SPAIN – Horsemanship Holiday – Spanish Trails, Dressage and Siestas [
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Country: Spain
If you desire to ride across the south of Spain and devote some time to improve your dressage skills, this is the ride for you! In addition to trail rides across rolling fields and groves, you will vist the history rich village of Carmona and Jerez de la Frontera and enjoy the untouched beauty of Doana Natural Park. You will ride your lovely Andalusian horse across a sandy beach. Your daily riding lesson are given by BHS and Spanish Federation certified instructors. You will be amazed as the famous Andalusian horses perform in the Andalusian Horse Dance when you attend the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestra and enjoy national recognized flamenco dancers and guitars in a classical performance.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Sunday
After transferring to the hacienda, you can take a swim in the private pool or discover the pleasures of the Spanish siesta. In the evening you will be escorted to the town of Carmona, one of the famous white villages of Andalucia. This town is the oldest continually inhabited village in Europe. You will feel and breathe the spirits of ancient cultures: Iberians, Visigoths, Phoenician, Romans, and Moors who lived there hundreds of years ago.
Day 2: Monday
You will mount for a ride to the Old Hacienda Road. This relaxed hack will take you through olive and eucalyptus groves. Depending on the season, you will enjoy fields of sunflowers, wheat and cotton, as well as melons in the late summer. You will be intrigued by 16th and 17th century haciendas and cortijos. Your afternoon is spent by the pool or you can visit Carmona to explore the Roman archeological sites. In late afternoon, you can take a jumping or dressage lesson.
Day 3: Tuesday
You will visit Jerez de la Frontera in the province of Cadiz. This town is renowned for the production of sherries and brandies. Attend a wine tasting at a famous wine shop. Then you will see the famous Andalusian horses perform in a spectacle of light, music, and color at the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestra. Your afternoon will end with a riding lesson.
Day 4: Wednesday
Your destination is the Roman Rodamy Bridge. You will cross an open landscape rich with varying crops and enjoy wild flowers, butterflies, and birds. Your ride will end in a shady eucalyptus grove. Your riding instructor will await you for your afternoon riding lesson.
Day 5: Thursday
Your destination is the lovely seaside village of Matalacanas. Your horse will carry you across a long sandy beach. The ride will then follow an unforgettable route through the Donana Natural Park, one of Europe’s last true wilderness regions and one of the largest wildlife reserves in Spain. You will ride over golden dunes, through shrub land dotted with rock rose, bramble, and heather. You will enjoy a canter through the surf before returning to the hacienda for a siesta by the pool. Your riding lesson will be given in the evening.
Day 6: Friday
You will travel through olive and orange groves, across open lands with no fences to an Andalusian stud farm. You may get a chance to appreciate the noble and docile nature of the beautiful mares and foals grazing peacefully in the sunlight or the magnificence of the stallions and colts. In the afternoon, you will visit Seville. After a visit to the town’s main tack shop, you will enjoy a flamenco show featuring over 15 dancers of national fame, traditional singers, and flamenco guitar. Your evening will end with a short walk through the old part of the city to arrive at an excellent restaurant providing both Spanish and international cuisine.
Day 7: Saturday
After breakfast you will transfer to Seville airport or train station.
Details
Dates: Sunday – Saturday, Year round except July 17 – August 21
Important Local Dates: January 5 – Cabalgata de Reyes ( Three Kings Parade), March 3 – 13 – Carnival, April 17 – 24 – Semana Santa (Holy Week), May 3 – 8 – Feria De Abril ( Seville Fair), May 8 – 15- Feria Del Caballo ( Jerez Horse Fair)
Length of ride: 5 days
Meeting point: Seville, Malaga or Jerez airport
Ability level: Novice to intermediate
Horse: Andalusians and Andalusian cross-breeds
Group size: 2 – 5
Saddles: English/dressage
Non-riding activity: Swimming
Hotel/s: 16th Century Spanish Hacienda
Price per person:$1,950 per person, shared
$360 Single supplement
$1,195 Non rider, shared
Includes: 6 nights accommodation, all meals, airport transfers, 4 group lessons, 4 trail rides, Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestra, show, and flamenco dancer show.
Not included: Air fare, Real Ecuestra show 23 euros, flamenco show 33 euros, and 2 dinners.
ALSO AVAILABLE INTENSIVE AND ADVANCED DRESSAGE PACKAGES
