Horse Riding in Central Portugal

Experience breathtaking landscapes with unforgettable horse riding tours in Central Portugal. Explore lush forests, scenic trails, and charming villages on horseback while enjoying an authentic adventure through the beautiful Portuguese countryside. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced rider, horseback riding in Portugal offers a unique way to discover nature and local culture.

* We offer outdoor trail rides exclusively for experienced riders aged 15+.

* We also offer guided horse walks for children, where the horse is led on foot by a guide.

We do not offer beginner trail rides for adults, children or teenagers who do not yet have enough riding experience  to safely ride independently outdoors.

For the safety of our guests and the welfare of our horses, we have chosen to offer outdoor trail rides only to experienced riders, and guided horse walks for children.

For adults, teenagers or families with little riding experience, we highly recommend our quad tours  as a fun way to explore the beautiful countryside.

Below, you can read why we made this decision.

Why We Only Offer Trail Rides to Experienced Riders

We have decided to offer outdoor trail rides exclusively to experienced riders. Our experience has shown that less experienced riders may struggle with the demands of riding outdoors, which can affect both safety and horse welfare.

Here’s why:

  • Safety first. Outdoor riding can be unpredictable and requires confidence, balance and control.
  • Horse welfare. Riders must have a balanced seat and use the reins and riding aids correctly to avoid discomfort or unnecessary strain.
  • Our horses are not riding school horses. They respond to correct riding aids and need riders who can communicate with them clearly and confidently.
  • Control at all gaits. Our horses may anticipate cantering on certain trail sections. Riders must confidently control walk, trot and canter independently.

Our Riding Requirements

Outdoor trail rides are exclusively for experienced riders aged 15+ who ride regularly, have several years of experience and confidently control all three gaits.

Alternatives for Less Experienced Riders

For adults, teenagers and families with little or no riding experience, we recommend our quad tours — a fun way to explore the Portuguese countryside together!

Our priority is to ensure the safety of our guests, an enjoyable experience and, above all, the welfare of our horses.

Horse Riding in Central Portugal

Discover the beautiful Portuguese countryside on horseback, exploring scenic trails, lush forests and charming villages.

  • Outdoor trail rides are exclusively for experienced riders aged 15+.
  • For children, we offer guided horse walks, with a guide leading the horse on foot.

For safety and horse welfare, our outdoor trail rides are strictly for experienced riders aged 15+ who ride regularly, have substantial riding experience and confidently control all gaits. Our horses are not riding school horses, and riders must be confident and capable of riding independently outdoors. We do not accept beginner or less experienced riders.

Why We Only Offer Trail Rides to Experienced Riders

We have decided to offer outdoor trail rides exclusively to experienced riders. Our experience has shown that less experienced riders may struggle with the demands of riding outdoors, which can affect both safety and horse welfare.

Here’s why:

  • Safety first. Outdoor riding can be unpredictable and requires confidence, balance and control.
  • Horse welfare. Riders must have a balanced seat and use the reins and riding aids correctly to avoid discomfort or unnecessary strain.
  • Our horses are not riding school horses. They respond to correct riding aids and need riders who can communicate with them clearly and confidently.
  • Control at all gaits. Our horses may anticipate cantering on certain trail sections. Riders must confidently control walk, trot and canter independently.

Our Riding Requirements

Outdoor trail rides are exclusively for experienced riders aged 15+ who ride regularly, have several years of experience and confidently control all three gaits.

Alternatives for Less Experienced Riders

For adults, teenagers and families with little or no riding experience, we recommend our quad tours — a fun way to explore the Portuguese countryside together!

Our priority is to ensure the safety of our guests, an enjoyable experience and, above all, the welfare of our horses.

Horse Riding for Experienced Riders in Central Portugal

We offer beautiful, varied and active trail rides for experienced riders (15+ y) , exploring rolling hills, forests, picturesque villages and peaceful country trails.

Our rides combine relaxed walks with plenty of opportunities to trot and canter, making for an enjoyable and varied riding experience.

We offer guided horse rides of: 1 – 1,5 –  or  2,5 – hour tours. 

Our outdoor trail rides are exclusively for experienced riders (aged 15 +)  Riders must have substantial, recent and regular riding experience and confidently control their horse independently at walk, trot and canter.

Our horses are well-trained and responsive, but they are not riding-school horses. Riders must be comfortable riding outdoors and able to manage their horse’s speed and direction independently.

Why a Minimum Age of 15?

Our horses are large, strong animals. Outdoor riding requires strength, balance, coordination and quick reactions to handle unexpected situations safely. All riders must meet our riding experience requirements, regardless of age.

