Ranch De Baralus : France-Riding Vacations

Located in one of the most beautiful regions of France, Ranch de Baralus has been providing riding tours to guests from all over the world since 1989. Your guide, Michel Amat, is fluent in both French and English and is extremely knowledgeable about the local history of the region. Michel has been an experienced guide since 1989 with an extensive background in both English and western disciplines. His partner, Colleen, has moved to France from Canada and also speaks both French and fluent English. Her passion for the French history and culture is immediately evident in many of the small details you will experience throughout your vacation.

We offer anywhere from 3 to 5 days of riding between seven different tours and have both western and English tack available for all our rides. Our horses are particularly adapted to the varied terrain of the area and the quality of our tack assures the riders a maximum in comfort.

We offer the following rides:

Chateaux and Vineyards of Bordeaux
Medieval Dordogne: Fortresses and Gastronomy
Lords of the Vineyard
Lot Valley Stationary Ride: Chateau Rouffiac or Haut-de-Baran
St. Emilion Weekend Getaway*
Chateau de l'Hoste Stationary Ride*
Prehistoric Quercy: A Ride Through Time*

*Contact us direct for information on these rides*

Our tours are not just about riding; they are about the most beautiful scenery and trails we can find, charming and unique accommodations, fantastic meals and wine, local history and people.

We invite you to take a look at the next pages for a detailed description and photographs of each of these unique rides. We also invite you to read some of the testimonials from past guests describing their experiences. We pride ourselves on providing an all-around vacation, with special attention given to the smallest details. There is a reason that we are told over and over that a week with us is often “one of the best times of my life”.

Below you will find our tours:

Chateaux and Vineyards of Bordeaux
The Gironde region, and its major port – Bordeaux, have a rich and varied cultural heritage, most famously known for its prestigious wine-producing chateaux and some of the world’s best Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Medieval Dordogne : Fortresses and Gastronomy
The Dordogne is a very famous region in southwest France, known for its history, chateaux, bastides, caves and food, among other things. The beauty of the landscape, of cliffs overhanging cultivated plains and rivers, of the dense and mysterious forests, verdant farmland and pastures...

Lords of the Vineyard
Unlike many of the other well-known wine regions of France, the Cahors vignoble is located in one of the most beautiful and varied areas of the country. You will be riding in this famous wine region which boasts over 200 vineyards and is redolent with history and scenery. The route winds through vineyards, forests and...

Lot Valley - Stationary Ride: Chateau Rouffiac and Haut-de-Baran
Located in the heart of the Dordogne, Perigord and Quercy regions, the secluded Haut de Baran and Chateau Rouffiac are the perfect place to get away from it all. Their central location in the wooded hills above the Lot river and valley allows us to pick from a wide variety of different trails and many different sites to visit. Haut-de-Baran...

Prehistoric Quercy : A Ride Through Time
This riding trip traverses a part of France considered by National Geographic and many others to be one of the worlds ‘unspoiled and undiscovered earthly paradises’. Starting in an area of verdant farmland, woods and pastures you will ride into more and more wild and isolated country. By the middle of the week you will have arrived on the edge of the Lot valley, high on its cliffs, with breathtaking views of...