Pat

My sister and I are going to spend some time in Paris next spring. I'd like to find a place where she can rent a reasonably competant horse (English, not western) for an afternoon or two. We'll base our week in the French countryside in part on your answers! I'm no horse lover, so I don't know where to look. <BR> <BR>Thanks!

elvira

I'm not a horse lover either, but 2 of our party are; in the Dordogne Valley, there are many stables and farms to rent horses by the hour, day or even 3 day treks (oh yippee sign me up). Somewhere in the Bois du Boulogne are riding clubs, but I have no clue where they are or if you can hire horses at their stables. You might try contacting the Paris Tourist Office for information...

Rex

I know a lady not too far from the town of Vernon (which, in turn is less than 10 km from Monet's giverny). She has about 10-15 horses, and provided a nice afternoon of riding to kids I was with (an exchange program) in spring of 1999. Her English is satisfactory. I think all her saddles WERE indeed Western, but I can find out more details if you like. <BR> <BR>Please write me if you'd like me to re-contact her for (with) you.

Rex

Whoops - - I managed to post this before I was finished. I think her place is near civieres - - you can find it on www.mapquest.com - - I doubt there are any hotels any closer than Vernon. Vernon is actually a pretty good-sized town, though you might not guess that, based on the size "dot" they give it on Mapquest.

Christina

You are better off doing this outside Paris, as there are no stables just open to the general public by the hour, etc, in Paris. It is pretty regulated; also, you have to have a riding permit (sort of like driving a car) issued by the Federation Francaise d'Equitation (www.ffe.org or www.dnse-ffe.org/club/paris/paris3.htm gives a list of local riding clubs in Paris), I have read and belong to a local riding club to ride in Paris (eg, at Bois de Vincennes or Boulogne), plus have the appropriate gear which might be a bit much to travel with. But I know there are places outside Paris where they do rent horses more casually. I can't characterize all of France to tell you the best place to go, but I'm sure there is good riding in many more rural parts of France, wherever outdoor activities are good (Dordogne, Loire, Normandy, Provence, Perigord, S Central, etc). You can ride in Fontainebleau, right near Paris, here is a URL for that place: www.centre-equestre77.com. There is some info on this on the Normandy tourism web site (www.normandy-tourism.org); that would be a good place to go, you can write them for a brochure, info is on this URL: www.normandy-tourism.org A couple URLs from that site for places that rent horses in Normandy (Calvados, I think) are: www.multimania.com/bgrivel and appaloosa.evasion.free.fr <BR>A lot of these places don't rent horses to people casually by the hour, they want you to be a long-term member or take classes or something. I ride some (used to more) and found that it was getting more difficult to rent a horse in the US by the hour, also, a lot of places were closing down for hourly rentals. I believe many stables usually have English saddles in France, although I have seen French cavalry saddles on some riding tours in the countryside, which are like Western-style. I don't know which part of France would be absolutely the best, I know there is a big equestrian center near Lac du Salagou in SCentral France, the Herault region (where Montpelier is, includes the Camargue I believe, home of the French "cowboy"). Here is some info on a local French webportal about riding places in that region: www.heraultnet.com/equitation/index.htm.If you don't want to go far from Paris, I'd think Normandy would be good, although I'm sure the Loire Valley has places, also, I know many riding tours take place in the Loire. Saumur, west of tours, bills itself as the capital of equitation on its web site (www.ville-saumur.fr). There is an organization called Delegation Nationale de Tourisme Equestre which is a part of the FFE, which may be able to give you brochures or info, they are at 30 av d'Ilena, Paris 16 (FAX 53-67-44-22). There is a good article on riding in France on the French Foreign Ministry website (called Discover France by Horse or Decouvrez la France a Cheval), but it is only in French, if you or she can read it here it is: http://www.france.diplomatie.fr/labe...al/cheval.html

Pat

Elvira, Rex and Christine (amazing details, Christine, many thanks!) I really appreciate your help. <BR> <BR>A licence to ride?? Now that's a civilized country! Too back we can't license the snowboarders here in snow country!

adina

I have family that spends August in Deauville in Normandy and I know that they enjoy riding there-- renting a horse for a day sort of thing.

Rhonda

Pat, <BR>