For Booking or more info, contact with whatsapp!Just send us a message and start your adventure!

Guided horse walk for Children

A lovely 45-minute introduction to horses and the beautiful countryside of Central Portugal!

Perfect for children ( 5 up to 14 years ) with little or no riding experience, the horse is led on foot by a guide throughout the walk along quiet country paths.

Parents are welcome to join on foot and enjoy this little adventure together.

Does your teenager ( 15y +) have substantial riding experience and confidently ride independently outdoors? See our experienced trail rides instead.

Maximum 2 children per walk. This temporary limit is due to horse availability untill spring 2027. 

Lessons

Our basic dressage lessons are ideal for beginner and returning riders who want to improve their confidence before joining a trail ride.

Lessons are suitable for riders 13 years and older who can reasonably control a horse at walk and trot. At the moment, we only have a large horse available for lessons, which is not suitable for younger riders.

With little or no riding experience? We also offer regular lessons for beginners, including several lessons during your holiday to build skills and confidence. 5- and 10-lesson packages are available.

Availability

  • All year: Saturday mornings, 9:30–12:30
  • Mid-June to mid-September: additional weekday availability

Please note: At the moment, lessons are limited to one rider at a time, as Nês is currently the only horse available for this type of work.

First you can try out one lesson for € 19,50, if you will continue you can take a card.

Horse riding
For Booking or more info, contact with whatsapp!Just send us a message and start your adventure!

Horse Riding for Experienced Riders in Central Portugal

We offer beautiful, varied and active trail rides for experienced riders, exploring rolling hills, forests, picturesque villages and peaceful country trails.

Our rides combine relaxed stretches at walk with plenty of opportunities to trot and canter, making for an enjoyable and varied riding experience.

We offer guided horse rides of: 1 – 1,5 –  or  2,5 – hour tours. 

Our outdoor trail rides are exclusively for experienced riders (aged 15 +)  Riders must have substantial, recent and regular riding experience and confidently control their horse independently at walk, trot and canter.

Our horses are well-trained and responsive, but they are not riding-school horses. Riders must be comfortable riding outdoors and able to manage their horse’s speed and direction independently

Why a Minimum Age of 15?

Our horses are large, strong animals. Outdoor riding requires strength, balance, coordination and quick reactions to handle unexpected situations safely. All riders must meet our riding experience requirements, regardless of age.

We d’ like you to meet the wonderful horses that make all of this possible.

Taco

Taco is a kind 12-year-old gelding, standing at 1.57 m. Due to difficult experiences in his past, he needs time to build trust and confidence in his surroundings. He can become nervous when situations change unexpectedly, especially around unfamiliar people.

For now, we ride Taco ourselves as a guide horse so he can continue building confidence and stability. He is not currently available for guest rides or guided walks with children. We will reconsider this when he feels more relaxed and secure in different situations.

Maximum rider weight: 73 kg.

 Luus

Luus (Lusita) is an affectionate 11-year-old mare standing at 1.47 m. She loves attention and is normally an energetic, forward-going horse who especially enjoys cantering uphill.

Unfortunately, Luus is currently recovering from an injury and is also expecting a foal at the end of December 2026. She will rest and recover until spring 2027, when we hope she can return to the trails pain-free. She may retain some stiffness, meaning her previous dressage work may no longer be possible.

For now, Luus is not available for riding or guided walks. Her health and comfort come first, and we look forward to seeing how she recovers.

 Nês

Nês (Nêspera do Xavier) is a beautiful 9-year-old mare standing at 1.67 m. She is kind, affectionate and relaxed, with a willing attitude and a good response to her rider’s aids. Although calm, she is certainly not lazy!

Nês is currently our only horse available for experienced riders on outdoor trail rides. She is not suitable for beginners, as she may start making her own decisions if the rider cannot give clear, consistent aids. This is one of the reasons we only offer outdoor trail rides to experienced riders.

When led on foot, Nês is equally gentle and patient with children, making her a lovely companion for our guided children’s horse walks.

Nês has sweet itch, so during the warmer months she wears a protective rug and fly mask to keep her comfortable.

Maximum rider weight: 80 kg.

Juul

Juul is a sweet 12-year-old mare standing at 1.65 m. She is extremely gentle and well-behaved to handle, and she is relaxed when someone walks beside her. She therefore joins our guided horse walks for children.

Under saddle, however, learning to walk calmly is still a challenge. Juul was previously used to going full speed and showing off, so she initially struggled to walk and was very strong in the hands.

This is gradually improving: she can now walk instead of constantly trotting, although her walk is still quite short and tense. She needs more time to relax and respond calmly to the riding aids before she is ready for group trail rides.

