A Testimonial from -- Rebekah Witter - California

France has long been recognized as the epicenter of love, beauty and culture...add horses to that mix, and in my book you've got heaven on earth. Since first reading of nobility and knights in grammar school I've dreamt of cantering through the verdant woodlands of provincial France with my beloved. This romantic reverie has always seemed a distant long shot however, since my beloved refuses to set a horse in anything but good ole' western tack.

Now ranch rides are great, but galloping together through Gaul cranks a gal's romance meter right up to fantasyland! Since most European equestrian vacations only offer English tack, Cowboy Kip thought he was safe...until I discovered Ranch de Baralus's Dordogne trips. As luck would have it, guide Michel Amat is as enamored with the romance of the American cowboy as I am with the romance of the French chevalier.

After punchin' cows for a few summers on ranches in Arizona and Utah, Michel hauled a bunch of saddles, chaps, hats, shirts and Wrangler jeans back to France; left his accounting career and dressage breeches in Paris, bought some land north of Agen and built his own homestead - Ranch de Baralus. From here he launches some of the most glorious treks a body could imagine.

Our first was the Medieval Dordogne ride from one medieval village to the next. We rode through farmland and forests, through town squares and into castle keeps. We followed the trail of Richard the Lion Hearted and tied our horses to massive iron rings on the walls of fortresses that have held horses since the Crusades! The sense of history and timelessness is awesome. As much an adventure as the scenery, every meal was superb. Each evening brought us to a different chateau, auberge or renovated moulin.

Some accommodations were more modest than others, but all had their own welcoming charm and incredible meals. Lunch was al fresco and featured fresh local breads and produce plus regional delicacies, cheeses and wines. We all looked forward to each new setting - in a wooded glade, in the shadow of a medieval tower, or in an ancient churchyard, every picnique location was storybook.

This trek introduced us to Michel's assistant, Colleen, a recent client from Canada who had fallen in love not only with France, but with Michel on her trek a few months before. Colleen took care of the administrative details of the trip: ferrying luggage, providing lunches and anything else we might need. Our group included three other Americans and a lovely British lady. Although riding abilities ranged from very rusty back-yard beginners to tally-ho hunting advanced, Michel matched horses and riders beautifully and increased the pace daily so that the horses were conditioned and the riders were comfortably challenged. Everyone got along so well that we hated saying goodbye at the end of the trip.

My Cowboy had such a great time that he declared, we're doing this every year!Now that's one declaration I support wholeheartedly. A few months after returning home we received the announcement of Michel and Colleen's engagement. They were married in March, 2002 and rode to their wedding reception on horseback.

The following May we returned to Ranch de Baralus with a couple of friends in tow and set off on the Prehistoric Quercy: A Ride Through Time tour. This trek took us on an ancient yet still active pilgrimage trail, through vineyards, along the banks of the River Lot, then up to quaint villages overlooking a patchwork valley, and finally climbing the limestone cliffs that form fantastic troglodyte and neolithic caves. We visited an equine rescue farm and Pech-Merle, the most dramatic of the neolithic caves open to the public. Our friends exclaimed that each day of the trip was like riding into a postcard. It truly was.

This year more friends have signed up to join us, so we have booked the entire Lords of the Vineyards trek. We can't wait to get back to the old Dordogne homestead, for by then M. et Mme. Amat will have a brand new bébé Amat. Ah, France; ah, love.... With castles on every hilltop, neolithic art caves, dappled forests, meandering rivers, perfectly cultivated farmlands, fabulous foods, delicious wines, good conversation, kind and willing horses...I ask you, amo, amas, Amat - what's not to love?

Rebekah Witter - California