more info.<BR>John B.<BR>

faile626

thanks, john b. i don't like words that begin with the letter "g", so i've avoided using google to search with. but i'll give it a shot.

Farrah

Go to the search engine www.voila.fr and type in Camargue, or Equitage Camargue. Some sites will give you the English option if you don't speak French - you could even try entering 'chevalier' or 'cheval'. Hope that helps a little. You could also try 'Camargue Tourisme'

Ljgracie

I just went through the same thing, looking for a website to book a ride or learn more. I couldn't find anything specific so what we did while in France was drive to Saintes Maries de la Mer and found the horse rental places along the main road. I just dropped in and asked when the next ride was and they put me in a group of about 12 other folks. It was under 20 Euros for 1 1/2 hours, the horses were in good shape, their tack was ok and they had helmets to use.

Sarastro

If your are serious about riding, the definitive source is the FFE (Fédération Française d´Équitation) which lists clubs and equestrian centers all over France:

www.ffe.com (in French only)

Another good source is Rondo Cheval:

http://www.randocheval.com/ (available in French or English)

_____

If you are only interested in one or two hours along the beach/Camargue, there are a large number of centers along the route de l´Espiguette in Le Grau du Roi:

Mas de l´Espiguette
http://www.mas-de-lespiguette.ffe.com/

Ranch du Phare
www.ranchduphare.fr

L'Ecurie des Dunes
http://www.ecuriedesdunes.com/

Abrivado Ranch
http://www.abrivadoranch.fr/

This is but a partial list. There are centers scatter around Stes. Maries de la Mer as well. For more information:

http://www.a-p-t-e.org/

cigalechanta

I saw many rentals along the roads in the Camargue.

StCirq

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