Welcome to the Website of Equus Silvania!
Our horse riding facility and guesthouse is located in the village of Sinca Noua, which lies right in the foothills of the Transylvanian Carpathians, some 50 km west of Brasov. Equus Silvania combines western standards and animal treatment with Romanian traditions, cuisine, and lifestyle. We offer our clients not only great horses, but also a fantastic landscape and good opportunities to experience the unique flora and fauna. Furthermore, we have made it our premise to provide to our visitors a healthy and clean environment.
Equus Silvania also takes responsibility and tries to implement sustainable development within the business. This includes the employment of staff from the village, the use of locally produced, organic food, and the inclusion of local attractions into the programme.
Our Team
Barbara Promberger-Fürpaß, born in 1974, wildlife biologist. She grew up with horses and is the technical leader of Equus Silvania. Still having a competitive mind, she became an enthusiastic endurance rider.
Christoph Promberger, born in 1965, wildlife biologist. Before he met Barbara, he had little connection to horses, but now is all for it. Responsible for the economic part and communication.
Juliane Pingel, born in 1985, works in our team during this season as guide on our centre-based rides. She also keeps our horses in good shape, looks after our riding guests and helps in the overall management of Equus Silvania. Juliane speaks German and English.
Mareike Rossow, born in 1993, originates from Germany and works in our team throughout summer and winter 2012/13 as co-guide. In addition she keeps our horses in a good shape and gives riding lessons.
Johanna Mast, born in 1992, originates from Germany and as an intern helps in training our horses and takes care of the riding guests at Equus Silvania. Besides German and English, Johanna is also fluent in French
Tilmann Schöllnhammer, born 1984, Environmental Engineer, grew up on a Hobby-Farm in Germany. He is leading our hiking-tracks and is caring for the on-site vegetable garden. Tilmann speaks German and English.
Anna-Maria Engel, born 1981, Agricultural Scientist with a PhD, made her Master in Equine Science. She is leading the Trail Rides since summer 2013 and is responsible for the training of our horses. Additionally to German and English she speaks Spanish.
Our local team consists of Mimi and Mariana, who cook for us, Lorita, who keeps everything clean, and Tuca, Dragos and Ionel, who take care of our horses and the other animals.
Our environmental policy
Equus Silvania has the premise to act in a responsible way in all its activities with regards to environmental impact. We are always open to new ideas of how we can maintain the integrity of the natural environment around us.
Education and Information
Our visitors get a first-hand experience and extensive information about flora, fauna, and sustainable land-use systems. Our experience of many years of field research about wolves, bears, and lynx is an excellent basis for discussions about wildlife and habitat conservation.
Energy and construction
During the construction of all our facilities, we have put great emphasis to use environmentally friendly materials. Wood has been our main construction material as it is a renewable resource, and we have abstained from wood preservers as much as possible. We use energy saving bulbs in all our buildings, heat exclusively with wood and have our guesthouse insulated with a thick layer of rock wool. Though, as a tourism enterprise we are not able to fully avoid the consumption of fossil energy, we still choose sustainable alternatives wherever this is feasible from an ecological and an economic point of view. Detergents used in our guesthouse for example are 100% biodegradable. In addition, the avoidance of waste is our highest priority.
Food
We use mainly locally produced food in our kitchen. People in Sinca Noua generally do not use pesticides or artificial fertilisers, and the livestock is still kept the old way, that is, outside on the pastures. Our own vegetable garden delivers fresh onions, salad, zucchini etc. Other food such as milk, potatoes, lamb, and veal is bought from the farmers in the neighbourhood.
Route selection
When we select the routes for our excursions, we take great care about conservation concerns. We avoid sensitive areas such as wildlife day resting areas or seasonally important areas such as those created by red deer rut. We also take care to not cause soil erosion and stay outside of wetlands, where the hooves of the horses may cause damage. In summer, we of course respect the farmers' needs and stay on the cart tracks when we ride through hay meadows.
