8 jours de séjour équestre pour débutants « Rythmes équestres » à Gjirokastër, Albanie

Riding Rhythms is a 7-day journey for beginners, designed to introduce you to the magic of horses and riding. Over the week, you’ll explore a completely new world, learning to sit with balance, communicate gently with a horse, and feel confident in the saddle.

The program is hands-on and supportive, focusing not only on riding skills, but also on:

• understanding and caring for the horse
• building concentration, self-awareness, and patience
• discovering your personal limits and learning to respect them
• connecting with nature and the rhythms of horseback riding

Every horse is carefully chosen by the instructors to match your abilities, so you can progress safely and enjoyably. By the end of the week, you’ll be ready to ride with confidence, walk and trot through the hills, and experience the joy of true partnership with a horse.

Daily Schedule

Day 1 – Arrival and Welcome

You arrive in Tirana airport and are transferred to the historic town of Gjirokastër, where you’ll stay in a cozy hotel in the Old Town. After settling in, there may be time for a gentle stroll through the cobbled streets, soaking in the history and charm of the town.

In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with your instructors. Here, you’ll:

*meet the team who will guide you through your new equestrian journey

*learn about safety and how the horses are chosen for you

*get an introduction to what the week will look like ,from grooming and basic handling to walking and trotting in nature

By the end of the evening, you’ll already feel part of this new world, ready to start learning, connecting, and discovering the rhythm of riding.

Day 2 – First Steps with the Horses

This morning, we leave the town behind and travel to the quiet village of Asim Zeneli, where your equestrian adventure truly begins. Here, you’ll be staying in a charming local guesthouse, just a 15-minute walk from the stables, so you can feel the rhythm of village life and hear the gentle sounds of horses nearby.

After settling in and meeting your hosts, it’s time for your first introduction to the horses. You’ll meet the horse chosen for you for the week, forming the first connection that will guide your learning. In the arena, you’ll spend the morning exploring the world of the horse from the ground ,discovering their anatomy, how they communicate, and the best ways to approach and handle them safely. You’ll learn grooming, feeding, and basic handling, leading, building trust and confidence together. For about two hours, the horse becomes your teacher, and you slowly step into a new world. After the morning session we take a short break for lunch at a nearby local restaurant, tasting traditional Albanian flavors and reflecting on your first encounters with your horse.

In the afternoon, it’s time to bring the lessons from the ground into the saddle. You’ll learn how to check and adjust equipment, how to mount and dismount safely, and how to find your balance and correct riding position. The session lasts about 2–2.5 hours, with plenty of guidance, reassurance, and time to practice at your own pace. As the day winds down, we return to the guesthouse for an evening of reflection. Sharing experiences, talking about your first moments with your horse, and enjoying a warm, home-cooked dinner in the peaceful village surroundings brings the day to a gentle close.

Day 3 – Independent Horse Handling & First Nature Ride

Today, you take a big step forward: preparing your horse independently. After driving to the stables from the guesthouse, you groom, saddle, and check your horse, putting into practice all you have learned so far and starting to feel the rhythm of working together.

In the morning arena session, you’ll practice leading your horse, walking confidently, maintaining balance, and feeling how your movements influence the horse. This session lasts about 2–2.5 hours, helping you build trust and understanding.

After lunch at the local restaurant, we return to the arena to practice walking in groups, respecting distances and giving clear directions. Then, for the first time, instructors guide you outside the arena, riding gently on uphill and downhill paths, feeling the horse’s movements and learning to communicate through balance and subtle cues.

The day ends back at the guesthouse with a reflection session and dinner, giving you time to share discoveries and insights. By the end of the day, you will have experienced independent horsemanship and your first ride in nature, building confidence and connection with your horse.

Day 4 – Building Confidence in Nature

The day begins with preparing the horses and a short test in the arena, before heading out for a guided group ride in nature. This morning is all about putting together everything you have learned so far, balance, breathing, connection with the horse, correct position, and simple commands, now applied in open terrain. As you ride, instructors gently observe and help identify hesitations, emotional blocks, and areas where confidence is still growing.

