Cantabria. Northern Spain. One week. Bad Pony Approved

We have just tested this ride and fallen completely in love with this beautiful part of Spain, Cantabria, and with Caballos de Castilla owners Carlota and Constancia Del Álamo and their incredible horses.

Three days of cliff top riding past wild beaches and rock formations. Santander, Somo, Loredo, Langre and a boat crossing across one of Europe's most gorgeous bays. Sleep by the sea. Do it again.

Then you go inland. Green valleys, ancient forests, mountain trails and thermal spas at the end of every ride. The legendary Gran Hotel Castilla Termal Solares. Then quaint Liérganes, all stone houses and ancient valleys. Finally Puente Viesgo hot pools and prehistoric cave art on your doorstep. Oh, and picnics. On sublime local food.

Coast. Mountains. Spa. Repeat. This is Cantabria on horseback. 

Saddle up at the Spain–Portugal border and disappear into Galicia: green, quiet, and gloriously un-touristy. 

You’ll ride through the Gerês–Xurés Biosphere Reserve (a wild cross-border wonderland of mountains, oak forests, stone bridges and ancient villages), with the chance of spotting native Garrano ponies. The trail is a history buffet too: dolmens, Roman ruins, old forts and scattered traces of everyone who came before.

The Carpathians run on horse culture, and the Icelandic horse fits right in, famously smooth-gaited, genuinely friendly, and built for exactly this kind of terrain. The Harghita Mountains deliver the backdrop: rolling forested hills, clear streams, hidden villages, and the kind of quiet that makes you realise how loud your normal life is.

A week in Iceland chasing lopapeysa culture: daily knitting workshops, sheep farm + wool mill, local yarn haunts, and the Woolen Circle.

This is the ride your inner pony mad kid has been manifesting for years. You help move young horses more than 110 km through Idaho back country, five nights of open range and no polite arena corners. It is you, real wranglers, a string of opinionated youngsters (horses not humans!) and long days that leave your legs shot and your heart very, very full.

Perfect for beginners/novices or confidence-builders: about 15 hours of arena + trail lessons (plus a little theory), all leading to a full-day ride to Sete Cidades. You’ll be based at a riding yard home to around 40 safe, responsive horses, with some extra island exploring built in.

10 days of glow-up. 3 days of expert lessons, then 4 days riding wild through big Mongolian landscapes and nomadic life, finishing at the Naadam Festival

Long days, big skies, and the open Karoo calling. Ride out on a working cattle ranch that has been in the same family since 1898, hosted by Julie Hobson, with professional photography included.

LEVEL:  Comfy Intermediate. The fastest way to move cattle is slowly. A great way to get back in the saddle.

This ride threads through multiple regions: big scenery, big gallops, and proper culture.

You’ll push into Chong-Kemin National Park, sleep in yurts by Song-Kul and Issyk-Kul, and head out with eagle hunters (yes, actual eagles). Then it’s Skazka Canyon, Ala-Archa National Park, a kok-boru match (chaos, but make it legendary), and the grand finale: hot pools for your wrecked-but-happy limbs.

Ride Texas the classic way: from the saddle, deep in the Hill Country. This riding centre sits on the former HQ of a century-old cattle ranch, with trails threading through 6,000 acres of live oaks, yucca and wildflowers. Expect wildlife cameos: deer, wild turkey, rabbits, the lot.

South Africa's Wild Coast at the pace of a horse. Open beaches, coastal forests, rolling hills, and rivers still running wild into the Indian Ocean. Villages where Xhosa life moves through the landscape like it always has, unbothered.

Horses are bred for this terrain, surefooted, spirited, and know these trails better than the trails know themselves. 

Clew Bay Trail Ride. Co. Mayo. Six Days. Pure Ireland.

Clew Bay sits on Ireland's wild west coast, framed by the iconic silhouette of Croagh Patrick and the rolling Nephin mountains. One of the most beautiful bays in the country and you get to explore it on horseback. Six days of riding through traditional villages, sandy beaches, mountain tracks and winding country lanes, with stories of local heritage woven into every ride.

Your guide Padraig is a lifelong horseman and Co. Mayo local who has spent his entire life in this corner of Ireland. He knows the landscape, the history and the hidden tracks that you would never find on your own. 

Aboard sturdy Irish Cobs and nimble Connemara ponies, this is trail riding as it should be. Real, unhurried and completely Irish. No shortcuts, no tourist traps. Just you, the horses and the Wild Atlantic Way stretching out ahead.
BEST FOR: Best for intermediate riders who want varied terrain, big views, a warm pint at the end of the day and a genuine taste of the west of Ireland.

Want the perfect way to ease back into the saddle, or just rack up more hours-in-the-seat? This beginner-friendly Italian riding stay is your ticket. Spend 6 nights on the grounds of a magnificent castle (turret included), choose half or full board, and ride at a level that suits you each day.

Ride hard, camp wild, get the whole thing photographed. 

Five days of proper adventure: Ride through desert-ish landscapes, rugged rock, and big-sky views, then sleeping under the stars each night. From confident riders to keen improvers, this one’s for anyone who wants nature, grit, and photos you’ll frame (professional photographer joining the ride).

Tucked between the mountains and the Atlantic, Adrián’s farm is your base. Ride out with this true Galician horseman to find wild horses in their home range and hear the real stories of their history and bond with the people who live alongside them. Hosted by Hooves Around the World founder Sanne Westera.

Family-owned, buried in the Witteberg Mountains of the Eastern Free State. 3,300 hectares, Natural Heritage Site, centuries of history, zero crowds.

