Naxos horse riding means a ride on horseback along the island’s beaches and through its countryside, led by an instructor and set to the rider’s level. Anyone mapping a longer stay can start from the tours in Greece collection.
The sections below explain what the ride is, what it includes, where it goes, what riders see, how a session runs, who it suits and the questions that come up.
What is Naxos horse riding?
Naxos horse riding means an outing in the saddle with an instructor. It runs on beaches and through the countryside near the main town. Riding centres list rides for beginners and for experienced riders, and each centre sets its own routes and lengths.
Wikipedia says equestrianism, known as horse riding in Commonwealth English, covers riding, driving and vaulting. It lists non-competitive recreational riding, such as trail riding, among the uses of horses. Trail riding is outdoor riding on paths and tracks that stay clear of roads with regular motor traffic.
Wikipedia adds that the UK and Europe call the same pastime horse, pony or donkey trekking. It describes the goal of recreational trail riding as enjoying time in nature, not speed or form. Naxos horse riding fits that idea, since the riding pages describe outdoor rides on beaches and country paths.
Naxos belongs to the Cyclades, a chain of islands that lies off the south-eastern side of the Greek mainland. Size-wise, Naxos tops the chain, and Wikipedia also calls it a popular tourist destination. Chora, also known as Naxos City, is the capital and biggest town, with 8,897 residents. The whole island counts 20,578.
The riding pages give their own reasons for choosing Naxos horse riding. One travel page says a ride rounds off a holiday and teaches riders about the island and its culture. A riding club at Plaka beach says children gain balance and confidence next to nature.
One tour listing for the island carries the plain title Naxos: Horse Riding. The title names only the activity and the place. The riding centres fill in the rest in their own ways, and the next section sets out what they list.
What does Naxos horse riding include?
One tour page for Naxos horse riding lists a matched horse, an instructor and all safety equipment. It names a helmet and a reflective jacket. Other centres list different extras, so the full set depends on the centre.
The horse comes first. That tour page says each rider is matched with a horse that suits their experience. A riding centre near Naxos Town keeps animals for all ages and sizes. It lists ponies for children and former race horses for advanced riders. A riding club says its horses are mainly born on the island.
The lists show lessons as a second kind of Naxos horse riding. One riding club says it can give lessons for children and adults. Another page offers lessons in the centre’s arena instead of a trail ride. It also mentions programmes for children.
Private rides are a third kind. At one riding centre, the route and speed of a private ride are set to suit the rider’s level. That ride adds time by the sea, a swim with the horses and photos of the rider alone. The same page adds that an event can join private rides only.
Naxos horse riding for children is set up differently at one club. It sets aside two ponies and two small donkeys for young riders. The page gives their height as less than one metre. Trainers stay next to the children and provide the equipment, such as a helmet.
Group size and transport are the last points where Naxos horse riding differs by centre. That tour page keeps its groups small, with a limit of 10 people. It says a transfer is not part of the excursion but can be arranged separately on request. A riding club at Plaka beach offers two cars for hotel pick-ups.
Where does Naxos horse riding go?
Naxos horse riding goes to the beach. Pages list rides on Agios Georgios beach next to Naxos Town and on Plaka beach in the south. Other pages add a route through the countryside.
A tour page names a riding school outside Naxos Town (Chora) as the meeting point. From there, Naxos horse riding at Agios Georgios heads to the beach. The same page calls Agios Georgios the closest sandy beach to the town. It adds that the route leads to a peaceful stretch of sand, summer included.
At Plaka, a riding club sits on the beach itself, 9 kilometres from Naxos Town, as its page says. Its route runs along the southern beaches and through rural land, and the ride takes one to two hours. The island’s beach list on Wikipedia includes Plaka, Agios Georgios and Mikri Vigla.
Naxos horse riding also leaves the beach. The Plaka club lists a countryside ride across fields. Its page names the area around Orkos and the town of Naxos as the views. Another operator rides along bamboo roads towards the beach. One page adds a ride through the sea to a small island, with a cafe stop on the way back.
