Day One:
Today you will be arriving in Jerez de la Frontera and making your way to your chosen accommodation. We can offer you charming hotels from three to five stars. Although Jerez has long been an internationally recognized city due to its wine and sherry production, for horse lovers Jerez is more notably the equestrian capital of Andalucia and home to The Royal Riding School. Jerez is seeped in equestrian heritage and culture. In the late afternoon you will have the opportunity to ride around the vineyards of Jerez or you can hone your equestrian skills by having a lesson on an Andalucian horse.
Day Two:
After breakfast this morning you will visit The Royal Riding School of Jerez. You will be watching the wonderful performance: ‘How the Andalucian horses dance.’ The Royal Riding School is renowned throughout the world for their breath-taking exhibition and their painstaking training methods make this show a real delight as they perform intricate and demanding movements with effortless grace and control. This afternoon you will have a two hour ride in the surrounding countryside. Later relax and reflect on the experiences of the day with a glass of Jerez’s finest wine.
Day Three:
This morning you will visit The National Stud Farm; here you will see at first hand the wonderful stallions, mares and foals that are being produced in order to promote this superb breed of horse.
This afternoon you will visit one of Jerez’s famous bodegas. Gonzales Byass Bodega was founded in 1835 and was the birthplace of ‘Tio Pepe,’ which was first exported to Great Britain in 1844. The impressive visitor centre sets you on a course of discovery as you learn to appreciate and savour the wonderful local wines.
If you have some free time we can highly recommend that you follow the famous “Pueblos Blancos” Route visiting the beautiful white washed villages like Arcos, Grazalema etc, or the “Bull Route” with lovely hill top towns like Medina Sidonia (35 minutes drive) or Vejer de la Frontera.
Day Four:
After breakfast this morning you will be enjoying a three hour picnic ride around the vineyards of Jerez on beautifully trained Andalucian horses. There are horses suitable for all ages and abilities! You really can’t visit Andalucia without witnessing at first hand the passion of the Flamenco dance! You can book this through your hotel or at the local information centre. The origin of this dance is still unknown, although it is generally believed to be a mixture of gypsy and Arabic dance. Later today you will be entertained as you watch the passion and fervour of the performers as they combine the acoustic guitar with singing, dancing and staccato hand clapping. Definitely a performance to remember! The perfect end to the perfect holiday.
Day Five:
Sadly, today it is time to depart. .
You can choose to extend your stay if you would like.
Prices start from £995 per person in shared twins:
Included in your tour price:
• 4 nights accommodation in Jerez
• 3 riding opportunities (1 x lesson and 1 x hack and 1 x tapas picnic ride)
• Bodega tour and tasting
• Tickets for The Royal Riding School performance
• National Stud Farm visit
Optional Extras:
• Additional / longer rides
• Carriage tour
Optional Activities:
• Golf
Cost per person in shared twin from:
£995 pp staying in 3 star hotels
£1350 pp staying in luxury accommodation
To read Equestrian Escapes reviews click on the link
Equestrian Escapes specialises in horse riding holidays in Spain and our packages are suitable for all ages and cater for all different riding experiences.
Our Horses, Sun and Wine, Andalucia break can be tailor-made to your individual requirements as well as our other short stay Andalucia holidays.
If you are interested in a horse riding holiday in Spain you may like to look at some other holidays that we offer including ones that offer trail riding and training, in our Horse Riding Holidays Spain range.
ANDALUCIAN HORSES
The Andalucian horse originates from the rugged, hilly areas of the Iberian Peninsula and is one of the most ancient horse breeds. The Andalucian horse was developed in Southern Spain and although Andalusian horses were originally highly regarded as a cavalry horse due to their agility and courage they became less favoured as a war horse when knights were heavily armoured and required heavier horses to carry them. However, Andalucian horses gained popularity again amongst cavalries with the introduction of firearms when a fast, agile horse was needed.
During the Renaissance grand riding academies were formed across Europe where dressage and high school riding evolved and Andalucian horses were popular due to their agility, impulsion and natural balance. In Spain, Andalucian horses were also the mounts of bull fighters.
In Spain Andalucian horses are known as the Pure Spanish Horse or PRE (Pura Raza Española) and PRE horses are registered in the Spanish Stud Book maintained by the Military and Government of Spain.
The Andalucian horse has been used in the development of many other horse breeds around the world including the Lippizaner.
ANDALUCIAN SUN
Andalucia has been a favourite destination for sun-seeking travellers for decades and there is no wonder why. With an average of over 320 days of sun a year, your luck will need to be fairly bad to have planned a stay here and not have seen the sun.
However, there is much more to do in Andalucia than just sit on the beach, you could gallop along it for a start.....
ANDALUCIAN WINE
Thanks to its wine and sherry production the city of Jerez has gained an international reputation across the whole of Europe. The streets of this historic city are lined with bodegas or wine cellars, offering visitors the opportunity to sample some of the finest wines produced in the area. One of the most important wine cellars is that of the famous 'Tio Pepe' brand mark and daily tours in English open the visitor's eyes to the ancient skill of viticulture.
Equestrian Escapes inspect all the horses in our horse riding holidays to ensure the best quality holiday for you.
For tips regarding your holiday such as what to wear and riding ability, please visit the Travel Tips page.
We work hard to ensure that each customer has a great time on their holiday. Please see some riding holiday reviews here.
We have a large range of holidays to suit a range of riding abilities. Please see here for more information.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.