Beach trail rides Ameland

Want to enjoy the beach of Ameland on a horseback? At Rijstal Le Cheval, you can enjoy beach rides all year round. Depending on your experience level, we offer various options.

Group trail rides

Advanced riders can join one of our group trail rides. Are you less experienced? That is no problem, you can then ride a private trail ride with us! More information about our private trail rides can be found below.

As we consider professional guidance during the rides very important, we allow a maximum of six riders (excluding guides) on our beach rides. You can find when our group rides take place on this page. Most group rides last about one and a half hours. The route goes along the beach, through the dunes, and often also through the forest.

Before reserving a spot for you in a group trail ride, we always ask about your riding experience, and advise you on which ride would suit best for you. If we are unsure about your level, we may recommend you to book a private trail ride.

Evening group trail rides

Throughout the season, we also offer evening group trail rides. These rides last approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. The route goes through the dunes and along the beach towards Nes. On the way back, we ride through a beautiful heath area called the “Hagedoornveld”.

Level of group rides

Generally, you need around 5 years of riding experience to join an advanced group ride. It’s important that you can position your horse well relative to the other horses in the group. Additionally, we expect you to know how to maintain balance at walk, trot, and canter. During these rides, we trot a lot and we also do canter on the beach. To ensure safety for both the horses and riders, we do not allow full galloping. However, the horses usually go faster than a slow canter.

Group rides for children

Children aged 12 and older with sufficient riding experience can join one of our advanced group rides. Children aged 12 and older who are beginners or less experienced can join a private trail ride. Children younger than 12 may join a private ride (from 8 years old) if they already have some experience with riding. Younger children with little or no experience can still enjoy a guided walking pony ride to the beach. You can find an overview of all activities for children at this page.

Private trail rides

Only advanced riders can join a group trail ride with us. Beginners and intermediate riders may only ride in private trail rides (beginners only on a course basis). These rides are also a great option for advanced riders who want more of a challenge!

Private trail rides for children

Children aged 12 and older may join a private trail ride. Children younger than 12 may join a private trail ride (from 8 years old) if they have some experience riding. Pease see this page for all available options for children.

More information on our private trail rides

During a private trail ride, we can tailor the ride to your wishes and level. More information about private trail rides can be found on this page!

Riding holiday

Do you want to turn your vacation on Ameland into a true horseback riding holiday? We offer riding holidays specifically for advanced riders who want to ride a different route each day. During a 3-day or 5-day program, we ride beautiful routes through areas that are inaccessible by bike!

Riding agreement

Before each ride, you will sign a riding agreement on-site. In this agreement we make clear mutual agreements about how the ride will be organised. Please note: The riding agreement is only available in Dutch and German (not in English); however, you must agree to and sign the Dutch version!

Frequently asked questions about beach trail rides at Rijstal Le Cheval

Is there a weight limit at Rijstal Le Cheval?

To protect the health of our horses, we have a weight limit. This is 90 kg (198 pounds) for advanced riders and 85 kg (187 pounds) for beginners and intermediate riders. There is a scale at Rijstal Le Cheval. If our staff is unsure about the provided weight, they may ask you to weigh yourself before participating in the beach ride.

When are the beach trail rides?

You can always find an up-to-date schedule of our group ride times on our opening hours page. Please note that ride times may vary slightly during the off-season. The time of a private ride is arranged by mutual agreement.

What should I do if I am unsure about my level of experience?

If you’re unsure about which level suits you best, we recommend contacting us first. Our staff has plenty of experience in categorizing riders and can assess your level with a few questions to help determine which ride would be best for you. It’s important to be honest about your riding level—not just for your benefit, but also for the other riders. If you find the ride too difficult during the ride, it means for all participants that they need to slow down.

What kind of clothes should I wear?

It is mandatory to wear a riding helm, long (riding) breeches and riding boots or shoes with a smooth sole with heel and smooth upper in combination with chaps. Helmets and chaps can be borrowed from us for free. You can borrow shoes or boots from us if we have the right size available.

Can we ride side by side?

Generally, we always ride in single file during our rides. The horses are accustomed to this, and it ensures safety. When horses ride side by side, they are more likely to try and overtake each other, making it harder to control the pace. Only during private rides with riders who have ample experience, we do occasionally make an exception. However, this is always at the discretion of the guide, who determines what is and what isn’t possible!

Can children join beach trail rides?

As a rule of thumb, we require children to be at least 12 years old to join our advanced group rides or private rides to the beach. Children aged 8 and older with sufficient experience can join a private ride to the beach. Please see this page for all options for children.

How much does a trail ride cost?

The current rates can be found on our pricing page. If you are visiting the island frequently, you can opt for a 10-ride card for advanced group rides.

What routes are ridden?

Most rides last about one and a half hours. With beginners, we ride through the dunes to the beach, walk along the shoreline, and then ride back to the stable through the dunes. With intermediate and advanced riders, we ride through the “Ballumer Blinkert” and the Ballum forest before returning to the stable.

During the advanced evening trail rides, we ride through the dunes to the beach, then continue all the way to the “Westerpad”. From there, we go through the dunes, across heathland (the “Hagedoornveld”), and sometimes through the Ballum forest on our way back toward Ballum.

For those who want to see more of Ameland, we recommend booking a riding holiday. The western part of Ameland is also covered then, including the riding route along the airport and over the “Jan Roepesheide” toward the lighthouse!

Curious about the riding routes on Ameland? Then check out the website of the Ameland horse riding association!