Wikipedia defines a beach as a landform beside water made of loose particles. Waves and currents move the sand into shape, it adds. Wikipedia adds that dunes on a coast begin as wet sand that dries and is blown along the beach. One club says all its tours ride on the beach.
Pace in Naxos horse riding follows the rider. One club offers a walk for beginners and the chance to gallop for experienced riders. One centre says an experienced rider who trots and canters on its private ride needs about one hour. A beginner at walking pace needs about one and a half hours.
Length differs by centre. One centre lists a group ride of about one hour at walking pace, and a tour page gives the same. One club lists two-hour and three-hour tours in summer.
What can riders see on Naxos horse riding?
Riders see the sea, the beach and the mountains. Naxos horse riding pages name views of Naxos Town, the Mikri Vigla area and the Orkos area. An afternoon ride looks across the bay to Paros at sunset.
One riding club names a view of Naxos Town. Wikipedia names the Portara as a main landmark of Naxos Town. Builders left a temple to Apollo unfinished, and its large marble doorway is the feature that survives. The doorway rests on Palatia, which marks the northern edge of the harbour.
On the afternoon ride, Naxos horse riding turns to the sunset. One tour page describes a sunset over the sea with a view of Paros across the bay. A narrow channel divides Naxos from Paros, and Wikipedia gives the distance between the two islands as 8 kilometres. One club says both its afternoon rides take in part of the sunset.
At Plaka, Naxos horse riding pairs the sunset with a panoramic view, says the club. The view takes in the town and the Mikri Vigla area. Wikipedia describes Mikri Vigla as a small village known for its nearby beaches. The village stands roughly 18 kilometres away, to the south of Naxos city.
Naxos horse riding brings the mountains into view, as one operator rides bamboo roads with mountain views. Filoti, a village in the middle of Naxos, sits below Mount Zas. Its summit, at 1,001 metres, is the Cyclades’ highest point, says Wikipedia. Wikipedia lists Naxos among the Cyclades, the island group that fills the southern Aegean Sea.
Photo time comes with the views. One centre says the leader takes photos on the group ride. Another tour page invites riders to photograph the ride.
How does Naxos horse riding work?
On one tour page, Naxos horse riding meets at a riding school on the edge of Naxos Town (Chora). Each rider gets a horse picked for his or her level. The page asks everyone to arrive at least fifteen minutes early.
From the school the group heads for the beach at a walking pace, the page says. Another riding centre also lists its group ride at walking pace, with photos taken during the tour. One travel page adds a stop at a beach cafe on the way back, where riders can buy a drink.
Slots for Naxos horse riding differ by page. One club lists its summer rides twice a day for each length. It says both afternoon rides catch part of the sunset. One riding centre lists a morning ride, an afternoon ride and a sunset ride. One tour page starts its afternoon ride at 6 in the evening.
In winter the same page offers Naxos horse riding in only one morning slot, at 11 in the morning. One club says it can tailor a winter holiday that includes other activities. Wikipedia explains that a Mediterranean climate brings mild, wet winters together with hot, dry summers. Its Naxos article says the island has it in places.
Wikipedia calls the meltemi a dry, strong wind from the north that sweeps across the Aegean. It starts in late spring, lasts until the middle of September and peaks in the afternoon. If bad weather cancels a ride for safety, one tour page offers a new date first. A full refund follows if the rider declines it.
One tour page sets the cancellation notice for Naxos horse riding at twenty-four hours. A rider who cancels that early gets a full refund. Within twenty-four hours there is no refund. The page asks riders to bring comfortable trousers and closed shoes. Wikipedia says sun cream helps protect the skin against sunburn.
Who is Naxos horse riding for?
Naxos horse riding is for beginners and experienced riders, as the riding centres list it. One tour page sets two limits. Riders above 100 kilograms cannot take part, and small children need a horse of their own.
