Host Profiles
When planning your vacation, you have a specific idea of what you want: to have a unique chance to relax, with or without family, to be active and sporty, to let yourself be pampered, to enjoy the country life, go angling or riding. Now, you want to be guaranteed that you’ll be able to get treated right! The DLG quality markers give you clear orientation in this direction.
From the example of the different holiday enterprises, you can see how different the countryside vacation experiences are. In addition, we regularly present you with an outstanding DLG-tested host with their special vacation offers.
Equestrian Paradise Between the North and Baltic Sea
Between the North and Baltic Sea, southwest of Neumünster, is Wolfgang Kreikenbohm’s Pony-Park Padenstedt. Since 1971, boys and girls who love horses aged eight to seventeen have spent their holidays there.
The park premises consist of pastures, meadows, and small forests and are comprised of approx. 700,000 square meters. The center also includes a large bathing and angling lake with its own horse bathing area, where some horseback water battles have been known to take place.
Room and Board Bonus
Nestled in this landscape is the holiday village with comfortably furnished log cabins. Directly from their bedrooms in the upper stories, children can have fun going down slides. The young guests are cared for in groups of 5-7 people and given food in the “Ponystuben” children’s restaurant with a diverse bill of fare and regulars’ tables for groups.
More than 150 Haflinger horses and about 80 Shetland ponies are in the stables and pastures. The operation owns one of the largest Haflinger studs in Europe, and several times a year the pony park is the venue for the Hengst, Fohlen, Elite, and other horse shows. A special high point every spring is the birth of more than 100 foals.
Professional Riding and a Lot of Fun
There are three large indoor riding arenas for riding instructions, as well as a round hall with two rings and different riding locations. A special attraction is the horse playground, an exemplar facility for the German Freizeitreiterei (recreational cavalry). It’s great fun for children and horses to ride over seesaws and through water, over bridges and little hills, and through tunnels, gates, and labyrinths. And whoever would like to have their horsemanship confirmed with a distinction can apply for a Rider Pass or participate in a pony park test.
Children’s Responsibilities
For the duration of the vacation, each child will have their own small horse and can groom, feed, and care for it after riding. Strict safety guidelines are of utmost importance for Wolfgang Kreikenbohm. Under his direct guidance, the young horsemen and women learn quickly what this involves.
The daily excursion, once weekly with a carriage accompaniment, leads the groups across lightly-trafficked field and forest paths in the beautiful surroundings. At noon, everyone rests by the campfire.
Boredom a Stranger Here
Horses and ponies are not the only animals in Padenstedt. Wolfgang Kreikenbohm can list them all: donkeys, mules, zebras, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, peacocks, chickens, and dwarf rabbits. In addition, from the camel family there are some Alpacas and Bactrian camels. The two Bactrian camels, "Britta" and "Brigitte" will even consent to be ridden!
Fair, international, familial
The number of daily riding hours is unlimited, as long as riders and horse don’t get too tired. Also, you are welcome to bring your own horse and will not be billed for separately, nor for additional riding hours.
People have been appointed to help guests from other countries. English, Spanish and some French is spoken at the farm, and, if desired, the children can also receive German language lessons. The atmosphere in the park is so familial that many vacationing children come back.
Impressive "Vacation on the Farm"
The Padenstedt Pony-Park didn’t fail to impress in any respect during the quality marker test. The service for guests is first class, as are the area and equipment. It has been set up with diversity in mind. Here, people take children seriously and are concerned about their safety. Equestrian skill is especially valued. The perfect equestrian vacation! This vacation quality is confirmed by the DLG quality marker “Vacation on the Farm” in accordance with
Further info under www.pony-park.de
