A fantastic way of exploring the island of Crete is to do so on horseback. There are some great organized riding tours which will take you down trails and back roads where cars just cannot go.
You will be able to explore the Cretan countryside on horseback and enjoy the amazing vistas as you trek through mountains or along the beaches of Crete.
Cretan horses are beautiful – they are called ‘Messara’ or ‘Georgalidiko. They are native to Crete and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It is believed the Cretan horse predates the Minoan age and is considered to be the oldest breeds of horse in the whole of Europe.
The name ‘Messara’ comes from an area of the island in the Heraklion Prefecture, it is a beautiful natural valley called the Messara Plains. Protected by the Asterousia Mountains, this sheltered valley was the home of the Cretan horse in ancient times.
You will love getting to know your horse as you ride through the most beautiful countryside and you will understand why Cretans favour these beautiful creatures so much.
In the 90’s there were only 80 of these horses left on the island. Today with a fantastic well organized breeding program the numbers are rising all the time. It is hoped that the horse population will reach a thousand in the not too distant future.
These light but strong native horses are well suited to the rugged terrains on Crete. They have superb stamina and survived in ancient times because they coped so well with the hard work on rough ground they had to do. Today these horses are used for trekking, casual riding along the splendid beaches and for equestrian events that take place all over the island.
Believed to have been brought over to Crete by the ancient Egyptians, although some people think they are descendants of the magnificent Russian horse, the Tarpon, the Cretan horses of today are proud, elegant and as naturally friendly as the Cretans themselves. They have an extraordinary gait and can pace like a camel which explains why they can cover great distances without getting tired. Cretans call this unique style of gait ‘arayani’.
One well organized horse riding holiday is run by the marvellous tour operator EcoGreece. They organize adventure holidays around the island to beautiful areas where only the horse can take you. To find the many riding holidays available on the island of Crete, you can go on the Internet and discover some wonderful deals that will take you to places you never thought existed.
You will ride on the beautiful beaches around the coastline and trek into the marvellous mountains discovering yet another aspect of the wonderful island of Crete. Many of the riding holiday package deals to Crete include your hosts picking you up at the airport for the start of your adventure. You will have 7 days of wonderful riding and at the end of your stay – you will be accompanied back to the airport to catch your plane home.
