Blog. From Munich to Venice on horseback

From June to September 2013, Dietmar and Midori Obert set off with their pack horse Gina to cross the Alps on foot. In his multimedia talk “The Alps”, Dietmar recounts their long-distance hike from southern Germany through Switzerland to Italy.

The Ettenheim native explains that he was inspired to undertake this unusual tour by a group of walkers in the Swiss Alps. “That was in 2012. They were travelling with pack animals. A fascinating sight. I knew straight away: I want to do that too.” Obert “had absolutely no idea” about animals. The 45-year-old is no stranger to globetrotting – between 1997 and 2007, he spent just under four years travelling through Asia and Africa. But almost always on a motorbike, rarely on foot and never with an animal.

And yet, in January 2013, Obert and his wife Midori bought a horse, a Bardiginao mare. A breed that is at home in the mountains and well-suited to carrying loads. He sees the fact that he and his wife embarked on the venture as complete novices as an advantage: “We had a bit more faith in the horse than is customary in many places today.” And “Gina” went along with it. Even in places where the footpaths seemed to lead nowhere. When the route continued over rough and rocky terrain along narrow paths, “they had to unsaddle the horse and carry the luggage themselves.”