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My initial thoughts on riding along a Spanish beach were mixed, as despite the fact that it sounded pleasant, I couldn’t shake the image of riding a flea bitten mule along a dirty beach, as can be found in any seaside resort in Britain. What I found however was altogether different.

We saddled up our horses at the stables next to our hotel; I had selected a large, elegant horse named Don, who was nothing like the old donkey that I had pictured. We mounted our steeds and before I knew it we were off on our hour long adventure across the picturesque Spanish beach. We began by splashing through the waves at a very gentle trot, just so we could get used to the horses. I sank back into my thick Spanish saddle, which was really more like a soft, warm armchair, and let Don take charge, as he pranced around the shore. After a while we decided as a group that it was time to take things up a notch, and starting with our guide, we each in turn squeezed our horses into a canter and we were away. The wind rushing through my hair and the taste of salty air on my tongue we raced across the beach to the amazement of our fellow holiday makers, busy sunning themselves below us.

Despite the pace that we were travelling at, I felt totally at ease, as I was confident in Dons ability and good nature, so I just sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the ride! It felt more like a Western cowboy adventure than an evening ride along the beach, and I had to prevent myself from letting out a “yee hah” on several occasions. Before I knew it we had reached our half way point and it was time to head in towards the stables. Needless to say the ride back was just as entertaining, and Don had an even bigger spring in his step as he knew that his dinner was waiting for him back in his stable at home. As we allowed the horses to rest on the final stretch back to the stables and reached utter relaxation and focused on enjoying the moment, as I knew that this was not something that I was going to do every day. When we arrived back at the stables I hopped down from Dons towering back and gave him a large congratulatory pat, as he had carried me as if I was his life long master and companion, not just another annoying tourist. I handed him over to one of the stable hands and headed off to my room for a nice cool shower.

Perhaps the best thing about the way that these riding holidays are organised is that our riding guides cater to your every need, so whether you’re an adrenaline junkie with a need for speed like me, or a more relaxed individual that just wants to take in the sea air, they will adapt the ride to suit you. For more information and travel tips regarding riding holidays please click here.

Cantering along the very edge of a rocky ridge in Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, I feel more emotionally free and physically vital than I have in months. My grin must be five miles wide and London seems a zillion miles away. I realise that I’ve really missed riding and hadn’t even been aware of it. Being in the mountains and riding along narrow tracks, with sheer drops inches from the horse’s hooves, and up very steep, incredibly rocky terrain intensifies all my senses. It also lends me a wider perspective – literally and metaphorically. I feel like a teenager at the best pony club camp in the world. Rock-climbing horses: who’d have thought it?

I am on a one week riding holiday in Andalucia and I’m having the time of my life with the sun on my back and a sturdy steed between my legs. It is day three of the stunning La Alpujarra trail ride arranged through www.equestrian-escapes.com . I can’t remember having this much good, clean fun since spending all day, every day at the stables messing about with my ponies as a young teenager. Horses, laughter, fantastic food and wine – all my favourite things, combined with the incredible mountain surroundings, make this one of the most exciting riding holidays I’ve ever been on.

Dallas, our guide – yes, it’s her real name – is exactly the kind of person you want heading up an expedition like this. Cool, calm and collected and a total dudette to boot, she has been guiding horse riding holidays on top-quality Spanish horses in La Alpujarra – the name given to the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada where she grew up – for more than two decades. I’ve done loads of riding over the years and I can unequivocally state that I’ve never seen a group of better-behaved or more impeccably schooled horses than these. The trip is not suitable for weak riders, the unfit or the especially faint-hearted.
Dallas’s brand of fun can be fast and furious and you must be able to control your horse at all paces, as well as walk while leading it for up to 30 minutes at a time over terrain too steep or rocky to ride on.
Our group of ten meet at a prearranged point in Malaga airport, ready for the two-and-a-half-hour transfer via air-conditioned minibus, away from the Costa del Sol and up into the mountains. With two men and eight women, the group is a very mixed bag as far as age, nationality and previous riding experience go, but the laughs are instantaneous as we share horse world stories and discuss what we should expect from this trip.
We arrive in Bubión, a pretty, white-painted village perched high on the slopes of the beautiful Poqueira Ravine, and are shown to the Casa la Sevillana guest house. A comfortable, seven-bedroom rural bed and breakfast, it is popular with the many groups of walkers and mountain bikers who also visit the area. We meet Dallas for dinner at a restaurant down the road and dig into tapas, cervezas and some truly delicious local cuisine. The first night reminds me a bit of first nights at ski chalets. Everyone drinks too much over dinner and then gets stuck into the Amaretto. A few tall tales and unsuitable stories later and most of us are New Best Friends by the morning. I can tell already this is going to be a fantastic mountain trail riding holiday.

