Learn to Ride in Southern Albania

In the morning, you leave the town and travel to the quiet village of Asim Zeneli. This is where the riding part of the program begins. You will stay in a charming local guesthouse, located about 15 minutes on foot from the stables.

After settling in, you will meet the horse chosen for you for the week. The morning session takes place in the arena and focuses on understanding horses from the ground. You will learn about their anatomy, communication, safe approach, grooming, feeding, leading, and basic handling. This session lasts about two hours and helps you start building confidence and trust with your horse.

After the morning session, there will be a lunch break at a nearby local restaurant with traditional Albanian food.

In the afternoon, you will start working from the saddle. You will learn how to check and adjust the equipment, mount and dismount safely, find your balance, and sit in the correct riding position. This session lasts around 2–2.5 hours, with guidance and time to practice at your own pace.

The day ends back at the guesthouse with a reflection session, followed by a warm home-cooked dinner.

Today, you begin by preparing your horse more independently. After driving from the guesthouse to the stables, you will groom, saddle, and check your horse, using what you learned the day before.

The morning arena session focuses on leading your horse, walking with confidence, keeping balance, and understanding how your own movements affect the horse. This session lasts about 2–2.5 hours and helps strengthen your connection with the horse.

After lunch at the local restaurant, you return to the arena to practice riding in a group, keeping the right distance, and giving clear directions. Then, for the first time, the instructors guide you outside the arena. You will ride gently on uphill and downhill paths, learning to feel the horse’s movement and communicate through balance and simple cues.

In the evening, you return to the guesthouse for dinner and a reflection session. By the end of the day, you will have prepared your horse more independently and experienced your first ride in nature.

The day starts with preparing the horses and a short test in the arena. After that, you head out for a guided group ride in nature.

This morning brings together the main skills you have learned so far: balance, breathing, connection with the horse, correct position, and simple commands. You will now use these skills in open terrain. During the ride, the instructors observe carefully and help you work through any hesitation, emotional blocks, or areas where more confidence is needed.

After lunch at the local restaurant, you return to the stables for the afternoon session.

The afternoon focuses on building a stronger partnership with your horse. You will practice leading the horse in nature, walking beside and in front of the horse along a sloping path. This is an important skill for safe outdoor riding. Afterwards, you mount again and ride uphill, learning the basic position needed for trotting.

The day ends with an evening reflection. The group reviews the day’s progress, and the instructors share gentle advice and stretching exercises to help prepare the body for the first real trotting work the next day. Dinner is served at the guesthouse.

The day begins with a new level of independence. You prepare your horse fully on your own, from grooming to saddling, while the instructors only make a final check. This is an important moment that shows how much you have already learned.

Once ready, you go out for a 1.5-hour ride in nature, passing through gentle hills and open landscapes. During the ride, you practice rising and sitting in the saddle, which prepares your body for trotting. The varied terrain helps you improve balance, posture, and simple commands, while continuing to build trust with your horse.

After returning to the stables, you have lunch and a short rest before the main session of the day.

In the afternoon, you go to the arena for a longer trotting session. Step by step, you learn to follow the rhythm of the trot and understand how your body, breathing, and balance work with the horse’s movement. It can be challenging, but it is also a rewarding part of the learning process.

The day finishes with a reflection and feedback session, including a video review. Everyone has time to speak about the experience, the challenges, and the sensations of the first real trotting work. In the evening, you return to the guesthouse for dinner and rest.

Day 6 is built around one long riding session that brings together everything learned so far. The morning begins at the arena with the usual routine of preparing the horses. Then you set off into nature for a 3–4-hour ride through different landscapes, including steep descents into valleys, open areas for practicing the trot, and gentle hills for uphill riding.

During the ride, the instructors guide you not only in riding technique, but also in practical trail riding skills. You will learn how to prepare for a longer ride, tie and manage horses in nature, organize water, snacks, and equipment, and ride safely in a group. You will also practice staying calm and in control when small unexpected situations appear.

Halfway through the ride, there is a short stop for fruit or snacks. During this stop, you practice stopping, tying, and managing the horses outdoors. The ride then continues back to the stables.

Lunch is served as a picnic at the stables. There is no afternoon riding session, so the rest of the day is free to relax, explore the village or town, or enjoy other activities. Dinner is served at the guesthouse.

The day begins with a warm greeting from your host family in the village. Then you visit the stables for the final riding day and a celebration of everything you have achieved during the week.

After preparing your horse, you set off on a longer 4–5-hour ride through the countryside, with a scenic stop at Qestorati Lake.

During this ride, you will use all the skills learned throughout the week: balance, seat, trot, distance, riding in nature, and handling different situations such as vegetation, obstacles, water crossings, and rest stops. This day is about enjoying the confidence you have built and feeling the connection with your horse in open nature.

Lunch is a picnic at the stables. At the end of the ride, there will be final reflections, photos, and farewells to the horses. While you are riding, your luggage will be moved to the hotel in the historic part of the city, where you will spend the night.

The afternoon is free for exploring. In the evening, you will have a traditional dinner with instructors and guides to celebrate the end of the week.

After breakfast at the hotel in the historic city, participants are transferred to the airport according to their individual flight schedules.

This brings the week of riding, learning, and connecting with the horses to an end.