Historic home of the iconic Lipizzaner breed associated with the Habsburg monarchy, Croatia has a long relationship with horses and horsemanship.
You still visit the renowned Lipizzaner stud farm in Đakovo, among the fertile flatlands of Slavonia that provide the perfect terrain for the many riding schools here.
Although the specific classic breed was only brought over from Lipica in 1806, the stables of Đakovo had already nurtured thousands of high-quality stallions sired from the 90 Arab horses documented as being here 300 years before.
Light grey Lipizzaner still demonstrate their highly trained dressage skills at the Spanish Riding School within the Hofburg in Vienna.
The Đakovo Stud Farm, meanwhile, actually has consists of two stations, the main one in this pretty Slavonian town, and a smaller one at nearby Ivandvor.
Another key equine hub is Bjelovar-Bilogora County, further west towards Zagreb.
The hussars of the Bjelovar Border Guards date back to 1756 and still perform at showcase events around Croatia and abroad, maintaining a link with the military cavalry history of the Habsburg era. Here, the Bilogora Horseback Tourist Trail runs for 90 kilometres, dotted with 15 equestrian associations and ten rural tourism farms, providing guides, local gastronomy and lodging.
Beginners can start out with riding lessons in the enclosures and pastures of Čazma. More experienced riders can try out the longer-distance and trickier terrains of Papuk, also with lodgings on site.
The hillier region of Istria also has numerous riding schools that take advantage of the bucolic landscapes around them. Those by the coast, at Medulin, Labin and Rabac, take horses out to the sea as part of the trek, clip-clopping around the shallows before returning to the trail.
Again, most schools welcome riders of all ages and experience levels.
Those who prefer to watch horses as a spectacle might wish to time their visit to Dalmatia around the popular Sinj Alka competition first held more than 300 years ago to commemorate the victory over the Turks in 1715. The alka in the name refers to the small ring that riders in traditional costume must lance in order to win the contest. Sinj lies inland from Split and stages this annual event on the first Sunday in August.
This article is sponsored by The Croatian National Tourist Board: 'Croatia Full of Life'.