One club says Naxos horse riding is open to all abilities, beginners to advanced riders. On its beach rides, a beginner takes a walk and an experienced rider has the chance to gallop. Another page welcomes adults and children, beginners and experienced riders.
One riding centre times the ride by skill. With trot and canter the ride takes about an hour. A beginner who stays at a walk takes about ninety minutes. Wikipedia lists the natural gaits of a horse, in order of speed, as the walk, trot, canter and gallop.
Pages describe how Naxos horse riding matches horse and rider. One tour page says each rider gets a horse chosen for his or her level of experience. One travel page lists horses for all ages and sizes, with ponies for children and ex-race horses for advanced riders.
Young riders have a place in Naxos horse riding too. One Plaka beach club seats them on ponies or small donkeys, two of each, the page says. It adds that trainers stay beside the children at all times and that they ride without anxiety. On nerves, one club says its trained horses help riders overcome any fears.
One riding centre requests four details of all riders: age, weight, experience and name. It adjusts the route and pace of a private ride to the rider’s level. One tour page invites friends and family to join. Travellers who prefer another day can look at a Naxos bus tour, a catamaran cruise or a cooking class.
What else do visitors ask about Naxos horse riding?
What is worth knowing about Naxos Town and the Portara before Naxos horse riding?
Chora is another name for Naxos Town, and the local authority of Naxos and the Lesser Cyclades sits there. The town stands on the western coast of the island and was a centre of Bronze Age Cycladic culture.
Only the marble doorway of an unfinished Apollo temple remains, and the name Portara translates as “large door”. Five marble pieces form the frame, and work under Lygdamis, a tyrant of Naxos, started around 530 BC. A causeway links the town to Palatia, the small island where the doorway stands.
What myth and history lie behind the island that hosts Naxos horse riding?
In Greek myth, Theseus is the hero who killed the Minotaur, a creature half man and half bull. Ariadne, a Cretan princess and daughter of King Minos, helped him escape the labyrinth and was left behind on Naxos. Dionysus, the god of wine, fell in love with her there and later married her.
The Venetian Marco Sanudo took Naxos after the Fourth Crusade and made it the capital of his duchy. Twenty-one dukes ruled the Duchy of the Archipelago until an Ottoman sultan deposed the last one in the sixteenth century.
Which villages does Naxos have inland and on the north coast?
Away from the beaches used for Naxos horse riding, Apeiranthos is a mountainous village on the foothill of Mount Fanari. It lies about 28 kilometres north-east of the main town, at 650 to 700 metres, and has four museums. Filoti, about 18 kilometres from Naxos Town in central Naxos, is the island’s largest village.
Filoti has three settlements and a basilica built in the eighteenth century to replace an older Byzantine church. Apollonas lies on the north coast, and Wikivoyage lists the Kouros of Apollonas among its sights.
Besides Naxos horse riding, which Greek pony breeds exist?
The Pindos pony is a Greek breed from the Pindus mountains of Thessaly and Epirus. Wikipedia gives its average height at the withers as about 132 centimetres, smaller than the Thessalian pony. It says the pony’s hardiness and stamina suit it to riding, driving and carrying loads.
The Skyros pony is a miniature horse of the island of Skyros, between 92 and 115 centimetres high. Wikipedia calls it one of the rarest horse breeds in the world, and a protected species native to Greece.
What food and island trips can follow Naxos horse riding?
Wikipedia lists oregano, mint, garlic, dill and cumin as flavourings that Greek cooks favour. It names olive oil as the characteristic element and says fish is common on the coast and islands.
Wikipedia calls tourism a key part of the Greek economy and names culture, a long coastline and islands as draws. Wikivoyage calls island hopping very popular in the Cyclades and names Paros the biggest ferry hub there. After Naxos horse riding, Wikivoyage lists Paros, Mykonos, Ios and Santorini as next stops.