Maximum rider weight: 80 kg

Guided horse walk for Children

A lovely first introduction to horses and the beautiful countryside of Central Portugal! 🐴

This 45-minute guided horse walk is specially designed for children with little or no riding experience. The horse is led on foot by a guide throughout the entire experience, allowing children to relax, enjoy the horse and take in the beautiful surroundings.

The walk takes place at a calm pace along quiet country paths, giving children the opportunity to experience what it is like to sit on and walk with a horse in a safe and enjoyable way.

This is a wonderful experience for children who are not yet ready to ride independently on an outdoor trail, but would love to spend time with a horse and enjoy a little adventure in nature.

Parents are welcome to join the experience on foot and enjoy the walk together with their child.

If your child 15+ already has substantial riding experience and is confident riding independently outdoors, please see our experienced trail ride instead.

At the moment, the guided horse walk is limited to a maximum of 2 children at a time. This is due to one horse being injured, and another horse not being suitable for guided walks with children.

For Booking or more info, contact with whatsapp!Just send us a message and start your adventure!

Lessons

We offer basic dressage-focused lessons for beginner riders who would like to get back in the saddle during their holiday, as well as for riders who may feel a little unsure or lacking confidence.

They are also highly recommended for riders who have not ridden for a long time and would like to regain confidence in the arena before deciding whether to book a trail ride.

The lessons are suitable for riders aged 12 years and older. Who already have some riding experience and can reasonably control the horse at walk and trot. Due to the size of our horses, it is very difficult for younger children to ride independently in our arena. For this reason, we are unfortunately unable to offer independent arena lessons for young children. 

If you have little or no riding experience, we also offer regular (weekly) riding lessons to help you build your skills and confidence from the very beginning. These lessons are ideal for anyone living in the local area or staying in the area for an extended period.  

Of course, you are also welcome to start your riding journey during your holiday. You can take several lessons in one week to  improve your riding in a short period of time. ( between mid-june to mid-september) 

To make this more convenient, we offer 5-lesson and 10-lesson packages, providing a flexible and cost-effective option for riders who would like to ride regularly.

Throughout the year, lessons are available on Saturday mornings between 9:30 and 12:30. During the summer holidays, from mid-June to mid-September, additional weekday availability is offered.

At the moment only 1 rider can participate  for the lessons in the arena at once. This because only Nês is available at the moment for this kind of work. 

First you can try out one lesson for € 19,50, if you will continue you can take a card.

For Booking or more info, contact with whatsapp!Just send us a message and start your adventure!
Horse riding options:
Duration
Price p.p. €
Experianced Tour  1 h    37,50
Experianced Tour   1 h 30 min.   52,50
Experianced Tour   2 h 30 min.   87,50
Tour Guided on Foot for Children         45 min.   35,00
Lesson         45 min.   25,00

Important to know!

  • Our trail rides are for experienced riders only. (15+) If you have only ridden a few times, or have difficulties with balance in trot or canter,  this is not enough experience to join safely.
  • Riders should be confident in walk, trot, and canter, with a balanced seat and soft hands. Our horses are energetic, and forward-going, so riders must be able to stay in control.
  • In our experience, children under the age of 15 often do not yet have the riding experience, confidence, or physical strength required for this ride. 

  • Please wear closed shoes with a small heel (no sneakers) and long trousers when riding.
  • Wearing a helmet is mandatory; we provide one if you don’t have your own.
  • Open shoes or sandals are not allowed near the horses or when walking alongside during a ride.
  • We have a limited number of riding breeches and chaps available to borrow; you may use them if your size is available.
  • A few body protectors are also available for use during the ride.

  • We use high-quality, well-maintained tack for all horses.
  • Bitless bridles for hand-led rides and young riders
  • Bits for trail rides and lessons with experienced riders
  • Comfortable saddles with safety stirrups
  • Our  horses are barefoot, with EVO hoof boots when needed
  • For the welfare of our horses, each horse has a maximum rider weight. You can find this information in the horse’s profile.

Please note that all tour durations, do not include the time needed for saddling and preparing the horses.

Please arrive 20–30 minutes before your scheduled start time.

In summer, rides take place in the morning or afternoon after 16h. On very hot days, we ride early in the morning, or after 19h if it cools down.

Whatsapp us

Book your adventure

The quickest and easiest way to reach us is via WhatsApp:

+351 963 699 007 (Wendy)

Email us

Prefer email?

No problem! For bookings or more information:

info@atv-horse-tours.com

Good to know

Once your appointment is confirmed, we’ll send you our exact location along with the easiest route to get here.
(Trust us — relying only on the address can be a bit of an adventure on its own 😉)