After a huge continental breakfast, we’re picked up and taken to Dallas’s stables ten minutes or so up the hill. The bus is uncharacteristically quiet as we all stare out of the window at the spectacular landscape and awe-inspiring scenery. I’ve never seen anything like it. A lot of people say that the real Spain is to be found in these mountains and I’m beginning to see why. This place is so far from Alicante and Torremolinos, it might as well be on Mars. It’s rural and peaceful and all the horses look so fit and happy that I can’t believe my sheer good fortune when we get to the stables.
I am allocated Laurel, an Andalusian gelding with a huge dappled bottom and the softest grey nose. I’m told he is ‘sensitive’ and that I should ‘ride him properly’. I can’t help but feel a tiny bit nervous. As the rest of the group are given their horses, we all mount up and get ready to go. Striding away from the stables, it is immediately evident that all these horses are fit, sure-footed and very responsive to the correct signals. Laurel is a real pleasure to ride. (In fact, by the end of the week, I am so seriously in love with Laurel that I try to talk Dallas into selling him. She won’t.) Who would of thought i would find love on a mountain trail ride in Spain.

We set off east, riding through an ancient land of pine forests and alpine meadows, wooded valleys and gorges. We take old bridle paths and steep inclines, trotting, cantering and hill climbing through Moorish terraces and chestnut groves. We stop for lunch, tie the horses to trees and sit down on a carpet of pine needles. Huge homegrown tomatoes and lettuces appear from saddle bags and are sliced up in front of us. Fantastic locally baked bread, cheese and olives are offered around. Chorizo and salami are laid out on a log. Olive oil, salt and a few bottles of red wine make an appearance.
It’s the ultimate picnic: horse blowing on my neck, beautiful mountain in front of me. A total dream of a riding holiday.
We climb and climb, until we reach the broad forest track which leads us to Trévelez, the highest village in Spain and famous for its cured hams and river trout. We’ve covered 26km today, a marathon that takes us about six hours. I feel slightly saddle-sore, but happy, as we lead our horses through narrow, winding streets. We arrive at the village stables, where we untack and give the horses a shower before settling them down for a well-earned rest. We’re expected to tack up and groom our horse every day, although assistance is available if required, and our luggage is taken ahead for us by one of the team.

We enjoy a few beers and a whole lot of tapas before spending the night at La Fragua, a family-run hotel situated in the old quarter of the village. The hotel is small but comfy, with fabulous views across the mountains from each of the south-facing bedrooms. I don’t know whether it’s the mountain air, the exercise, the wine or the great beds, but I sleep like the dead every night and am ravenous for breakfast each morning.
After a brilliant evening spent squealing with laughter (this is a very sociable horse riding holiday and the hilarity never stops) in a cosy restaurant serving great local food, complete with hanging hams, we collect our horses and set off up a very steep and rocky path. I realise halfway through that I suffer slightly from vertigo. Mountains not being my natural habitat, I’ve never noticed it before. There’s nothing to be done, except carry on and put my total faith in Laurel. This is when I realise just how good these horses are – not one of them puts a foot wrong. We have another fabulous picnic lunch en route and then begin the rough descent into Bérchules, where we spend two nights in the lovely Hotel Los Bérchules. Its incredible chef serves up delicious pork tenderloin one night and grouper with garlic and chilli the next. Aside from lovely rooms, the rustic hotel has a wide terrace with terrific views across the Bérchules valley and a garden with a pool. Perfect for relaxation after a long day in the saddle on this riding holiday.
Bérchules takes its name from the old Spanish word berchel, meaning ‘mountain garden’.
On the fourth day, we follow ancient Moorish bridle paths through terraced orchards and fields before stopping for lunch by a river. We return to the village along one of the Sierra’s wide forest tracks; cantering more than on any other day, we cover an astonishing 38km in about seven hours. These horses are beyond fit and I’m beginning to feel more toned and healthy myself.

Leaving Bérchules, we descend to the river Guadalfeo and head west back to the village of Trévelez. The landscape changes abruptly as we leave the alpine-like Sierras behind and ride through terraces of olive, almond and fig trees. After lunch the path commences the gradual descent towards Trévelez and we dismount to lead the horses for about 40 minutes as we approach the ancient village from the other side.
Day six is a shorter ride. We take a forest track through pine and oak woods back to the stables. The views across the Contraviesa mountains and the Mediterranean beyond are breathtaking. We have a late lunch in a restaurant in Capileira and spend the rest of the day exploring the village before heading back to our original home from home – the Casa La Sevillana in Bubion. Dinner is not included this evening, so a few of us head out for yet another raucous meal in a local restaurant. Jamón serrano, fat olives, fresh anchovies and calamari, marinated pork, steaks, shoulder of lamb, grouper roasted with chilli and garlic, pork tenderloin, and cheese of all kinds. We don’t have one bad meal the entire week.

