Horse Riding in the Rhodopes
Horse riding Rizov, Smolyan Bulgaria
riding stables located in the Rhodopes Smolyan
Конна база в Смолян Родопи
At 64 I decided it was time to get back in the saddle
I chose Horse Riding Rizov in Smolyan town of Bulgaria
They ride every day, often in large groups, yet I was made to feel like I was their one and only cherished client
I was warmly greeted with a discussion of which horse would be most suitable for me
I haven’t been riding in a long time and, a smaller pony sized horse had already caught my attention
It seems I had caught his attention too
“That’s Bond” stated Jivko
‘007 and a half’ I replied
So Bond it was
We mounted our horses and we were off into the spectacular scenery of the Smolyan Rhodopes
We had a little test trot
Followed by a collected canter, followed by an even more exhilarating canter
At every step Jivko was ensuring that I was still mounted and keeping up
We had a couple of hours enjoying our ride, before heading back to the yard’s base
The horses were very well behaved, soft mouthed and soft necks. The horses all looked well groomed and very well looked after
The horses knew the various paths very well and keeping an eye on Jivko’s Facebook page, the stables have a horse to suit every level of rider
Now did I mention exhilarating rides? Well, how about a ride in the pitch dark … yup, Jivko offers them!
Personally I shall stick to day rides, but you might have strong enough nerves
So, horse riding in Bulgaria
There are many horse bases around, alas none within a couple of hours drive of Kardzhali, which means finding a horse base with accommodation.
1km away, we stayed in the ‘Old House’ and, Jivko has recommendations for nearby accommodation as well in Smolyan
I found this unusual yard to be very animal and human friendly too and, will highly recommend it for a very enjoyable, relaxed and exhilarating ride.
I hope one day you find this stable and enjoy your own ride
Until then, I hope you enjoy a couple of videos and photos of my experience at Horse Base Rizov, Smolyan … in the stunning Rhodopes
Suzi
for Riding Holidays
