Riding Holidays in Transylvania-equestrian tourism in the land of Dracula
About Count Kálnoky’s Transylvanian Equestrian Centre
(Count Hugo jr. with his 3-year old son Farkas in Korospatak, 1938)
Set
up and operated by Julian Ross under the name ‘Stefan cel Mare’, it has
been the longest-established equestrian centre in Romania, operating
year-round with qualified guides and experienced staff. A native of
England, Julian moved permanently to Romania in 1999, establishing the
equestrian centre to offer unique and interesting trail-riding tours.
Julian is also the author of three books, including Travels in an Unknown Country, describing a ride across Romania in 1994, and technical books on architecture and farriery.
In
2008, Julian had to return suddenly to Britain for health reasons and
together, we decided to transfer most of his riding horses and his
know-how to our estate in the ‘Woodlands’, an original and picturesque region
north of Brasov populated by Hungarian Szeklers. Here, the Kálnoky
family had been the first to set up and own a Hussar Regiment in
Transylvania (1742), and Count Hugo Kálnoky was celebrated best rider
of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy at the end of the 19th century.
Today,
the centre offers high-quality trail-riding and carriage-driving tours
through the beautiful Transylvanian landscape using locally-bred
horses, including purebred Shagya Arabian and Lipizzaners, and crossbreeds between the Romanian mountain pony Hutzul and Lipizzaners. The carriages are being pulled by the more sturdy Semigreu (More about Our Horses.).
In addition to trail and carriage rides, sightseeing and excursion opportunities are available based at the estate’s guesthouses in Miklósvár (www.transylvaniancastle.com). All guides are English-speaking and the estate focuses on providing the high-quality service to which its visitors are accustomed.
