About us

About Us – The Story Behind Ranch Manippos

Horse-Ranch Manippos is not simply a riding business. For our family, horses have been part of everyday life for more than three decades.

Our story began in Halkidiki in June 1995, when Manos Altiparmakis created the first Horse-Ranch Manippos on a seaside plot just outside Kallithea, on the Kassandra peninsula.

Manos’ connection with horses, however, started long before that.

He grew up in the countryside surrounded by animals, including the horses and mules kept by his grandfather. Like many children, he dreamed about cowboys, horses and life outdoors — except in his case, the fascination never really disappeared.

As he grew older, horses became an increasingly important part of his life. He spent years learning about riding, horse behavior, training and care, attending seminars and gaining experience in Greece.

When tourism in Halkidiki began developing, an idea slowly became reality: to create a place where visitors could discover the area in a completely different way — on horseback.

And so Ranch Manippos was born.

It was never intended to become a large commercial equestrian center. The idea was much simpler: horses, nature, family and people who genuinely enjoy being around them.

For Manos, turning horses into a profession never really felt like going to work. Horses were already his everyday life.

A Family Raised Around Horses

As the years passed, Ranch Manippos also became the place where Manos raised his family.

For Konstantinos and Eriesti, growing up meant having horses outside the door, dogs and cats around the farm, early mornings feeding animals, evenings at the stables and countless hours spent riding, helping and learning.

Neither of them really remembers a life without horses.

Today, the ranch has naturally passed into the next generation.

Konstantinos is responsible for most of the day-to-day management of Ranch Manippos and is the main riding instructor and trail guide. He organises the riding programme, reservations, horse care and the majority of the guided experiences offered at both locations.

Eriesti, the youngest member of the family, has also grown up riding and working around the horses. Alongside her studies, she helps with the ranch whenever possible and continues developing her riding skills & career through training and show jumping.

And although Manos has stepped back from much of the daily operation in recent years, he remains the person who started everything — and, inevitably, the person everyone still asks when a horse does something unusual. Some job titles apparently never expire. 😊

From Halkidiki to Loutra Pozar

After many summers in busy Halkidiki, the family began looking for a quieter place where both people and animals could spend the winter months.

So, we created a second home for our horses in the wider Loutra Pozar – Aridaia area of Northern Greece.

At first and for many years, the farm was simply our private winter base: more space, mountains, forests, fields and a completely different landscape from the coast.

But as more people discovered Loutra Pozar and winter tourism in the area continued to grow, visitors became increasingly interested in meeting the horses and riding with us.

Eventually, in 2015, our Aridaia-Loutra Pozar area horse-farm officially opened its doors to guests.

Today, it is our main horse farm and stables, while Halkidiki remains our seasonal summer riding location.

Two Locations – One Horse Family

Our year follows the seasons together with our horses.

🏔️ From approximately late-October until mid-May, our main base is Horse-Ranch Manippos near Loutra Pozar, surrounded by mountains, countryside and forest trails.

🌊 From late May until mid-October, part of our horse family moves south to our seasonal location near Kallithea, Halkidiki, where we offer guided riding experiences through hills, countryside trails and along the coast.

Moving horses, equipment and half your life twice every year may sound slightly crazy.

After doing it for so many years, we are still not entirely convinced that it isn't. 😄

But this seasonal lifestyle allows our horses — and us — to experience two completely different environments throughout the year.

Our Philosophy

We are still a small, family-run ranch, and we intend to keep it that way.

We prefer small riding groups, personal contact with our guests and enough time to match each rider with the most suitable horse.

Our horses are not machines that simply follow the same route all day. They are individuals, each with their own personality, strengths, preferences and occasional opinions about how the day should be organised.

Their wellbeing always comes first.

For that reason, our riding programme, working hours and number of rides are deliberately limited. Weather, temperature, terrain, rider experience and the condition of each horse are all taken into consideration before every ride.

We would rather offer fewer experiences and enjoy them properly than turn our horses into a production line.

Meet Our Horses 🐴

Our horse family includes:

Zephyrus, Mayou, Hippolyte, Eriesti, Lydia, Xanthippe, Indiana, Zeus, Hercules and Phaedra.

Some are calm and patient teachers.
Some love moving forward.
Some have very strong personalities.

And, just like every family, some are convinced that they should always be the centre of attention.

Meet the Family

Manos – Founder
The person who started Ranch Manippos in 1995 and built the philosophy behind everything we do today.

Konstantinos – Manager, Riding Instructor & Trail Guide
Responsible for the daily operation of the ranch, our horses and most of the riding experiences you will join.

Eriesti – Rider & Ranch Team Member
Raised at the ranch, involved with the horses from childhood and currently combining her studies with riding, ranch life and show jumping.

Georgia – Wife, Mother & Heart of the Family

Although she is aschool teacher, Georgia has always been the heart of the family/ horse0ranch and its biggest supporter — always there for everyone. 

When you visit Ranch Manippos, there is a very good chance that the person answering your message, preparing your horse, giving you your riding briefing and guiding you on the trail belongs to the same family.

That is exactly how we like it.

What’s in a Name?

The name Manippos has been with us since the beginning.

It comes from:

Manos + Ippos

And “Ippos” (Ίππος) simply means “horse” in Greek.

More than 30 years later, the name still describes our story surprisingly well:

a family built around horses.