To prepare for my horse-riding holiday in Hungary, I’m practising some beginner’s Hungarian and trying to drink a bit more alcohol, because if our Hungarian colleague is to be believed, there’s a lot of drinking involved. Whilst the Hungarian horse-related vocabulary proves useful, my ability to hold my drink isn’t put to the test, however. But let’s start at the beginning: I’ve signed up for a 3-day short programme, including cattle driving in the Puszta. At Budapest Airport, I meet my fellow rider from Germany and together we take the train to Kistilek, a good 1½ hours south of Budapest. Here, our riding guide picks us up and takes us to the cosy guesthouse, where dinner is already waiting for us. As I’m a vegetarian, they always cook a separate meal for me. In Hungary, it’s very unusual to eat vegetarian or even vegan food. But the villages are also teeming with chickens, geese, sheep, dogs and cats – animals everywhere, how lovely! 

The next morning, we were picked up well ahead of schedule and taken to the stables, 2 km away. Although ‘stables’ is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. The horses of the Puszta live all year round on vast pastures with perfect ground. You can’t even see where the pastures end. A well-maintained riding arena, a fantastic jumping arena and a covered round pen are available for training. Meanwhile, several horses are already saddled up and standing ready at the covered tethers. The farm breeds noble Akhal-Teke horses, of which the family is justifiably proud. In the 17th century, around 200 Akhal-Teke horses were imported to England, and the influence of these long-legged, swift horses is clearly evident in English Thoroughbreds. As such, these hardy horses from Turkmenistan bear a striking resemblance to Thoroughbreds or Anglo-Arabians. Here, they are also successfully used in dressage and eventing, as well as in shows where the Hungarians demonstrate their legendary horsemanship, including archery and ring riding. They are also particularly well-suited to endurance riding. A light, elegant sport horse with many talents! And they come in all colours. Shiny golden dun and palomino horses are just as common as deep black horses.

I’m entrusted with Amrid, a friendly bay mare with a broad chest. The 8-year-old comes from Russia, has had two foals and has already competed in eventing. Today we’re starting with a shorter ride of about 2.5 hours. An elderly biologist from Budapest joins us and we enjoy a lovely first ride along perfect bridleways, during which we learn a bit about the different types of trees. First, however, we all head to the riding arena, where our riding skills are put to the test. Once we’ve passed with flying colours, we ride across the estate’s own lake and our first canter takes us straight across a large meadow – pure riding pleasure! The horses respond perfectly to the aids. They are eager and keen to move, without being hot-headed. We ride through woods and meadows at all three gaits, encountering roe deer and hares time and again. The fields are teeming with them! We also spot plenty of birds, such as white herons, guinea fowl, ducks and pheasants. It’s practically a riding safari. In the afternoon, we visit the Opusztaszer open-air museum and learn a great deal about Hungary’s history. The Hungarians once came from the Ural Mountains in several tribes, travelling with horses and cattle in search of new land. The Carpathian Plain eventually became their home.

On the second day, a day’s ride is on the programme. The route takes us along canals, through pine and poplar forests, and every now and then there’s a refreshing gallop – mostly across country – accompanied by game bounding away. The first trees and bushes are in bloom, white and pink, and the meadows are a lush green in early April. Today we have three more female riders joining us from Hungary. At a road, we have to dismount and lead the horses, as it’s said to be very busy. I’d much rather have trotted straight through, but as it turns out, ‘very busy’ is a massive exaggeration – by German standards, there’s hardly any traffic at all. What’s more, the roads in the flat Puszta are dead straight and very easy to navigate. Once everyone has crossed safely, we continue a little further along sandy paths and through meadows to a burial mound dating from the time of the settlers. Important men were buried in these, along with their horses, as it was believed back then that they would ride into the afterlife. Thank goodness that was over 1,000 years ago… The Hungarians adopted the Christian faith quite soon afterwards, and from then on there were no more animal sacrifices. In the afternoon, we climb yet another burial mound overlooking a steppe lake. Apparently there are water buffalo here too, but unfortunately we don’t see any. Instead, we see roe deer, hares and birds everywhere. And plenty of farmyard animals in the villages. On the ride back, we pass through the pastures where the family’s other horses graze: a motley herd of yearlings, pretty two-year-olds, a few of the broodmares – including a lanky little foal – and three strikingly handsome stud stallions. They strike a proper pose, though this doesn’t particularly impress our mares. In the evening, another dinner awaits us at the guesthouse, specially prepared by the cook, Brigitta. The food is delicious, but always far too much! It could easily feed a whole family. Breakfast is also plentiful: two platters of sausages, a cheese platter, various hearty quark dishes, boiled eggs, fruit, vegetables and so on. Even as a vegetarian, you could easily put on a few kilos here – ideal for convalescence. Unfortunately, that’s less in demand than losing weight… The food is, in fact, very rich; quark, eggs and meat seem to be the main ingredients. The only thing that helps afterwards is palinka – schnapps. 

Well and truly fortified, we set off on our final day of riding. Today’s ride takes us, in a new formation with seven guests and two riding guides, along sandy paths through the forest, which still has a spring-like feel with its buds and white blossoms. Time and again today, we have the chance to ride at a faster pace. We’ve long since mastered the commands in Hungarian: ‘lepesch’ – walk, ‘ügetesch’ – trot, but our favourite is ‘wakta’ – canter. Let’s go! We stop for a break at a summer cottage. We tie the horses to the trees in the avenue whilst inside we’re pampered by Brigitta – or should we say fattened up… After a break in the sunshine at 16 degrees, it’s time for the cattle drive. The family breeds Hungarian Grey cattle crossed with French Limousin, a very good beef breed. We split into two groups. The other group gathers the cattle and drives them towards us. We position ourselves at the side so that the mooing herd of around 100 cows and some very young calves heads in the right direction. We drive them in a circle through several pastures to the winter paddock. 
The horses and cows know each other and aren’t afraid. So we have to give them a bit of a nudge with shouts to keep the cattle moving. Every now and then, a few animals break away. We catch them again and bring them back to the herd. After about 40 minutes, the cattle drive is over. We ride back at all gaits across meadows and along forest paths. At one point, a whole herd of roe deer gallops alongside us. When we slow to a walk, they join us again and watch us curiously. After a ride through a tranquil village with plenty of animals, including cute little kids, we gallop one last time across the wide plain. Then we’re back and take the horses to the holiday paddock, as they’re allowed a few days’ rest. This seemingly endless meadow is just a short distance away and certainly leaves nothing to be desired for the horses. Every horse should be able to live like this. Tranquil Hungary is definitely a paradise for horses. The next day, I take the train back to Budapest, where I spend another day sightseeing. The city is very impressive and definitely worth a visit. Whilst the rest of Hungary has a very rural feel, there’s plenty going on here and people are bustling about everywhere. The combination of horse riding in the Puszta and sightseeing in Budapest is definitely perfect for a short break!

Programme see: https://www.equitour.com/pegasus/uk/reisen/europa/bulg_rum_ung/opasta.htm