About us
Ranch Manippos is a horse riding center founded in June 1995 by Manos Altiparmakis on a seaside plot 1 km outside the village of Kallithea, at the first peninsula of Halkidiki (Kassandra).
Manos' great love for horses stems from his childhood, where growing up in the countryside, with his grandfather raising animals including mules and horses, he dreamt of becoming a cowboy-Indian. Growing up, he didn't let this love fade away, nurturing it, gaining knowledge of horse training, behavior, and more, through various seminars and conferences across Greece and Europe. The development of tourism in Halkidiki sparked the idea in him to create a Ranch - a way of living (as he used to refer to it), to share his love and knowledge with other nature and horse enthusiasts, as well as his family, raising them amidst nature and animals (horses, dogs, cats, chickens, goats). One might say that Manos turned his hobby and passion into his business. However, he himself says that horse riding, horses, and nature are not a job but a way of living!
Over the years, with the ever-increasing pace of tourism development in the region of Halkidiki, Manos sought to create a farm in a quieter area for himself and his family (including his animal family) during the winter months to rest. In 2010, the "Manippos family" inaugurated the farm in the wider area of Loutra Pozar, which was not yet open to the public at that time. In 2015, with the development of winter tourism in Loutra Pozar, the farm under the name Ranch Manippos Pozar opened its doors to the public.
In recent years, due to health problems of Manos, the management and operation of both businesses (Horse-Ranch Manippos Halkidiki and Horse-Ranch Manippos Pozar) have been entirely taken over by his children, Konstantinos and Eriesti, with the same love that Manos had and even more! Growing up in such an environment, their love for animals, especially horses, and nature is now boundless.
Our horse-human family is located - during the months November to May - in our main farm close to the mountains in northern Greece with the name Horse-Ranch Manippos Pozar. And during the months from May to October we are going for a "vacation/summer season" to our summer riding center in Halkidiki, called Horse-Ranch Manippos Halkidiki.
The horses and breeds you will find at Ranch Manippos are Hannoverian, Draft, Bulgarian Jumping, Haflinger, Pinto, Arabian, and include Zephyrus, Mayou, Hippolyte, Eriesti, Lydia, Xanthippe, Indiana, Zeus, Hercules, Penny and Phaedra.
Manos the founder of Ranch Manippos is an expert horse riding trainer and he has 20+ years of experience about horses.
Konstantinos is a riding guide/attendant in our riding tours.
Eriesti is a riding guide/attendant in our riding tours and a horse riding trainer.
Catherine is a riding guide/attendant in our riding tours.
Kyriakos is a riding guide/attendant in our riding tours.
Natasa is our reservations & social media manager.
Our name comes from Manos + Ippos (meaning: horse in Greek) = Manippos