Horse riding holidays in the Norwegian mountains
Riding with Venabustallen
Opening times
Summer: 9h -19h
Winter: On request
Summer Season 2025
June – the beginning of October
Booking
Bookings for riding tours and lessons should be made by 6pm the day before and further in advance, if possible, to avoid disappointment.
Contact us
by email: stallen@venabu.no
or call +47 92 21 34 56
Visit our practical information page for more information about riding with us.
Age limits
Lead rounds – no age limit
Riding instruction: 7 years
2 hour tours: 8 years
3 hour tours and full day rides: 12 years
Group size
Small group size: maximum 8
Tours for larger groups are available on request
Level of rider
Venabustallen arranges tours and holidays for all levels of rider from beginners to experienced riders.
More information on riding levels or grades here or contact us, details below.
Questions? Or to make a booking...
Enjoy a horse riding holiday in Norway! Venabustallen sits on a horse-friendly mountain plateau with superb riding all around. We offer riding holidays and horseback tours from one hour to a full day. All levels of rider are welcome. Our season lasts from mid June into October and we have tours going out every day, at different grades.
Our strong, calm horses are perfectly suited to rides with guests in the mountains. Their steady temperament and good nature make them good companions for your riding tours.
Private tours, tailor made to suit your group, are a popular choice for couples and groups with riders of different abilities.
We also off riding lessons in our arena.
Our guides and instructors all speak English.
Venabustallen, Venabu’s stables, are next to Venabu Fjellhotell and Cabins in the beautiful riding area of Venabygdsfjellet. We are on the southern edge of the spectacular Rondane National Park, three hours north of Oslo. It is easy to reach us on public transport, with a transfer from the station, or by car. Find out more on Venabu’s travel page.
Horse riding tours
1-hour tour
A 1-hour ride is recommended for school-age children and adults without much riding experience. We ride in varied terrain on trails and gravel roads. The ride gives you a taste of what it’s like to ride in the mountains and is a great family activity that everyone can do together. If you have riders of different experience in your group, you may enjoy a private tour, see below for more information.
Price: 600,- per person. Age limit: 7 years. Children under 10 years without riding experience must have a lesson first. To participate, you should have mastered walk.
Instruction + 1-hour tour
With little or no riding experience, it can be nice to start your riding experience with instruction on the riding course. The instruction + 1-hour ride package includes 40 minutes of instruction on the riding course followed by a 1-hour ride in easy terrain. A good way to feel mastery and learn a little more on your first ride.
Price: 890,- per person. Age limit: 7 years.
2-hour tour
We arrange 2-hour trips for different levels: trot and canter. To participate in the trot level, you must be able to trot well; to join in the canter level, you must be able to canter well. On our 2-hour trips, we venture into the mountains, offering a variety of routes: ride up to a mountain peak, through a fabulous birch forest, or on pleasant gravel roads and paths.
Price: 890,- per person. Age limit: 8 years; must be able to trot or canter.
Half-day tour (3-hours)
To participate in our half-day trips, you must be able to canter well. The trips go out into varied terrain and have several nice opportunities for trotting and cantering. The tour leader chooses the best route of the day, and there is a lot to choose from! We can ride up onto accessible mountain tops, visit gorges and waterfalls and cross over rivers. All this is within reach on a half day tour.
Price: 1,150,- per person. Age limit: 12 years. Must be able to canter.
Full day tour
To participate in our full-day trips, you must be good at canter. The trips take place in varied terrain and have several good opportunities for trotting and cantering. We arrange full-day trips every Thursday and Saturday. These trips allow you to experience the best that Venabygdsfjellet has to offer. We especially recommend Thursday’s full-day trip, where we ride over two mountain peaks with views of Venabygdsfjellet, Rondane and Gudbrandsdalen before resting at our summer farm, Lykkjesetra. Here, the horses are released to pasture, and we are served a traditional lunch: sour cream porridge, cured meats, sour cream waffles and strawberries. After the trip, the road home is on a forest path.
Price: 2,050,- per person for a full-day trip, including lunch at the summer farm (Thursdays) or campfire lunch (Saturdays). We take allergies and dietary requirements into account. Please let us know when booking if you have any special dietary requirements. Age limit: 12 years. Must be able to canter.
Private tours
Enjoy a horse riding tour with your friends or family.
A private tour is a good choice for a couple, friends or family who would like to go out together and who have riders of different abilities in the group.
