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“It has now become an annual tradition for all of us at the stables to go away for a weekend with our horses!” Julie who is 24 and mad about horses, shares her experience. “It was the first time we had chosen Limburg as our destination so we were all curious as to whether it really is a horse-loving province.”
Weekend away with the horses
“When you’re away for two days with your horse, you can cover a fair number of kilometres. We choose our destination on this basis. It’s no fun if you’re all done when you’ve only ridden 20 kilometres. Last year, I received the horse riding map of Limburg with the Hippo Revue and noticed that the riding network was no less than 650 kilometres long and that it also connected into the Antwerp and Dutch bridleways. That was what convinced us to go to Limburg with our horses.
When you are a group of 5 people with 5 horses, it's not always easy to find good overnight accommodation. But it wasn't a problem at all! We found a summary of all the horse-friendly accommodation on paardenprovincie.be. We booked rooms at a gorgeous hotel. From there, we found plenty of bridleways to keep us amused for the whole weekend.”
Trotting through water
“Even though the journey with the horse box wasn't very long, once we had arrived, the horses were delighted to stretch their legs in the paddock. While checking in, we were given a few great tips from the owners. Our first ride was planned for that afternoon. We kept it short, just exploring the local area. Near the hotel, we found a lake where the horses could bathe their legs.
We closed the day with a delicious meal in our hotel's brasserie. From the huge terrace, we could see our horses nibbling their hay. Tired and full, we retired to our rooms but not before we had checked the horses and wished them a good night.”
A good day's riding on the horizon
“The next day, we woke early. I sneaked an apple from the breakfast buffet for my horse. By 10 o’clock, the horses were tacked up and ready for our day out. The hotel owner had advised us to outline our route in advance via the online route planner. This allowed us to plan our entire route, know where we could take a break, and also ensure we didn't end up lost. We covered 50 kilometres that day; it was a challenging route but luckily our horses are sturdy and used to a long hack.
After two hours in the saddle, we started to feel a bit hungry. Just on time, we reached the hitching point between junctions 60 and 38. We dismounted, secured the horses and enjoyed our packed lunch on the picnic table right in the heart of the beautiful green scenery. Did I mention that the area is absolutely stunning?”
At full gallop through the nature of Limburg
“In the afternoon, we upped the pace a little every now and then. On the long, straight bridleways you can enjoy a flat-out gallop. The horses love to race one another. When we had almost finished for the day, we happened to pass by a chip stall with parking for horses. We didn't hesitate for a second. A large portion with mayonnaise for me please!
The last kilometre was slower; the horses had had enough excitement for the day and we were starting to feel the long day in the saddle. We arrived at our hotel in high spirits. It was a fantastic ride. Once we had settled the horses into their stables with a generous hay-net to nibble on, we freshened ourselves up as the next thing on our agenda was a tasty meal in the hotel's restaurant. I was really looking forward to it because, despite the chips, I’d worked up a good appetite.”
Magical end to the weekend
“On the last day of our break, we were up early to ride out to watch the sunrise. We kept it short - to around an hour. Along the way, we took the time to take photographs in the beautiful light. And then our weekend was over. Our holiday in Limburg fulfilled all our expectations. Great bridleways in beautiful, green surroundings and brilliant facilities for riders and their horses. We are huge fans!”
