You do not need to know how to ride — that is the whole point
If you have never sat on a horse and you are wondering whether the Side horse riding tour is for you, here is the honest answer: this is a guided, walk-pace ride designed around complete beginners, not a riding lesson and not a test. You are collected from your hotel in the Side area, driven to a working ranch in the countryside behind the town, given a helmet and a short instruction session — how to sit, how to steer, how to stop — and then a guide rides with the group from the first step to the last. The horses are calm, well-schooled animals, and the instructors match each rider to a mount that suits their build and confidence. The ride itself lasts about an hour and costs €40 per rider, with reservation free and payment on the tour day.
Who a first ride does not suit
Being straight about this saves everyone a wasted morning. The ride is not suitable for pregnant guests or anyone with serious back or mobility problems. The recommended maximum rider weight is approximately 100–110 kg (220–240 lbs). The minimum age is generally six years, always subject to the guide's assessment on the day — younger children cannot ride. And if what you actually want is a riding lesson — learning technique, working towards cantering on your own — this is not that product either. Faster riding exists on this tour only as an optional stretch for genuinely experienced riders, granted at the guide's discretion and never guaranteed. Everyone else walks, and that is by design.
How the day actually unfolds
Pickup is from your hotel's main entrance gate — the security checkpoint — anywhere in the Side area; hotels in some outlying resort areas may carry a small transfer supplement. A short transfer brings you to the ranch, and there is no rush on arrival. You meet the horses first. The instructors watch how each guest approaches, then pair riders and mounts deliberately: nervous first-timers get the steadiest animals, and a young or hesitant rider can have a staff member walking alongside, holding the horse's head, for the entire route. Helmets and safety equipment are included and handed out before the basics are explained. Only when everyone in the group feels settled does anyone move off.
The route: pine forest first, then the sea
The ride begins on soft paths through pine forest, where the trees give real shade and the pace stays at a relaxed walk. This first stretch is where most beginners stop gripping the saddle and start looking around — a walking horse on a soft path is a far gentler motion than most people expect. As the woodland opens into countryside, the track turns towards the coast, and the ride reaches the part everyone remembers: a stretch along the Mediterranean shoreline, sea on one side, sand underfoot, before the route loops back to the ranch. Professional photos and videos are taken and available to purchase afterwards if you want proof; they are an extra cost, as are food and drinks.
Why "guided walk-pace ride" is exactly what a first-timer wants
There is a version of this experience — trying to trot before you can balance, on a horse that senses you cannot — that puts people off riding for life. This tour is built to be the opposite. The guide sets the pace for the whole group, the horses follow a route they know, and your only job is to sit, steer gently and enjoy the scenery. Confident riders who can demonstrate real experience may be offered a controlled faster section where conditions allow, but it is never forced on anyone, and a first-timer asking for it will politely be kept at a walk. That is the guide doing their job well.
Practical notes worth reading before you book
Wear long trousers and closed shoes — this matters more than anything else you pack. Bring sun protection and water; food and drinks are not included in the price. Departures run in the morning and late afternoon, avoiding the hottest hours of summer, and we confirm your exact slot when you book. In bad weather the ride is moved to another day or refunded in full. The booking terms are the easy part: reservation is free, you pay €40 per rider on the tour day, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.
If calm nature days are your thing
Guests who enjoy this ride are usually the same people who love the Hidden Paradise and Green Lake day trip — a full-day, easy-paced nature excursion from Side at €40 per adult, with a catamaran ride on the Green Lake, about an hour of swimming there and about two hours at the Hidden Paradise itself. It is the other unhurried, scenery-first day in our Side programme, and the two pair well in one holiday week.
For more first-timer planning from Side: our guide to quad safari for beginners and kids covers the louder end of the spectrum, which Side excursions to choose maps the whole programme, and attraction day or show evening helps you decide how to spend the time the beach does not need. When you are ready, the horse riding tour page takes reservations with nothing to pay until the day.