Growing up on the Dutch countryside with horses, I’ve very much learnt to love the beautiful (all be it little) nature in our small country. There are some absolutely stunning places to ride, either with your own horse or guest horses. I will tell you all about the 5 most amazing places I’ve ridden in the Netherlands. Let’s start!
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This is a stunning place to ride, with four routes of about 2 hours each. It's a stunning nature reserve, perfect to relax on horseback! It's usually quiet, especially outside the school holidays. There are lots of parking spots available for horse trailers, and you can tack up in these quiet areas. The routes have amazing paths for fast paced riding, lots of gallops and long trots. I especially like these routes as there is very limited ‘spooky stuff’, which is great for a young horse’s first outing or just a relaxed trail ride. There are also lots of places along the way where you can stop for a snack or a drink, and you can put your horse in a little paddock that everyone is free to use!
Also read: Beach rides on an island in the Netherlands
At Puur Terschelling you can ride guest horses over the island’s beautiful beaches! I did this with a group of friends and it was a fantastic experience. We were matched perfectly with other equally experienced horse riders which made the ride very enjoyable as we were able to do lots of galloping! I really enjoyed the horse I was riding, he was very forward going and overall just a very fun horse to ride with lots of personality. At Puur, they make sure to match you to the right horse in order for you to have a great time on the beach ride!
There are so many different horse-related activities to enjoy at Puur. Swimming with horses, bareback riding, evening beach rides and so much more. Whether you’re a beginner or already experienced, don’t worry as they cater to every horse rider! Are you a horse lover but not that into riding, at Puur you can also go on a carriage ride through the forest and on the beach with beautiful Frisian horses. The last amazing activity I will tell you about is the 4-day riding package. Four days of riding on the beautiful Dutch beaches! Please check our their the Puur Terschelling website to find out more.
Riding school Poelenburgh is such a fun place to hang out and ride. I have done a pony camp and a training camp here and absolutely loved it. The accommodation is lovely and the ambiance is very farm-house country style. You can choose to do an instruction camp here with your own horse, these camps are focused around riding competitions and lets you train for whatever discipline you want! I learnt so much on my instruction camp and really enjoyed it, we went for a beach ride with our ponies as well!
You can also opt to go on a beach ride with the amazing horses they have at the riding school. For beginners they have walking rides on very relaxed horses, you don’t need any experience whatsoever and the horses are incredibly relaxed. For experienced riders there are forest and beach rides with long stretches for fast gallops! There are so many more rides to do here, like a full moon- or day ride. Please check out their website for more information.
There is an actual horse hotel on the Veluwe! In this beautiful national park with some of the most stunning nature in the Netherlands, there’s a horse hotel. It has accommodation for both you and your four-legged friend(s). They provide food, stables and fields/paddocks for your horse, and it’s right next to the horse trails you can do on the Veluwe. If you don’t have or are able to take your own horse, you can also rent a horse through the horse hotel! Last but not least, on request they provide you with a map of all the trails you can ride. It’s an amazing adventure to ride here with your horse.
When I had my first pony, I had her stabled in Zeijen, Drenthe for 5 years. We explored every forest, path and road there together and it allows me to tell you about all the secret and stunning routes around Zeijen! I’ve personally made a map with 2 amazing routes, a short and a long one. I’ve also marked parking possibilities on the map. If you’re interested in the map, please send me an email or message me on instagram. When you finish your ride or come across the cafe earlier, make sure to grab a drink. There’s a big field in front of the cafe where you can hang out with your horse, take a break and enjoy a drink!
Please feel free to reach out if you need any help finding a place to ride horses in the Netherlands, or if you would like any lessons from myself!
Are you looking to travel further out of the Netherlands for your horse riding experience?
Have a look here for a horse riding holiday in Lower Saxony, Germany.
Check out this link for horse riding trips in Belgium.
And last but not least, click here to find loads of horse riding holidays all over Europe.
Do not hesitate to contact me for any questions about riding trips, bookings, or anything else!
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