*CANCELLED*
August, 2023
This tour has been created to allow a small group of riders an opportunity to experience Russian culture and see what Russian horses are like. This one-week tour is under the personal guidance of Arno Mares, the director, who has visited Russia several times looking for show jumpers. The experience gained from these trips made him decide to offer a unique equestrian tour of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
We will arrive in Moscow and stay at Morozovka, which is a four-star resort, complete with stables, indoor riding ring, gym, and private lake just fifteen miles outside of Moscow. This historic mansion used to be the estate of Joseph Stalin. It was privatized in 1992 and totally refurbished to Western standards in 1998. The furnishings and service evokes the lifestyle that existed for Russian nobility before the Revolution.
We will ride in the morning and then go on cultural tours of Moscow in our private van, visiting museums, the Kremlin and Red Square with an English speaking tour guide. Evening activities will include ballet, opera and movies in the private screening room at Morozovka. On the fourth day we fly to historic St. Petersburg and stay at the famous Astoria Hotel with a fantastic view of St. Isaacs Cathedral. We ride each day at different stables and visit the L’Hermitage, the Palaces of Catherine the Great, and the summer Palace of Peter the Great. We will also attend the ballet and go to some of the best restaurants in St. Petersburg.
One of the stables we will ride at in St Petersburg is the Osinovaya Roshcha Sports Club, on the grounds of the 200-acre Viazemsky estate. The stable was built in 1850 and totally restored as a private riding club in 1995. The clubhouse features a dining room, steam room, and sauna. In 1996 it was the site of one of the qualifying rounds of the Volvo World Cup.
Russia requires that visitors obtain a visa to enter the country. Since this is a time consuming process, (it can take up to 30 days) early reservations are required. The fee for this trip, including airfare from NYC is $16.000.00. All trip fees are due by April 1, 2022 and are not refundable for any reason. Trip cancellation insurance is recommended.