After this important morning session, we enjoy lunch at the local restaurant, followed by a return to the stables for the afternoon.

In the afternoon, the focus is on deepening the partnership with your horse. You’ll practice horse leading in nature, walking both beside and in front of your horse along a sloping path, one of the most important skills for safe riding outdoors. After this, you’ll mount again and ride uphill, learning the basic riding position needed for trotting. The day ends with an evening reflection, where the group looks back on the day’s progress and receives gentle guidance and stretching exercises to prepare the body for the first real trotting work the next day. A home- cooked dinner at the guesthouse brings the day to a calm and supportive close.

Day 5 – Finding Your Rhythm in the Trot

The day begins with a sense of independence. You prepare your horse entirely on your own, from grooming to saddling, with the instructors offering only a final check. It is a quiet but powerful moment, showing how much confidence and skill you have already gained. Once ready, you head out for a 1.5-hour ride in nature, moving through gentle hills and open landscapes. Along the way, you practice rising and sitting in the saddle, an essential exercise that prepares your body for trotting. Riding in varied terrain helps you refine your balance, posture, and use of simple commands, while strengthening the connection between you and your horse. After returning to the stables, it’s time for lunch and a short rest before the main focus of the day.

In the afternoon, you enter the arena for a long and focused trotting session. Step by step, you learn to find the rhythm of the trot, feeling how your body, breath, and balance work together with the movement of the horse. It can be challenging, sometimes emotional, but also deeply rewarding, as everything you have practiced begins to come together. The day ends with an important reflection and feedback session, including video review, where everyone is invited to talk about their experiences, the challenges they faced, and the sensations they felt during their first real trotting work. It is a moment of understanding, growth, and shared achievement. The evening closes with a warm dinner at the guesthouse, allowing everyone to relax, share stories, and enjoy the calm of the village after an intense and meaningful day.

Day 6 – The Long Trail Ride

Day 6 is dedicated to one long and immersive riding session that brings everything together. The morning begins in the arena with the familiar routine of preparing the horses, before setting off into nature for a 3–4-hour journey through varied landscapes, steep descents into valleys, open spaces for practicing the trot, and gentle hills for uphill riding.

Along the way, instructors guide you not only in riding, but also in the real skills of trail riding: how to prepare for a long journey, how to tie and manage horses in nature, how to organize water, snacks, and equipment, and how to ride safely and respectfully in a group. You will also practice staying calm and in control in unexpected situations, learning how to solve small challenges as they arise.

Midway through the ride, there is a short stop for fruit or snacks, where you practice stopping, tying, and managing the horses in a natural setting. The ride then continues back to the stables, completing a full day of riding without an afternoon session.

Lunch is enjoyed as a picnic at the stables, followed by a free afternoon and evening to relax, explore the village or town, or enjoy other activities. The day closes with dinner at the guesthouse, ending a long and rewarding day in nature.

Day 7 – Final Celebration Ride

The day begins with a warm greeting from your host family in the village, followed by a visit to the stables for the final celebration of all your achievements from the week. After preparing your horse, you set off on a long 4–5 hour ride through the beautiful countryside, including a scenic stop at Qestorati Lake.

While you ride, you will put together everything you have learned: balance, seat, trot, distance, maneuvering in nature, and handling challenges such as vegetation, obstacles, water crossings, and rest points. This is a day to enjoy your confidence and connection with your horse, experiencing the freedom of riding in nature with the skills you have built throughout the week.

Lunch is a picnic at the stables, giving a moment to rest and reflect. The ride ends back at the stables with final reflections, photos, and farewells to the horses, celebrating the journey and accomplishments of the week. Meanwhile, your luggage has been moved to the hotel in the historic part of the city, where you will spend the night.

The afternoon is free for exploration, and the evening closes with a traditional dinner with instructors and guides, sharing stories and celebrating the week’s experiences.

Day 8 – Departure

After a breakfast at the hotel in the historic city, participants are transported to the airport according to their individual flight schedules, bringing an unforgettable week of riding, learning, and connection to a close.