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.

Ride Albania’s Zagoria caravan trails and slip into a world of legends, folk songs, and stone-built history. 

This is the kind of route that feels secretly epic. Along the way you’ll cross Ali Pasha-era mountain bridges, all elegant arches and craftsmanship that makes you stop mid-ride for a “who built this?!” moment.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Real desert, real Bedouin life, no filter. Ride straight into the wild heart of Jordan. Spend days thundering through Wadi Rum, evenings stretched out under the night sky, and finish by plunging into the Red Sea. Hosted by Bronco founder Gabi Terzieva.

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.

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. 

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).

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

No one parties on horseback quite like the Spanish. Jerez doesn’t warm up, it switches on: the Feria lights spark at midnight on Saturday, then the city stays in full glitter mode until the closing ceremony the following Saturday. 

Ride deep into Serbia’s wild side, from ancient highlands and open steppe into the eastern Dinaric Alps. Spend your days galloping forgotten tracks past rugged ridges, local villages and cool forest springs. Big views, empty country and horses that make real life feel very far away.

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.

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.

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.

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 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. 

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.

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.

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.