8 Day Adult Beginner Horseback Riding Course in Mimizan, Landes
Beginner Horse Riding Program in France
This listing has one of the 10 most popular offers available in France
Centre Équestre le Marina's objective is to make this activity accessible to everybody to help people discover the close complicity that can be established between man and horse, as well as to instill a solid basis for making autonomy possible as quickly as possible. Finally, Centre Équestre le Marina wishes to show that with a few indispensable riding notions, it is easy to take advantage of fabulous means of locomotion, so as to enter an environment and discover a natural milieu in complete safety.
Key Information
- Rider Weight Limit: 198 pounds / 90 kilograms
- Tack Type: English Tack
- Horse Breed: Anglo-Arabs
Highlights
- 6 horse riding sessions
- Approximately riding time: 4 to 6 hours
- 2 to 4 hours spent around the horse per day
- Suitable for full beginners, novices, and riders who need to restore confidence
- English-speaking instructors
- 7 nights accommodation
- Half-board meal plan
Skill level
- Beginner
Types
6 days with instruction in English
Accommodation
Facilities
- Golf course
- Sauna
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
- Café
- Dining area
- Garden
- Kitchen
- Multilingual staff
- Picnic area
- Poolside bar
- Terrace
- Yoga deck
- Bicycle rental
- Conference room
- Ironing / ironing board
- Laundry
- Meeting room
- Parking lot
- Wedding
- Wireless internet
Situated at 2 minutes by foot from the Equestrian center and 8 minutes by car from the beach, the accommodation options include:
- 1 guest house with 4 “Chambre d’hôtes” in front of the swimming pool offering single, double, twin, or family suite with 2 bedrooms
- 1 wooden cottage dormitory with 2 bathrooms for 6 people beside the swimming pool
- 1 annexe with 3 “Chambres d’hôtes” for 1 to 4 people
Each bedroom has a private bathroom. There is also a sauna and massage room.
Another option is an independent house situated at the equestrian center with 3 bedrooms for 1 to 5 people, 1 bathroom, a huge kitchen + living room, a private terrace, and a closed garden! Dogs admitted!
In case there won't be enough rooms for all guests, there will be a 2-star hotel accommodation in Mimizan Plage.
Program
As an equestrian school in a seaside resort, Centre Équestre le Marina's summer clientele meant that they have developed an accelerated learning method which means that a full beginner can enjoy the pleasure of riding out in complete security from the very first few riding sessions; this is also possible thanks to the adapted and well-trained horses.
You learn to catch horses in their paddocks, to clean, and tack them. You also learn psychology and the behavior of horses in different kinds of situations. Then, the goal of the courses is to learn them to make only arising trot, and arising canter and gallop, then to walk independently one from the others at all the paces, and to approach some jump on ditch or tree, by some exercises in the arena. You do not approach the sitting trot or sitting canter the first week!
Any full beginner with riding technique may finish the week with cantering alone on the beach with a good control of his balance and a quite good control of the horse. Then, they are ready to follow any kind of riding trails in the South of France if they want to come back riding with Centre Équestre le Marina.
You start the first lesson by riding in the arena and finishing outside in the forest. Then, the courses will be done by riding outside all week. The goal is to help beginners to be successful in front of all problems they may find with hacking out! To teach them to keep their horses under control at any pace, in individual evolution. To learn to be able to walk in front of the group, to control the pace and the speed with staying backside the other riders, to leave the group and come back to the group as they want.
During the one-week course, you will learn how to approach some jumps on a ditch or tree through some exercises in the arena.
Supervision
Lessons are guaranteed by the director of the riding school (certified international instructor and show jumping / dressage specialist), a qualified / certified riding teacher, or an equestrian guide of tourism (French professional certification: B.E. ,A.T.E., CQP ASA, or BPJEPS Tourisme Équestre) having good regional knowledge willing to let you discover the beauty of this area. English speaking guides available.
Typical day
The duration of the activity is 6 hours per day, with spending around 4 hours on a horse.
