THERE's a reason the French coined the expression bon viveur. They know how to live well - and in style. And that's exactly how a riding trip to Mas de Peyrelongue, in a quiet corner of the Lot region in southwest France in early summer panned out.
The Peyrelongue experience is billed as a “week of horse riding, cultural visits, gastronomy and well-being”. Run by a French couple, equine photographer Jérémy Durand and his wife Gwladys Lecarpentier, at their comfortable gîte, their main aim is to be a “place to enjoy your holiday”. There's no rush, no fuss, no pressure to gallop flat-out on a cliff-edge or ride until your thighs are bleeding. Instead, it's about long hacks in beautiful French countryside, punctuated with exceptional picnics and home-cooked meals with wine-tasting and prehistoric grottos also a part of the bargain.
France is the most visited tourist destination in the world, and while it's renowned for cheese, wine and the Eiffel Tower, for equestrian aficionados, it is the birthplace of equine champions. From Kauto Star to Banzai Du Loir, so many of the world's
