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Last Update: 06 Aug 2010

Riding Holidays | Austria

Horse riding in Austria is a popular summer sport. There are quite a few resort style hotels with horse riding centres attached offering horse riding lessons and hacks along quiet lanes and into picturesque countryside. This type of riding holiday is a particularly good choice if visiting the high Alpine regions of Austria as here there is the opportunity for beautiful rides along high ridges with spectacular views, fast riding across grassy meadows and adventurous riding crossing sparkling mountain streams and climbing hilly tracks. Often these resort hotels have spa facilities ideal for relaxing after a day spend in the saddle. Some hotels also offer winter riding in the snow.

In the lower regions there are several horse riding establishments which run weekly holiday packages. These centres normally offer riding lessons with flatwork and jumping together with trail rides through woodland foothills and pretty farmland valleys. The horses are usually a mix of breeds and Haflinger horses are fairly common. A few riding centres also provide carriage driving lessons. One such centre specialises in Icelandic horses and here riders can experience the unique ‘tölt’ and ‘pace’, particular to this horse breed. Western riders can enjoy roping lessons, trail riding and cattle herding at a traditional ranch.

Around three quarters of Austria is mountainous and together with Switzerland it is known as the winter sports capital of Europe. The capital city is Vienna which is home to the Spanish Riding School. This is the oldest riding school in the world, dating back to 1572, famous for its Lipizzaner stallions performing high school classical dressage in the indoor Winter Riding School at the Hofburg. Only the stallions perform at the school and are bred at the State stud farm in Piber, western Styria, being brought to the school for training at around four years old. The Lipizzaner breed or ‘Lipizzan horse’ is one of the oldest European purebreds.

For horse riding the best time to visit Austria is the summer months between June and September. With a temperate climate rain is possible all year and nights can be chilly in the mountains, even in mid summer. Austria is a German speaking country although many people in tourist areas do also speak English.