With 2 HP through the winter forest

Take time to enjoy the winter landscape in a different way and to hear nothing more than snorting horses. I’ve always wanted to take a horse-drawn sleigh ride.

What is more romantic than a horse-drawn sleigh ride, whilst wrapped snugly in a fluffy blanket, gliding through the winter wonderland. The silence only interrupted by the contented snort of the two Noriker, Haflinger or Warmblood horses. And on the box Robert Herzgsell – an Altenmarkt coachman whose life belongs to the horses.

“My favorite hours have always been, since I was a child those hours I can spend with my horses,” says Robert Herzgsell, a certified instructor and riding stable owner in Altenmarkt. His favorite horse? Hardy, an 18-year-old Polish Warmblood: “He is hard-working and unflappable and like all horses loves to walk through the snow.”

Perfect team

“It is an enchanting experience to take a sleigh ride from the parish church across the meadows and then around the village of Altenmarkt,” says Robert Herzgsell. Add the bells jingling away and it makes a sleigh ride so unique. The highlight of the longer tour is the stop in a quaint inn, where the host is already waiting with mulled wine and Kaiserschmarrn.

Following the creek

Robert’s personal favourite path is the Mühlenweg in the Zauchtal valley. And when it comes to a place where there is no snow, Robert just lets the wheels down on his carriage.A wonderful experience comes to an end – and the thought of enjoying it from another perspective, will stay with me for a long time.

Tips and Info: HERE you can book your horse sleigh ride.

photo credits: Altenmarkt-Zauchensee Tourismus