OUR RIDING HOLIDAY IN SPAIN!

On June 13th 04, Ruth, Rachael, Rita and myself headed off to Andalucia for a weeks riding holiday! We were so excited as we'd booked last year! We arrived in sunny Spain on Sunday afternoon and it was very very hot! We were to be riding for about three hours everyday and luckily the temperature dropped slightly the rest of the week.

Epona the hacienda from the front and in the courtyard!

Ruth on Adriano ready for their lesson in the covered school in the evening. We rode a different horse for hacking in the morning.

Me on Bari ready for our three hour hack! He was only four and a real sweetie!

Posing on the Roman Bridge! Left to Right : Rachael, Me, Agnetha and her daughter Jeanette (the swedes) Ruth, and Rita.

Ruth with the sunflowers behind her! they all faced east so we could tell where we were all the time!

Rita, Me, Rachael and Agnetha enjoying the sea! We are riding in traditional Spanish saddles!

Rachael at the front followed by me, Agnetha and Fernando (Eponas owner)

Ruth in the foreground, Left to right: Rita, Agnetha, and Jeanette.

WOW! What a view!!!!!

The old man that owned the horses we rode at the beach! His horse was sooo good! the man could hardly walk and when he got off to open and shut a gate, his horse stretched his front legs out forwards so he was lower to the ground for the man to get on! The horse also had a very smooth gait! It must have been like riding in an armchair! :-)

This is the Real Escudio Andalucia in Jerez ! They were schooling the horses outside in a track that went around an arena (you can see the trees on the right which made the arena nice and cool) The main school can be seen on the left, but we weren't allowed to take photos in there! The display was fantastic! but we did cringe when we saw the horses doing capriolles etc. we kept thinking about the strain on the poor horses legs!

Isn't he gorgeous? The horse is very nice too!!! ;-)

Some of the horses are used purely for driving!

They had two types of horses at the school in Jerez! The purebred Andalusians which they do the classical movements with and the Garrocha (Spanish Cowboys) horses which are Half Andalusians and Half Thoroughbred! they do all the same movements, but can gallop and spin on a sixpence ( or euro)They were much tougher looking too! They had docked tails and hogged manes, apart from the mane and tails I much prefered them, and would loved to have brought one home! Would make a good showjumping speed horse I imagine! ( the chesnut is a Garrocha's horse and the grey an Andalusian)

Ruth, Rachael, and Rita enjoying some wine by the pool!

Our last night in Spain! Dinner in Seville! Clockwise from Fernando, Rachael, Me , Bonnie, Robin, Ann , Kathy, Gini, Nina, Agnetha, Jeanette, Rita, and Ruth! (who are you poking your tongue out to, Ruth?)