On our last riding day, we set off from the stables to explore the more inaccessible parts of the Poqueira valley. The Mulhacen – the highest mountain in Spain – forms the backdrop as we canter through wisps of cloud, the scent of pine heavy in the air. This valley is claimed to be the most beautiful in La Alpujarra and I don’t think I’m the only one with tears in her eyes as we say goodbye to our horses. It has been the most intense week of physical activity, social bonding and great thinking time. None of us want to leave.
The morning after I get back, I wake disoriented from a dream in which I am cantering up a dusty track towards a bright, white-painted village in the Sierra Nevada. The blissed-out grin on my face vanishes, as I realise the click-clacking is actually the sound of my upstairs neighbours stomping about on their wooden floor. I lie in bed, pine for my horse and long for the mountains. I feel really quite sad, full of nostalgia for the scent of thyme and mint crushed underfoot and the softness of Laurel’s nose. One thing’s for sure: I haven’t had such a blast of a week in a very long time. I’m booking another horse riding holiday very soon.

Other top horse riding holiday destinations

Riding Holidays Andalucia

Just a few hours away from the UK by air or sea, Spain is increasingly popular with riders.

Equestrian Escapes (www.equestrian-escapes.com, tel: 01829 781123) has noted this trend and one of the company's most popular holidays in 2007 was "Horses, Sun and Wine", which was based in southern Spain and designed for riders of all levels.

The company's Sarah Caplan says the holiday is for those "who love life as well as horses!"

Riding Holidays Cheshire, UK

Proving that you don't have to travel far afield to enjoy great riding, more and more people are holidaying at home.

"In the past few weeks, I've noticed that the UK has become really popular," says Sarah Caplan. "One of our most booked trips is a riding skills one in Cheshire — you can even bring your own horse and prices start at £225 per person for two nights and horse hire.

Gone are the days of tired old nags walking nose to tail along well-trodden paths. Today's horse trails are exhilarating eco adventures, taking riders – both beginners and experienced alike – into remote areas, where you can explore hidden villages, untouched coastline and get closer to nature than you ever would on either wheels or boots.

Andalucían coast, Spain
An Andalucían riding holiday that focuses on coastline over countryside. With North Africa in your sights, you'll gallop through the waves towards the sand dunes at the windsurfer's paradise of Tarifa, canter through tranquil pinewoods on secluded nature reserves, and explore hidden villages where you can enjoy an ice cold fino against dramatic views sweeping out over the ocean. Especially good for new riders.

Seven nights in a three-star hotel from £750 bed and breakfast, £575 self catering. Not including flights to either Gibraltar, Jerez or Malaga. www.equestrian-escapes.com or +44 (0)1829 781 123.

Enjoy a short break horse riding holiday in Jerez this autumn, the equestrian capital of Andalucia. Beautiful horses, wonderful temperatures, fine wine and Flamenco. As featured in Horse and Hound.

We encourage our customers to tell us how they enjoyed their horse riding holiday. Under the testimonials section you will see mini reviews and photos taken by our customers. Here you can find up to date information about the rides and we hope this will help you to select the perfect riding holidays.

Equestrian Escapes has just launched some new riding holidays to Portugal. Enjoy training on beautifully schooled Lusitano horses with top rider and judge Nuno Baptista, trail ride in the surrounding countryside and try your hand at carriage driving. This flexible holiday can be organised as a short break or a week long trip, with inexpensive flights to Faro and Lisbon there has never been a better time to visit Portugal!

We visit the horse riding holidays that we promote regularly and we are always available to discuss with you personally your perfect holiday. Many of our horse riding holidays are based at British Horse Society Approved centres. Take a look at some of our horse riding holiday testimonials.

The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera is known all over the world thanks to its show entitled "How the Andalusian Horses Dance". This is a unique exhibition of horsemanship which both exhibits and summarises the work which the institution has carried out since its establishment. Choose from a range of different riding holiday packages with Equestrian Escapes, all that include the opportunity for you to watch this wonderful spectacle or call us and we will design a programme to suit your needs.

The first International Equestrian Tourism Conference was held 29 - 30 November 2007 in Jerez, Spain. Delegates from throughout Europe met to discuss horse riding holidays. Equestrian Escapes were pleased to be invited to attend, as the only tour operator in the UK specialising in riding holidays to Andalucia. We were lucky enough to be able to enjoy first rate presentations from a host of equestrian experts including our own, Graham Cory, Chief Executive of The British Horse Society.

After the conference had officially closed, equestrian tour operators from across Europe were treated to a wonderful tour of all of the most influential equestrian attractions of the region. Equestrian Escapes really are your experts in this area and we can tailor-make, from firsthand experience, your 'equestrian experience of a lifetime'.

Delegates from the conference relax and enjoy a horse riding holiday.

One of the fabulous Andalusian Stallions at The Royal Riding School.

So it’s dark and cold and you don’t feel so motivated to ride your horse? How about a refreshing four day break to help you get through the dark days of winter? Due to customer demand we have just launched four day Spanish riding holidays that beat the UK winter blues. Leaving Wednesday and back Sunday – there’s no better way to put a smile back on your face.