Sandy Colling tours her hometown Zweibrücken in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, where the state stud farm has bred warm-blood horses since 1755. She shares her own riding education and describes local traditions like the Pferdetage festival, wine celebrations, and half-timber villages near the French border.
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Welcome to Equestrian Journeys. I'm Sandy Colling, your guide to the captivating world of European horse culture. And each episode, we'll talk about century-old traditions, rich history, and the vibrant modern horse scene. You'll hear great stories, get insider travel tips, and meet wonderful guests who share our passion. So whether you're planning your next adventure or exploring from home, Equestrian Journeys offers a unique perspective on travel and equestrian As well as non-equestrian culture from all over Europe. Join me each week as we uncover hidden gems and stories from Europe's magnificent equestrian heritage. And today is episode three. I want to speak for a few minutes about a breed called Zweibrücke. And why are the Zweibrücke so near and dear to me? My hometown is Zweibrücken. Zweibrücken, meaning 2 bridges, is in Rheinland-Pfalz, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, very close to the French border. So growing up, I was able to travel 20 minutes to the French border and go to the grocery stores there, get all the delicious French cheeses and the baguette. And when I got a little older, at 16, because of course in Germany we can drink beer and wine at the age of 16, and it was so fun being so close to the French border. So Zweibrücken is home to the Landesgestüt Zweibrücken. Landesgestüt is a state stud farm. We've talked about Marbach before, I think last week with Marcella, and Zweibrücken, my hometown, has a stud farm as well. It's not quite as old, not 14— I think '52 Marbach is, but it's from 1755. So not, you know, not too shabby. It's been around for quite some time. And the Zweibrücker horse is a lovely warmblood. I don't think I see them as often here in America, but they're elegant. They use them for driving. They use them for eventing, jumping, even dressage. So they're a beautiful, very even-tempered, great breed. And the Landesgestüt Zweibrücken also breeds Trakehner, which is of course very well known. And I see quite a few Trakehner here in America, but the Zweibrücke isn't quite as prominent here in the States. I remember growing up, I first rode in Zweibrücken, but later on I drove 13 kilometers. I don't know what that is in miles, but I drove 13 kilometers on my bike to Einöd, which is in the Saarland. So we have Rheinland-Pfalz, which is the Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland. I think Saarland is Saarland. And so they're the 2 counties, the 2 Bundesländer that border each other. I rode my bike to the, the little ride, the little riding club in Einöd, and it still exists. I would ride. I started with bolting lessons, like I'd mentioned before, and then went to the lunge lessons until we did group riding lessons. I remember my riding teacher, Havilna, I absolutely loved him. I still have such fond memories of him, was our riding instructor and nothing ever really rattled his cage. He, when one horse in the winter in the group lesson, we'd be like 8, 9, 10 in a group lesson following each other, and then one would spook or take off or it was cold. and it would buck and it would take off, and he would just stand in the middle and he would whistle and he'd stay very calm. He was just such a great riding instructor, and I just have such fond memories of him. I remember the horses. It's so funny the things we remember growing up. So it was Tamara, Phipps, Fidelio, Carmen, Edgar, Alfred, Pedro, Zigeuner, and Julia. Those were the school horses, and I remember in the row how they stood in their little stalls, and we would go and we brush them before the lesson, and then Havana would always assign us the horse who we're going to ride, and we would have our riding lesson, and if there was another lesson afterwards, we would pass the horse on, and if not, we would take them back, untack them, groom them, and throw them some hay. Such fond memories growing up. In Zweibrücken, there were always the Pferdetage, so we had some horse days is what the literal translation is, but it was a few days. It was a festival all around the horses. They had all kinds of exhibits at the Landesgestüt. We also had a racetrack, so there was a racetrack in Zweibrücken, and there was a lot of festivities going on. We had races a few times a year, and so Rheinland-Pfalz is really a great Bundesland, a great county. Small. Zweibrücken also has the Rosengarten, so it's the Rose Garden, quite well known. We also have, or had, I don't think it exists anymore, it was die Rosenkinder, the Rose Children, which was a choir, a chorus. I was actually in that chorus for many years. even did a record. Now I'm dating myself. We had a couple records. We were on TV a couple times. So the region of Rheinland-Pfalz is oftentimes like not so much talked about, but there is a lot to do. There's some great cities to go to. There's wine that's grown. We have Bad Dürkheim, the Weinfest in Bad Dürkheim, which is quite regionally well known, and a lot of small villages with old houses, the half-timber houses. So my mother's house in a little town called Meisenheim. It wasn't her house, but her family's house in a little town called Meisenheim am Glan. I think, I don't even know. It's like a very small town, 3,000, 5,000. It's a village really. It's not a town, but the house that belonged to her family and still is in her family since 1492 or '62, I can't remember, but it says it right over the front door. It has the date on it. So there's really a lot of history and culture in Rheinland-Pfalz around horses, but also a lot that's not around horses. And I just have such fond memories. When I do go home to Germany, I try to always make it back to my hometown, Two Bridges, Zweibrücken, just because obviously it's my home, but it has so much to offer, that region. And I used to jump on the train at the age of, I don't know, like 14, 15, 16, and we'd take the train to Paris, like a 4-hour train ride. And we'd spend the weekend in Paris, get some good food, and do some shopping, and then just take the train back. So, in that region, because you're so close to so much, much. It's just fabulous. Rheinland-Pfalz with the Zweibrücker, and again, a beautiful, elegant breed that is very near and dear to me because I had a lot of group lessons. Never owned one, but had a lot of group lessons, learned on a lot of different Zweibrücker. Fidelio was one of my favorite horses. I will never forget him. He was this cute chestnut, and I just loved him so much. So we all have those memories. Zweibrücken, again, Rheinland-Pfalz has so much to offer. If on your trip You want to do something off the beaten track? That area has so much to offer, and you're close to the Alsace-Lorraine. Strasbourg is not too far away, and you can combine your fun horse stuff with a bunch of regional stuff. Alsace-Lorraine is so good for its food—the flammkuchen and the choucroute garnie and all these deliciousness. And Rheinland-Pfalz too. There's a dish called dampfnudeln. Dampf means steam, and noodles mean noodles. So it's steamed noodles, but they're not noodles. They're these yeast dough. concoctions that you eat with vanilla sauce, and they're absolutely delicious. And then there's a bunch of other regional dishes that Rheinland-Pfalz is well known for. So lots of good food, lots of culture, lots of history from Rheinland-Pfalz to the Alsace, that whole region. And, you know, if you have any questions about it and if you want to do something fun off the beaten track, reach out and I'm happy to answer any questions. So this wraps up another episode of Equestrian Journeys. I want to thank you for joining me, and if you've enjoyed our little trip to Rheinland-Pfalz today, why not share it with a friend who loves horses and/or travel? So don't forget to subscribe to Equestrian Journeys on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And for more content, travel tips, and beautiful images from equestrian adventures, visit our website linked in the show notes. And if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to share some feedback, reach out to us on social media @EquestrianJourneys. Until next time, keep your passion for horses and travel alive.
