Cattle driving tour
(3 days of riding)
Dates:
March 31 – April 4 2026 (Guesthouse)
August 4 – 8 2026 (Yurt Accommodation)
At Ópusztaszer, on the ancient site of the Hungarian Conquest, the Cseppentő family drives 80–90 grey cattle and Charolais young bulls, cows and heifers from the summer pastures to their winter
feeding area.
This event allows participants to experience episodes of a world long gone, when nomadic livestock
keepers moved and guarded their herds on horseback. Our tour leads to this exciting experience after
discovering the Akhal Teke horses and searching for the ancient burial mounds, the “kurgans.”
DAILY PROGRAM:
Tuesday: Arrival
Arrival by 5:00 pm at the Ópusztaszer Akhal Stud (transfer). After arrival: introductions, followed by a welcome dinner at 5:30 PM, then a briefing about the week’s program between 6:00 and 7:00 PM. Accommodation check-in at the guesthouses or yurts.
Wednesday: Akhal Stud Visit on Horseback & Foal Viewing
7:00–8:30 am: Breakfast, then transfer from the nearby guesthouse to the horses.
8:30 am: Gathering at the riding arena, equestrian equipment, meeting the horses.
9:00–10:00 am: Test riding in the arena, evaluating the horses, establishing rider–horse pairs.
10:00 am –12:00 pm: Visiting the Akhal Stud on horseback. The Akhal Teke is one of Central Asia’s most noble and renowned horse breeds, used extensively by steppe nomads, including the early Hungarians. These horses are mentioned in 1st-century BC Chinese chronicles as “heavenly, sweating-blood horses.” They are tough, enduring, extremely fast, and shaped by the harsh Asian climate. The breed is a direct descendant of the ancient Turkic horse, with a history reaching back 3000 years. The legendary 4300-km Aşgabat–Moscow endurance ride brought international fame to the breed. The Chinese even launched military campaigns—unsuccessfully—to obtain these “heavenly horses.”
12:00–1:30 pm: Lunch at the Yurts.
2:00-4:00 pm: The Cseppentő family has always bred Akhal Tekes for use rather than show. Only carefully selected individuals were kept for breeding, focusing on quality rather than quantity. Among their 75 horses, alongside purebred lines, they also keep high-blood Akhals, which perform successfully in tourism as well as competitions—especially in eventing (three-day event).
In the afternoon we visit the stallions, working horses, and the foals. Dinner 6.00–7:00 pm, then transfer back to the guesthouse/yurts.
Thursday: Riding to the kurgans in the meadow
7:00–8:30 am: Breakfast, then transfer to the horses.
8:30 am: Gathering at the riding hall; equipment; mounting.
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Departure for the ancient burial mounds (kurgans). These mounds stretch from the Carpathian Basin to Mongolia. For more than 2000 years, the peoples of the steppe buried their dead beneath these mounds. They can be compared to pyramids—although less monumental, they were widespread across the vast Eurasian steppe. Today, these landscape features are increasingly rare. Of the more than 1,600 burial mounds surveyed on the Great Plain, only a fraction remains.
12:00–2:00 pm: Picnic lunch at the kurgan.
2:00–4:00 pm: After lunch, the exploration of the kurgans continues across the plains. Alongside forests, wide fields suitable for long gallops also appear. The pastoral culture of the Great Plain comes to life along the route.
Dinner: 6:00–7:00 pm. Transfer back to the guesthouse.
Friday: Cattle Driving Day
7:00–8:30 am: Breakfast, transfer to the horses.
8:30 am: Gathering, saddling, mounting.
9:00–10:00 am: Warm-up riding in the arena. Then our route leads from the Akhal Stud’s central pasture through forest paths, open fields, and natural tracks to the 60–70 head grey cattle and Charolais herd grazing between Ópusztaszer and Pusztaszer.
12:00 –1.00 pm Short break and picnic lunch—prepared from the Cseppentő family’s own cattle.
2.00–4.00 pm The most exciting part of the day: finding, gathering, and driving the cattle to another pasture. During the work, riders feel truly united with their horses, just like the herding peoples of old—moving together as one with their animals. Then we ride back and settle the remaining tasks for the day.
Dinner 6:00–7:00 pm, then transfer back to the guesthouse/yurts.
Saturday: Departure
Breakfast 7:00–8:30 am, farewell and departure (transfer available).