Instead of booking a traditional horse riding holiday, how about building a holiday around watching one of your favourite disciplines? Check out the suggestions below…
Event: CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival
- Location: Aachen, Germany
- What to expect: nine days of top-class equestrian sporting action including showjumping, dressage, eventing, four-in-hand driving and vaulting, plus superb shopping
- When: late June/early July
- Fly from: London Gatwick, Heathrow or Stansted to Maastricht, Cologne-Bonn or Düsseldorf
- Stay in: Aachen – visit www.aachen-tourist.de to find details of local accommodation
- More info: www.chioaachen.de/en
Event: Kentucky Horse Trials
- Location: Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington
- What to expect: making up one of the three Rolex Grand Slam events, Kentucky offers four days of four-star, international eventing action
- When: late April
- Fly from: London Gatwick or Heathrow to Lexington
- Stay in: Lexington – check out the visitor guide on the website
- More info: www.rk3de.org
Event: CDI**** Fritzens Schindlhof
- Location: Fritzens, Austria
- What to expect: three days of four-star international dressage set in the stunning snow-capped hills of Austria
- When: June
- Fly from: London Gatwick to Innsbruck
- Stay in: Fritzens
- More info: www.schindlhof.at
Event: Luhmühlen CCI****
- Location: Luhmühlen, Germany
- What to expect: this international four-star event is part of the HSBC FEI Classics series and promises four days of world-class eventing at its best
- When: mid June
- Fly from: most UK airports to Hamburg
- Stay in: Luhm ¼hlen: the website (below) has details of local accommodation
- More info: www.luhmuehlen.de
Event: Gucci Paris Masters
- Location: part of the Salon du Cheval, Paris
- What to expect: a Parisian version of London’s Olympia, with a mixture of international competition, spectacular equestrian displays and plenty of tradestands
- When: early December
- Fly from: Luton to Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport or Orly Airport
- Stay in: Roissy: a link on the website (below) offers accommodation options
- More info: www.salon-cheval.com
For other equestrian travel news see H&H magazine (28 June 2012)