Green pastures, mountain streams, plunge pools you will actually want to plunge into. Eland, black wildebeest, springbok, zebra, ostrich, warthog, caracal, serval, the full cast. 

Sicily in full technicolour: farm tracks, little hotels + agriturismos, three wildly different national parks, then a mic-drop finale climbing Etna. Horses are relaxed, willing, and game for the long winding tracks. And the food? Rustic feasts, homegrown wine. 

Wide open canters with wild game in the Umgeni Valley. Owner Tess Miles Stone leads you through shady riverbanks, rocky gorge tracks, waterfall lunch stops, secret pools and long grass canters. Big views and real South African hospitality.

Ride deep into Bulgaria’s Sredna Gora Mountains and the Valley of the Thracians: ancient legends, hot mineral springs, and seriously drinkable wine. This one’s extra special for your host, Gabi, from Wild Bronco. 

Deep in the south of Kyrgyzstan near the Chinese border, you ride off the map through tiny villages, huge valleys, steep yak hillsides and under snow peaks, sleeping in a family yurt camp. The big show is the transhumance, a twice yearly livestock move where you ride with the herds and let animals and weather set your schedule.

Imagine your Easter escape like this: Tuscany by horseback. 

Ride rolling hills and vineyard country, slip through ancient villages and cypress lanes, and come home to 15th-century, family-owned castles. Add the Palio for a hit of Italian tradition, plus long-table meals that make you consider “moving here” as a serious plan.

Seven Days. Into the Wild. Bad Pony Approved

Ride with owner, Tess Miles, from a working farm through bushveld and sugarcane fields deep into the Umgeni Valley reserve, spending three nights at Fountain Hill Estate before crossing into Cumberland Nature Reserve for the final stretch. Each day brings something different. Cliff top farmland, a dramatic gorge ride to a hidden waterfall, open grasslands with game on all sides and a river crossing where you swap the saddle for a rowboat while the horses go by truck. The highlight? Summiting a massive kranz with views over the entire valley that will genuinely stop you in your tracks. Sundowners, campfires and horses grazing nearby every evening.

Ride alongside wildlife through deep gorges, past waterfalls and across open grasslands with plenty of room to canter. This landscape has been home to humans for 30,000 to 40,000 years. You feel it. Two reserves, surrounding farmland, a river to follow and a small group led by the owners throughout. Quality horses, unique scenery and wildlife around every corner.

This is South Africa as it should be experienced.

New trail alert. Head into Morocco’s Siroua Mountains, the volcanic wedge between the High Atlas and Anti-Atlas. Expect high-altitude drama (around 2,500 m, topping out at 3,400 m). Best ridden in spring or autumn, when the weather behaves.

Five ecosystems, split by 600m cliffs. Craggy rock and open plains up top, sandveld and wetlands below. All of the Big Five live here. Plains game, plenty of it.

You ride both escarpments. Guides know their stuff, teach you to track, and know exactly when to let you open up.

Ride Cappadocia the local way, not the selfie-stick way. 

Six autumn days of cooler temps and fewer crowds, riding past fairy chimneys, cave dwellings, and monasteries, dipping into quiet villages, and tracking the semi-wild Yılkı horses across the open country.

The ride kicks off in Coxilha Rica, a wild high plateau in the south of Brazil. At about 1000m up in true gaucho country, you roll into an old fazenda and straight into the arms of Paul and his gaucho crew. Flemish born Paul Coudneys and his right hand cowboy Daniel host you, guide you, and keep the stories flowing all week.

This is how we got back in the saddle, racing past the pyramids, cantering along the Nile, and swimming with horses in the Red Sea. Rip off the bandage and feel alive again!

LEVEL: Spicy Intermediate. For riders hungry to get stronger and wild enough to ride with the wind.

Endless dunes and Morocco at its wildest. Kick off the new year with sand in your boots and the wind at your back.

LEVEL: Strong Intermediate - fast paced canters & gallops in open spaces.

A camping expedition across a remote 20,000-hectare ranch in northern Patagonia. Off-grid, wild, and utterly unforgettable — this is Argentina at its rawest. Hosted by Segu Ballester Molina & Simon Ferreccio

LEVEL: Intermediate - A chilled pace. Sit back, ride easy, and let the landscape do the talking.

BOOK NOW: Catch & Release

Immerse yourself in Portuguese horse culture at its best. You’ll ride straight into the beautiful chaos of Feira da Golegã, where horses and riders from across Portugal and Spain gather to compete, parade, and celebrate all things equine.

Deep in the Colombian wetlands, ride alongside the original cowboys, mustering horses and cattle. It doesn’t get more real than this. Hosted by Paul Coudenys.

LEVEL: Intermediate - moving at the pace of the herd.

⭐Bad Pony Approved:Rode it. Loved it. Read it.

Last minute win: this once sold out ride now has saddles free 8 to 15 Jan and 28 Jan to 4 Feb 2026.

Do India the Bad Pony way: on the back of a Marwari.

Start at Balotra Tilwara Horse Fair in a swirl of horses, camels and cattle. Then it’s Kumbhalgarh and the Leopard’s Trail: forest tracks, stream crossings, open plains, and wild camping by farms and lakes.

BAD PONY APPROVED

This ride is so good that 2026 is fully booked. Grab a 2027 saddle while they last.

A working cattle farm in the Eastern Cape, in the family since 1898. Four cattle drives a year, and you ride as part of the team. Real herding, real stockmen and women, real Karoo.

Terrain is rocky and steep, so above-average fitness is non-negotiable. Expect to dismount and chase the odd runaway calf on foot.