Day 1 - Sunday
Riding: No riding.
** Please note that this itinerary is subject to prevailing weather conditions - severe snow and high winds may affect riding possibilities and lead to ski slopes being closed**
You will be collected from Sarajevo airport or bus station and transferred to the ranch. If you prefer to drive, then that is not a problem as directions can be provided. For those who arrive earlier in the day, you may like to enjoy a short walk in the forest or a chance to meet the horses. In the evening, a group dinner will be the perfect opportunity for a pre-ride and safety orientation as well as a chance to discuss your preferences for the winter activities.
After dinner, enjoy the evening with a glass of wine by the fireplace in the living room upstairs above the horse stalls, getting to know the rest of the group in pleasant anticipation of the riding ski experience to come.
Day 2 - Monday
Riding: 2 hours
After breakfast you will have an introduction to the horses and the evaluation of the riding skills of the group.
You then saddle up for a morning’s easy introductory ride of approximately 2 hours.
The aim of this introductory ride is to get used to the horse with whom you will spend an unforgettable riding week. Lunch at the equestrian centre, followed by a trip into Sarajevo for a guided 2-hour walking tour, learning all about the history of this beautiful city. Dinner at a local restaurant in Sarajevo.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
After a hearty breakfast, you prepare the horses and warm blankets for your first full day riding through dense, snow-covered forests and open meadows in the vicinity of the equestrian centre. During January, Bosnia is usually white and the snow in the forests is untouched because there is no farming or forestry activity and the hiking trails are unused by hikers during that period. On the first day, you will enjoy a long ride, and as a special treat your hosts will prepare a picnic snack with a campfire in the small wooden cabin that they built for winter riding trails. After returning to the riding centre, the group will enjoy lunch and prepare for night skiing on the Olympic mountain Jahorina. Exhausted, you will be looking forward to a delicious dinner and a glass of mulled wine by the fireplace in the warmth of the living room above the horse stalls.
Day 4 - Wednesday
Riding: 3 - 4 hours
Today you can experience a special activity, one that most riders will never have tried before! Bosnian horses have forest-work deeply ingrained in their genes as historically these horses pulled logs and carriages through the snow-laden landscapes. In line with that, your hosts thought ski joering would be an activity that comes naturally to them, and that turned out to be true!
For all riders who would like to try, your hosts organise ski joering training in an area with obstacles as a preparation for ski joering in the forest. Put on your deep snow skis, tighten the harness on your horse, and let’s go have fun! Riders who are not interested in ski joering can enjoy riding in the surrounding snowy forest trails and glades. After ski joering, riding and lunch for tired riders and skiers, you will jump into the vehicle and head towards the Olympic Mountain Jahorina to enjoy a half-day of skiing. Jahorina is the best of all worlds: a balanced mix of blue, red and black runs featuring everything from a newly-built, dedicated beginners area, up to slopes that were used during the women’s events at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Day 5 - Thursday
Riding: 3 hours
Horses and riders well rested, you will continue with the ski joering challenge and visit further trails towards the peaks of Bjelašnica. For those who prefer riding, it is possible to travel on horseback instead. After a half-day of riding/ski joering, you will prepare for a skiing adventure on another Olympic slope, Bjelašnica, where you will ski for half a day. During the 14th Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games in 1984, Bjelašnica hosted competitions in alpine skiing disciplines for men. Downhill, slalom and giant slalom tracks were built at the time. The mountain was once synonymous with rough winters and isolated villages frequented only by the most experienced hikers, hunters and adventurers. Tired and satisfied after skiing, the group will then head to the accommodation for a hearty dinner.
Day 6 - Friday
Riding: 3 - 4 hours
After several days of riding, today will be a relaxed ride towards the camp our hosts have prepared for you in the deep forest. By the campfire, you'll recount the events of the previous days and, with a glass of mulled wine, toast to future adventures riding/skiing together. The most relaxing part of this riding programme is yet to come, a massage and spa day in a 5-star resort just the thing relax tired riders at the end of this holiday. Enjoy the warmth of the saunas, soothing water of the swimming pool and round off the day with a full body massage for total rejuvenation before a farewell dinner.
Day 7 - Saturday
Riding: No riding.
Breakfast at the ranch, after which your departure transfers will be scheduled in accordance with your booked flight time. Typically, there will be two transfers offered to the airport, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
