On the imposing carriages the journey goes leisurely through the countryside. Thus, the carriages roll on partly ancient postal and trade routes. There is a choice of historic stagecoaches with seats at a height of 2.80 m, where the ride is a bit rocking, but the view is all the better for it. Or the ride is quite stately in a Landau, a kind of romantic wedding carriage, past the sights of the area. If, on the other hand, the whole extended family wants to find room, it makes sense to hitch up a Kremser. With plenty of room for more than just two people to talk, listen, watch and joke.

Along the way, there are watering stations, rest stops and beautiful trails to gallop. Usually the trip lasts between two and three hours, sometimes with a picnic, sometimes with other romantic interludes. So, some time must be planned, because, no matter how much the horses put themselves in harness, the coach does not go more than seven kilometers an hour. But who wants speed? Deceleration is the goal of the tour. Time can stand still, especially for parents with children or stressed city dwellers.

Throughout Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, many coachmen offer the experience of driving through nature for a few hours. Whether by the hour or even by the day: Carriage rides or Kremser tours are ideal for family outings, wedding trips, team outings with colleagues* or as a hiking day for school classes.

If you don't know the difference between a carriage, a Kremser and a covered wagon, you can have it explained to you on a carriage tour through the countryside.

Learn to drive a carriage

Learn how to drive a carriage, brush up or expand your knowledge of the lines and refine your carriage driving skills. Those who do not yet have experience of how to handle a carriage properly, or who want to perfect their skills, will find trainers* in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern who offer a wide variety of driving courses.

The stud farms in Ganschow and Redefin are good places to learn from highly qualified instructors everything you need to know about leash grips or how to ride a horse safely in traffic. They set up demanding skill courses and show how elegant turns can be mastered even in the faster gaits.

There are also a number of private riding and driving schools where guests can learn about the art of carriage driving in a family atmosphere. For example, students can bring their own animals and companions or use school horses and carriages.

Driving courses and badges

Carriage or Kremser, two-man or four-man team - driving a team with horses has to be learned. In any case, a carriage driving license is highly recommended to drive on public roads. Many guests use their vacation to learn the basics of driving or to improve their knowledge. There are two ways to take a driving course with an exam. For private persons there is the carriage driving license A. Here, in the theoretical part, basic knowledge about the horse's performance, the verification of the safety of harness and carriage and the legal regulations to be observed are taught. In the practical part, harnessing and harnessing are taught, among other things. Finally, the course is followed by an examination.

The prerequisite for obtaining the carriage driver's license A is the possession of the horse driver's license handling or the riding badges 6 and 7. If the horse driver's license is still missing at the time of the course, this can also be acquired during the course.

The carriage driver's license B, on the other hand, is aimed at tradesmen.
Who would like to educate itself otherwise further and improve handling the partner horse in the driving sport during the vacation, which is cordially invited to participate in the driving badge courses. Starting with the driving badge 10 up to the badge 1 you will find here in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Farms with badge courses:

• Riding and driving tourism Lychen
• Vacation and riding farm Landgut Lischow
• Ganschow stud farm
• State stud farm Redefin

Carriage and driving tours for self carriage driving

In addition, between the Mecklenburg Lake District and the Baltic Sea coast, there are leisurely excursions by carriage along low-traffic country roads and wide forest paths where it is fun to be on the move with horse and carriage.