Horseback Travel

Beyond the occasional desire to go horseback riding for an hour or two while traveling, some use the horse as their primary means of transport for their journey. In most cases, this is done as part of organized horseback treks of varying lengths, but for a few, it also involves taking full charge of their trip from start to finish.

Going with an Organized Trip

Providers

For you to expand: Local or international providers, each offers its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Practicalities

From short rides to multi-day treks, including increasingly popular themes (cattle drives, self-sufficient routes, horseback safaris, etc.), almost anything is now possible. Expect to pay around 1,000 € on-site for a ten-day trip in nearby destinations as a starting price.

In terms of practicalities, the packages usually include accommodation (from bivouac to hotel), the horse and equipment, plus supervision (not always in French). Most horseback treks welcome around ten riders, sometimes fewer with certain providers. Depending on the trip, you’ll ride for four to six hours a day on local horses accustomed to the terrain and climate, as well as to trekking.

As for the required skill level, there are treks for everyone, from young to older riders, and from beginners to experienced equestrians. However, it’s still preferable to have some basic riding skills equivalent to at least "Galop 1" and to be in reasonably good physical shape.

Where to Go Horseback Trekking?

For you to expand: You can go horseback trekking almost anywhere.

Going Solo

Where to Travel Alone on Horseback?

Avoid extreme regions. Horses thrive in temperate areas, grassy steppes, semi-desert steppes, and agricultural regions where cattle can be raised. Where only reindeer or camels live, horses do not.

Next, avoid regions known for insecurity (political unrest, high crime). A horseback traveler moves slowly, in plain sight, and is highly vulnerable—both their gear and horses may attract unwanted attention.

Some borders remain closed to horses. It’s essential to check before leaving. While crossing borders by bike or car is easy, it’s one of the biggest challenges for horseback travel.

Finally, the edges of paved roads are depressing, harmful to horses’ hooves, and dangerous due to traffic. So, it’s best to avoid large cities and other heavily populated areas.

Formalities and Responsibility

Formalities

Customs procedures for horses are a headache and sometimes a nightmare. There’s no international legislation for sanitary protection. Each country has its own rules, and each customs officer enforces them differently. Problems are handled case by case with paperwork, stamps, patience, intuition, and diplomacy.

Responsibility

When a horse is in poor health, poorly handled, badly harnessed, or overworked, it’s never the horse’s fault. It’s always the fault of the handler who didn’t manage it properly. With horses, it’s easy to unintentionally become a tormentor through incompetence.

It’s not recommended to embark on a horseback journey without being a "horse person." Being a rider isn’t enough. The traveler must also be a veterinarian, farrier, groom, saddler, and ethnologist—all at once. This takes time and energy to learn, but the effort is truly worth it. The journey will be more rewarding, and the horses will be happier.

Choosing Your Horse

The best choice for a travel horse is certainly a young adult gelding, meaning a horse between 5 and 10 years old. Below that age, you’re usually dealing with an adolescent lacking physical and psychological maturity. Beyond that, health issues, particularly with the legs, are a concern.

A gelding is a castrated male. This avoids the unpredictable behavior of a mare in heat (a few days per month, six months a year) and the dominant, sometimes aggressive behavior of an intact male (year-round when around other horses). Additionally, some countries don’t allow animals capable of reproducing to enter. Finally, geldings are more accepted by local farmers and riders, which helps with integration.

Mules are also worth considering, given their proven hardiness and endurance.

Other criteria to consider: A small size (1.35 to 1.50 m), easier to feed, harness, and ride. A willingness to work. A calm temperament in unexpected situations. Horses are fearful animals, and this fear can lead to exaggerated, violent reactions that may endanger the rider or handler.

Where to Buy?

You can find horses from dealers, breeders, and users (equestrian sports, cattle work, trekkers). It’s difficult to buy good horses abroad (the good ones aren’t for sale), and beginners are likely to be sold an expensive, temperamental, or fragile horse. The horse trade has a well-deserved reputation for trickery. It’s wise to seek advice and, if possible, have a pre-purchase veterinary check.

Prices vary: A good travel horse costs 4,000 to 5,000 € in France, but less than 1,000 € in other countries.

One or Several Horses?

There are different horseback travel setups, so it depends on what you plan to do and your skill level.

Handler on foot with a packhorse: This is the easiest option for beginners. Food autonomy is about a week, provided you find grass several times a day.

Rider with two horses, one carrying luggage: Beginners should avoid this. Handling two horses requires skill and experience. This setup allows for comfortable travel far from civilization.

Rider with two horses, one bareback: The second horse carries nothing and tires very little. It can replace the ridden horse at midday or every other day. Beginners should avoid this too. Food autonomy is non-existent, but you can cover long distances in easy terrain.

Rider with one horse: This setup offers only one day of food autonomy. It’s only viable in grassy Western countries or hospitable regions.

Driving with one or two horses or mules: This is a comfortable option for family travel in flat areas. However, beginners should avoid it, as driving is far more dangerous than riding. Proper training is essential before setting off.

Distance

The daily distance you can cover on horseback varies depending on the animal’s fitness, diet, load weight, terrain, elevation, and temperature. It ranges from 20 to 80 km. Except for a well-prepared endurance ride with elite horses, you can count on 6 to 8 hours of walking exclusively at a walk. Trot and canter are reserved for recreation during rest days.

Additionally, the rider should walk on foot for at least 5 to 10 minutes every hour and during all descents (horses are plains animals with most of their muscle mass in the hindquarters, making them uncomfortable on downhill slopes). Finally, a one-hour break—or two 30-minute breaks—is essential at midday (packhorses unloaded).

Saddle, Shoes, and Feeding

Saddle and Tack

Regarding saddles and tack, local equipment is sometimes impractical, fragile, or unsuitable. It’s better to choose all your gear before leaving and be able to adapt it to local horses later.

Shoes

Should you learn farriery before leaving, and what shoes should you bring? Horseback travelers who rely on local farriers sometimes run into problems. It’s essential to get some training before leaving. Bring small tools and nails with you. You can find the anvil, forge, and large hammer from local farriers, garages, public works departments, or the military. Buy industrial shoes or forge your own as needed.

Feeding

Horses are herbivores that graze for about 18 hours a day when free. Feeding horses on a journey can sometimes feel like a challenge—it’s a constant obsession. Roadside grass is only sufficient for short distances with hardy horses. Beyond 25 km/day, you need to provide grain (1 to 2.5 kg/day per horse) in addition to hay, grass, or straw, which should be available at all times when the horses aren’t working. This aspect of horse nature rules out non-agricultural regions. Finally, a horse must drink twice a day in winter and four times in summer.

At the End of the Journey

What happens to the horses at the end of a journey? The traveler returns home, but what about the horses? They’ve endured all the hardships of the trip—the kilometers, the weather, the poor diet. Most of the time, they can no longer be seen as a means of transport, nor as domestic or companion animals. They’ve become part of the traveler’s personality, thoughts, actions, needs, and identity. The traveler returns to city or sedentary life. They must decide the fate of their horses, and this choice should be carefully considered. It will help with the "grieving" process, accepting the end of the journey and the separation.

The best solution is likely retirement in vast pastures with a herd of broodmares and under supervision. Selling allows for some financial recovery, but it’s final. The buyer can do as they please—work, slaughter, neglect. That’s why the end of a journey is also decided based on the horses’ future. No one should decide for the rider.