Spain Horse Riding Holidays

Spain has been a popular holiday destination for UK tourists since the 1960s. Today the country has something for everyone, from the city weekend break in Barcelona to the beach holiday on the Costa del sol. In Spain horse riding holidays and other ‘experience’ holidays are becoming more popular, like the Benicassim music festival or visiting Pamplona to see the running of the bulls.

You can quickly and cheaply visit Spain from any number of UK airports, or you can take a ferry from a choice of southern British ports. Spain’s economy is focused on tourism and the level of English amongst Spanish people is quite high, not to mention the substantial British ex-expatriate community living all over the country.

Horse riding is a novel and exciting way to see the Spanish countryside. It’s a holiday unlike any other: exciting, stimulating and pretty good exercise! There are many regions of Spain that welcome horse enthusiasts, but many holidaymakers often choose Andalusia when visiting Spain because of its beaches, history and favourable climate.

Many Spanish horse-riding holidays are all encompassing: including accommodation, meals and everything you will need for your equestrian adventure. Knowledgeable handlers can cater for all levels of riding experience and some holiday deals will also include transfers to and from airports. You can even come to Spain to learn how to ride from scratch, or experienced riders can simply use the villas as a base and take a horse to go free riding for the day.

The Andalusian region stretches from the Atlantic Ocean and the Portuguese border to the west, and reaches as far as the Mediterranean Sea to the East. It includes historic Spanish cities like Seville and also includes beach resort destinations like Alicante, Benidorm, Marbella and Málaga.


Photo By Just Chaos

One great feature of horse riding in Spain is the variety of landscapes you can visit. You could take your horse onto the beautiful beaches facing Africa, trot into the Andalusian hills or gallop alongside the Guadalquivir river enjoying Spain’s more temperate climate. Spain has everything you could wish for and more.

As well as these tourist hotspots, Andalusia is famous for its horses. The Andalusian horse, or Pura Raza Española is an iconic horse because of its look, over 80% of these Spanish horses are grey and so stand out visually from other horses. That said there are also black and chestnut purebred Andalusians. An Andalusian horse is one of a very few elite breeds and is one of the oldest types of horse in the world.

The breed itself comes from a mix of horses from across the Iberian peninsula, though today the Andalusian horse is today known as the ‘Spanish horse’ in contrast to the Lusitano, which is known as the ‘Portuguese horse’. Both horses were considered the same type until the 1960s. Today both breeds are much in demand for dressage and show jumping. The Andalusian horse is also used in Spanish bullfighting and was even taken into battle in the Middle Ages.

So check Horse Hire today and you could find yourself riding away to Spain in no time!