Day 1 Sunday: Pick up time at 16h00 at Bordeaux airport and 17h00 at Bordeaux railway station. Arrival to the accommodation, a charming gite/guest house at the equestrian center at around 19h00, for all riders coming with or without the transfer. Dinner between 20h30 and 21h00.
Day 2 Monday: Mimizan - Bias. 20 km / 3 hours on horse.
Programme of the day : briefing about the week and the horse ride – visit of Mimizan Beach shopping – free lunch in the city - meeting with the horses and First day ride on departure for 6 days trail without coming back to the base with the horses.
09h00 Breakfast
09h30 Meeting with all riders after the breakfast and Briefing Time with the Guide about the week program
10h30 The clients are dropped to Mimizan Beach, to visit and walk through the village and on the beach, to make some shopping before the trail and take the lunch in the restaurant of their choice (not included in the price).
13h30 Pick up time at 13h30 in front of the Tourism office and way back to the Guest House.
14h00 Meeting at the stable for a briefing about the horses, the equipment and the itinerary.
16h00 The ride starts in the arena during 30 minutes, enables the riders to get used to their horses and discover the French way to ride them. It also gives the opportunity to control the different levels and expectations of each rider, putting them on the horses that suit them best over the 6 following days. Then it’s time to discover carefully the different paces, walking and trotting, one by one with hacking out.
We are not riding nose to tail during that week, giving the opportunity to each rider to keep control of his own horse at the different paces.
This way of hacking out offers to every rider :
- to avoid the dust made by the riders in front !
- to choose the speed of the pace each rider want to have, from slow to quick trot, and from canter to quick gallop !
Our horses are used to be independent one from the others, and may stay walking when other horses are starting to trot or galloping in front of them ! They stay under the control of the riders, and not under the group of horses.
- It avoids also to have horses trotting all the time if some walk slow when some are walking quick !
Our short surroundings are very beautiful and the very wild landscape offers from the top of natural dunes some nice views above the ocean.
19h00 Transfer back to the Guest House and its swimming pool by minibus (8 minutes)
19h30 Relaxing time
20h30 Dinner at the Guest house
Day 3 Tuesday - Bias - Contis - St Julien. 30 km / 5 hours on horse :
Program of the day : 5 hours to discover original forest - littoral coast landscape with high sandy dune (up to 150 meters over the sea level) and first beach ride either in the morning or in the evening, according to the tide of the ocean.
08h00 Breakfast.
09h00 Transfer to the horse’s field of the night.
10h00 Start of the trail ride
13h30 Lunch time and resting time
16h00 Start of the ride
19h00 Transfer back to the Guest House and its swimming pool by minibus (8 minutes)
19h30 Relaxing time
20h30 Dinner at the Guest house
Day 4 Wednesday - St Julien - Levignac - Lesperon. 35 km / 5 hours on horse :
Programme : the landscape and the nature are changing every day, offering all the various views of “The Landes”. Wild nature and wonderful ground for galloping. During the 2 next days, we'll spend as much time with walking than with trotting, cantering or galloping. Visit of the most beautiful village of Landes “Lévignac“ and its church with magnificent paintings worthy of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Afternoon adventure trip in the wild along a clear and fresh river. Arrival at “Moulin de Caremonge”, wonderful and unexpected place, where we’ll leave the horses in their field beside a lake for the night.
08h00 Breakfast, time to prepare a small luggage for the next night in the Manor House.
08h30 Transfer to the horses field of the night
10h00 Departure on horse
13h30 Lunch at Lévignac, Resting Time.
15h30 Departure on horse
18h30 Transfer by minibus to the Guest house (25 min)
20h30 Dinner.
Day 5 Thursday - Lesperon - Mezos - Orvignac. 30 km / 4,5 hours on horse:
Programme : wild nature and wonderful ground for galloping. Discovery of traditional Landes architecture from the 18th century. Various landscapes and ride along river in the original forest during the afternoon. Dinner at the Equestrian Guest House.
08h00 Breakfast
08h30 Departure to Caremonge, the horses’ field of the night (5 minutes)
10h00 Departure on horse
13h30 Lunch Time at Mezos. Resting Time.
16h00 Departure on horse for 2 more hours ride
19h00 Transfer back by minibus (10 minutes) to the Equestrian Guest House and its swimming pool
19h30 Relaxing time at the Guest House
20h30 Dinner at the Guest House.
Day 6. Friday - Orvignac - Lespecier - ocean. 19 km / half day ride (4 hours on a horse).
Programme : half day rest and half day ride in the morning or in the evening depending on the low tide. National littoral Forest crossing and access to the beach – 2 hours on the beach. This half-day trail gives riders the opportunity to enjoy the Atlantic Ocean and have some more exciting gallops along the beach. The other half-day gives riders time to relax beside the swimming pool at the Guest House.
If the weather is fine, from June to the end of September, our riders have the opportunity to play and swim in the ocean with or without their horses.
08h00 or 10h00 Breakfast
20h00 or 21h00 Dinner at the Guest House
Day 7. Saturday - Mimizan Village - Aureilhan Lake - Mimizan Beach 30 km / 5 hours on a horse.
Programme: Full day ride - Ride in the forest and along Aureilhan lake (protected area) – At lunchtime, possibility to swim with the horses in the lake (in summer) - Ride along the river to Mimizan Beach. Forest and beach ride with the sunset.
According to the tide schedules, this program can be reversed.
08h00 Breakfast.
09h00 Departure to the horses’ place
10h00 Departure on horse
13h00 Lunch along the river
15h30 Departure on horse
19h00 Arrival at the Guest House
20h30 Dinner at the Guest House.
Day 8. Sunday. Breakfast and departure.
Note. During rides, it is not always possible to gallop on the beach because of the high tide. While it's fine to gallop on the hard sand, it is not possible to gallop in the seawater when the wet sand may get in the girth straps and hurt the horses. Therefore, the intention is, on the half-day ride on Day 6, to offer riders the perfect beach riding opportunity, at the right time, to ensure that no one misses out on the wonderful beach experience. The beach is 200 meters (220 yds) wide and fairly empty, so riders can gallop in seawater without restrictions. During the hot summer months, there is sometimes the opportunity to swim in the ocean with the horses, as well.
