The Perched Villages of Provence, France, continued...
– more if the guide gets lost! And as some days also involve hiking up or down very steep mountains for almost an hour, there is a moderate
degree of fi tness required. Our group consisted of seven Americans
and four French women. T e French women all belonged to riding clubs (akin to our lesson stables) in Paris and in the U.S. would be con- sidered beginner to intermediate riders. T ey were given the best schoolies! T e American riders consisted of one Florida dressage rider (who turns out to have ties to Maryland), one Florida show hunter rider, three Kentucky foxhunters, one Maryland foxhunter, one rid-
ing school instructor from Maryland. All the Americans were very capable riders and thus were given the less experienced horses, which were still fabulous packers. Christophe Bertrand, our guide, is a solid horseman and a very capable and safe guide. Alas, his relaxed approach regarding our itiner- ary made our group arrive later than expected each evening, which did not seem to sit well with our hosts (the literature provided by the tour company notes that “Provencals are the most generous and warmest hosts and there is an all pervading ‘Frenchness,’ which means that people are polite and punctual;” we cer- tainly experienced a diff erent attitude as a re-
sult of our less-than-punctual arrivals). Our ac- commodations included small hotels in towns, countryside guesthouses or hotels, and one breeding farm B&B that had seen better days (and was probably back in the 1970s the height of Provincial countryside hippy-chic). T e group’s favorite was, hands-down, the Regain le Colombier, which is exactly what one would imagine a Provincial farmhouse/guesthouse to be like! T e hospitality, food and accommoda- tions were fabulous. Although travelers can book directly with
Cap Rando, we highly recommended book- ing through a U.S. travel agency (preferably continued...
This ride is not for you if you are not comfortable trotting or can- tering on hardtop roads.
This ride is not for you if you are severely acrophobic.
Since 1941
May 19 and 20 July 21and 22 November 3 and 4
Saturday Schooling Shows Sunday Rated Shows
Meadowbrook Stables, Chevy Chase, Maryland 34 | THE EQUIERY | OCTOBER 2012
www.wbtahorseshows.org 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
854151-121012 847113-120512
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