- 07:30 - 08:15 Free yoga session
- 08:15 Breakfast
- 09:00 Meeting at the riding center to learn how to take care and tack the horse, then to ride from 10 to 12 p.m.
- 13:00 Lunch
- Resting time in the afternoon / enjoy the swimming pool
- 15:30 - 18:30 Meeting at the riding center to spend 2 hours on the horse
- Free time for relaxation beside the swimming pool, sauna, yoga, and massage (optional extra)
- 20:30 Dinner
On Saturday (the last day), there will be a meeting at 09:00 a.m. for a full-day trip! The lunch is provided on the way by the Equestrian Center!
Location
Food
This formula may be half-board or full board, to give clients the opportunity to visit Mimizan-beach and its surroundings, test some nice seafood restaurants and typical French meals, or to take lunch on the beach side while enjoying sunny weather.
Half board and full board meals are cooked and served at the guesthouse. The dinner on the arrival day is included.
When you are riding for a full day, the equitation center provides the lunch (French aperitif and appetizer, Bordeaux red wine, soup or salad according to the weather, chicken or meat and veggies, French cheeses, dessert, and coffee or tea).
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Gluten Free
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Things to do (optional)
A free yoga session takes place every morning from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. with a group of a minimum of 3 people from the 11 of April to the end of September. Additional yoga sessions, sauna, and massage are available at an extra cost.
- Yoga individual course: 50 EUR / 1 hour
- Yoga collective course: 20 EUR per person / 1 hour
- Sauna: free
- Massage: 25 EUR / 20 minutes, 30 EUR / 30 minutes, 45 EUR / 45 minutes
What's included
- 6 horse riding days
- Beginner riding course
- 7 nights accommodation
- Half board meal plan
- English speaking instructor
What's not included
- Airport transfers
- Airfare
- Personal expenses
- Full board meal plan (190 EUR)
- Federal license (40 EUR)
- Individual accident insurance (40 EUR)
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Transfer available for additional US$ 52 per person
Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport
81 km away from your destination
Arrival by airplane
Please arrange your flight to arrive at Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD). Transfers are organized from and to this airport every Sunday for 2 to 14 riders. As people are arriving from various destinations in Europe, Centre Équestre le Marina picks up guests starting from 4 p.m. and the minibus leaves Bordeaux according to the timing of the last customer’s arrival.
Centre Équestre le Marina will drop people on Sunday morning, the departure day, according to the departure time of the first client. You are kindly asked to try to plan your arrival time in Bordeaux at 4 p.m. or before (as much as possible) and to plan the flight departure time from Bordeaux from 12:30 p.m. and later.
There are two hours of driving between Mimizan and Bordeaux; if the departure at Mimizan is at 8:30 a.m., it means that the arrival at the airport is at 11:30 a.m. for a flight at 1 p.m., if check-in is 1 hour and 30 minutes before. The cost of the transfer is 45 EUR each way per person or 90 EUR per person for a roundtrip; it also includes the transfers to Mimizan Beach on Monday and Saturday. Two mini-buses are provided for transfers of more than eight persons for the same price.
Arrival by train (From Bordeaux)
The Bordeaux-Morcenx train is always empty, if you are traveling alone, please wait for the last minute to buy this train ticket at the railway station to give Centre Équestre le Marina time to find the opportunity to pick you up at Bordeaux if it’s possible. Transfers are organized from and to this railway station every Sunday for 2 to 12 riders.
Arrival by train (From Morcenx)
A transfer can be organized from Morcenx railway station for one person at 20 EUR for one, two persons and more, 15 EUR per trip. Please note that for night transfers (from 9 p.m.), the price is doubled.
Arrival by shuttle
There is a shuttle from the Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD) to the railway station priced at 13 EUR (45 minutes). Then, find a train to Labouheyre, it's priced at 17 EUR (50 minutes). Take the RDTL Bus from Labouheyre to Mimizan 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. running all year priced at 5 EUR (40 minutes). The meeting time on the arrival day on Sunday is at 7 p.m. at the guest house.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 21 days before arrival.
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