When you book a private trip, the whole experience is tailored to your wishes and skill level.
Price: you pay the normal price per person, plus a supplement for the tour being closed to others. The supplement shown below is per group.
| Supplement | 1-hour | 2-hour | 3-hour | 4-hour/full day |
| 1-2 pers | 1200 kr | 1800 kr | 2500 kr | 5500 kr |
| 3-4 pers | 750 kr | 900 kr | 1400 kr | 3500 kr |
| 5-6 pers | 600 kr | 600 kr | 600 kr | 1500 kr |
The maximum group size for our tours is usually 8 participants, for larger groups please contact us.
Horse riding holidays and weekend breaks
Horse Riding holidays and weekend breaks at different grades
We offer a number of different weekends and holidays including our popular riding and yoga breaks. You can find out more on the Venabustallen page (in Norwegian, everyone in the stables and our guides speak English) or contact us.
Experienced riders
At this grade our riding holidays and weekends are suitable for riders who have mastered trot and canter. The tours take you out into the mountains, a wonderful experience on horseback. You can expect varied tours and a great nature experience.
Beginners
These riding holidays and weekends are suitable for guests with little or no previous experience. We have beautiful tours at this grade as you ride out into the mountains.
On these holidays we teach you the basics so that you can use your new found skills out on tours. The holiday ends with a 2 hour horseback ride in the mountains.
Horse riding and yoga holidays and weekends
Horseriding and yoga holidays and weekends to suit your skill level
We offer our popular riding and yoga breaks throughout the summer. You can find out more on our riding and yoga breaks page (in Norwegian) or contact us.
Experienced riders
At this grade our riding holidays and weekends are suitable for riders who have mastered trot and canter. The tours take you out into the mountains, a wonderful experience on horseback. You can expect varied tours and a great nature experience.
Beginners
These riding holidays and weekends are suitable for guests with little or no previous experience. We have beautiful tours at this grade as you ride out into the mountains.
All our instructors speak English. The yoga classes are suitable for beginners.
Tours for young children
For the youngest children, simple leading rounds are offered on a path in the birch forest, close to the stable. We have no lower age limit on these rounds.
Price per person
from 205 NOK for a 15 minute tour, longer trips are also available.
Booking and cancellation
Book rides:
- by phone or SMS to +47 92 21 34 56
- e-mail: stallen@venabu.no
- Visit Venabustallen’s Facebook page
Bookings should be made by 1800 the day before. Cancellation must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time of the tour. Cancellations made later than this will be invoiced at the full amount. For larger groups, other deadlines may apply.
Cancellations must be made by sending an SMS to +47 92 21 34 56.
Insurance
Venabustallen has liability insurance for its services. We recommend our guests take out their own travel insurance.
Venabu’s full terms and conditions can be found here.
Practical information
Experienced guides and safety first
Venabustallen has a good reputation locally and holds the Norwegian riding standards certification: Hest i Turistnæring. Venabu has years of experience, having offered riding tours since the 1970’s.
At Venabustallen, we focus on putting safety and animal welfare first.
Our maximum group size is usually ten riders. We are happy to arrange larger tour groups on request.
Whether you are an experienced rider or have never ridden a horse before, our experienced guides will welcome you, providing safe instruction and leadership along the way. We take care to match riders with the appropriate level of tour. This is important for your safety and for the best riding experience.
All our guides speak fluent English.
Safe, steady draft horses
“Cold head, warm heart”
During the summer we have about twenty horses at the stables. Most of these are working horses and Dole horses (Dølahest in Norwegian), known for having a “cold head and warm heart”. This breed originates from our local area, Gudbrandsdalen, and is well suited for riding in mountain terrain. Their friendly nature is delightful and gives a sense of security to the rider.
The Dole horse
The Dole horse breed was established in 1857, as a result of farmers needing a stronger and bigger horse to work in the fields and forest. Dole horses are normally 148-155 cm tall. They are heavily built and steady on uneven terrain. The Dole horse is the largest of the three old Norwegian breeds.
Strong and calm
These working horses are strong and calm. They must be relaxed around noise and trust the person working with them. Working horses need to be obedient and able to think on their own: in the forest they are often working to voice commands, rather than with reins. The horses learn to work around the trees on their own. Two of our faithful Dole horses, Trond and Lukas, are experienced in this forest work. They are with us as riding horses in the summer. In the winter season when they work with us on sleigh rides.