The Tuscia region, in Northern Lazio, boasts an antique horse riding tradition. Since Etruscan times, horses have been part of the everyday life in this territory. For a long time, the relationship between human beings and horses has been a real symbiosis: be it for agriculture or for transportation, these animals were essential to many human needs until the advent of the engine and they shared with the local population experiences and destinies.
The main local breeds, Maremmano and Tolfetano, are characterized by a calm and trainable nature and they both are hardy working horses. The land where they were bred – with swamps, woods and rocky terrains – shaped their physique: a long and muscular neck, solid legs with good joints and hard hooves. Even if nowadays these horses are very rarely used for agricultural purposes, they still are the most popular ones in this area because their capability to adapt to any kind of weather and terrain makes them good all round riding horses.
As in the last century horse riding became more and more popular – and rather affordable too, compared to the times when it was a prerogative of a small elite – a large number of people decided to take it up as a sport or as an activity to enjoy whilst on holidays. If you belong to the latter category, many are the horse riding centers that you can find in Tuscia: almost forty – to be precise – scattered through this beautiful land. Each one of them offers a wide range of horses to match your riding skills, age and needs. They will take you through trails which are completely inaccessible to cars and unknown to mass tourism, amazing bridle paths that tell you fascinating stories of ancient cultures and a life that used to be lived at a slower pace: rest assured that your full immersion in nature will be the ultimate one.
Horse riding in Tuscia is not just a trendy, touristic experience: this activity will also give you an insight into sustainable development, equine-assisted therapy, environmental education and physical and psychological rehabilitation of the horses themselves.
As these horse riding centers are dotted about the entire Tuscia area, you will be able to easily explore it all in the saddle: from Acquapendente – at the borders with Umbria and Tuscany – heading South towards Bolsena and its beautiful lake, from Montalto di Castro – along the coast – heading inland towards the archaeological area of Vulci, many are the itineraries that you can choose to explore and enjoy this amazing part of Italy in an unusual way.
As Helen Thomson says: “In riding a horse, we borrow freedom”. This is particularly true if you couple it with travelling: without a horse there would be no freedom, without freedom there would be no travelling at all. Hence those who experience the beautiful Tuscia region in the saddle can fully understand the real meaning of travelling.
