HORSE RIDING

Horse riding holidays have become a very popular activity in Andalucia where you can find horse riding in the Costa Tropical, Lecrin valley and the Las Alpujarras. The horse riding stables offer a choice of horse riding lessons for the beginners or a complete horse riding holiday with different rides each day of the week. Whether horse riding in the surf of the beaches the Costa Tropical or horse riding on the unspoilt terrain of the Lecrin valley and the Las Alpujarras, you will be sure to have a fantastic horse riding holiday in the Granada region of Spain.

HISTORY OF THE HORSE AND ANDALUCIA

The history of horses and Andalucia dates back to long before the birth of Christ and the Roman Conquest of Spain, and throughout the world many famous horse breeds can be traced back to the horses of Andalucia.

When the Moors conquered Spain they recogonised the qualities of the Andalucian horses and naturally cross bred them with their own Arab and Berber breeds.  After the Moors were driven from Spain, the magnificent Andalucian horses grew in popularity for breeding purposes, and were exported all over the world, influencing many other European and American horse breeds that exist today.  The Cleveland Bay, the Hackney, Connemara pony and the world famous Lippizaner horses of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna are all descendants.

The characteristics of the pure Spanish breed is a compact body with wonderful proportions, short arched neck with high head carriage and long flowing mane, high intelligence with an affectionate and docile nature.  The predominant colour is white or grey, the remaining horses being black or bay.  Chestnut, piebalds or scewbalds are excluded from the stud book.

In modern day times,  the Andalucian horse is still a prized possession and remains a firm part of the Spanish tradition.  Throughout Andalucia it is still a very common sight to see an Andalucian man riding his horse through the towns and villages or taking a sedate walk in the countryside, dressed in traje corto, the traditional short riding suit. 

During the many fiestas that take place in the summer months the caballeros take to the streets, riding with pride and showing off their prancing stallions and mares to friends and relations.

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