Europe > Spain

Horseback riding trails and riding holidays in Spain

Spain is famous for the Andalucian horse - originally bred for bull fighting but nowadays an ideal companion for dressage or trail rides. Horse riding holidays in Spain offer something for everyone - high class dressage tuition near Seville, trail rides through the beautiful Sierra Nevada or Gredos Mountains, or spectacular beach rides on the island of Menorca.
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From the horse’s mouth

  • The Benasque Valley trail
    June 2025 Stephanie aged 37
    What a beautiful trip this has been! Though most of the time the horses walked due to the (gorgeous but challenging) terrain, there were also some times when we could trot, canter and even gallop. The views were amazing, so were the horses and the local team. I cannot recommend this trip enough, it has been an... Read all
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  • Gredos valley Castle ride
    May 2025 MALIKA aged 66
    ***I would gladly go on ANY future trip with Emilio and Mamen.*** It was my first time to do such a trip. We spent 4-7 hours a day riding (mostly 6-7 hours), but because the saddles were so comfortable, were not "saddle sore" at all. Mamen's cooking was absolutely delicious. It felt like such a personal experience. It... Read all
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  • Gredos valley Castle ride
    May 2025 AURELIA aged 64
    This is correctly described as an intermediate level horse ride. Due to the terrain there is a lot of walking to see the countryside with stretches of cantering when safe terrain allows. Chola was a very well trained horse, keen a got walk trot & smooth canter. She got on well with the other horses & I felt very safe.
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  • Epona - High School Classical Dressage
    March 2025 Lesley aged 69
    As usual, Epona was my home from home but considering how often I go there, isn't surprising. Excellent horses, amazing teaching from Vivi and Rafael Soto. I might be getting old but still so much fun and joy from spending time in Carmona and at Epona. 10 stars to Epona for everything
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  • Epona - Train and Trail
    January 2025 SOPHIE aged 24
    I had an amazing time at Epona. All staff were friendly and helpful which gave the centre a relaxed and welcoming feel- which is important for a holiday! Itinerary and pick ups were always well communicated. Gorgeous countryside for the trail riding, we rode past many historic buildings and farms, as well as through... Read all
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  • White horse during classical training in Spain
    Lusitano horse in the arena
  • Gredos Valley Trail
    Ride beautiful Spanish horses
  • Beach riding in Menorca
    Riding on the beach in the Baleares
  • Gredos Mountains on horseback in Spain
    Crossing a bridge in the Gredos Mountains
  • Horse riding trails in the Sierra Nevada Mountains
    Riders and their horses in the mountains

Visa & Health

Formalities

Please refer to your home country's Foreign Office website for up-to-date information. Although we endeavour to keep this section updated, requirements can change quickly, and your home country's Foreign Office website takes precedence.

This section is mostly directed towards UK citizen. Other nationalities, please contact us.

Visa

You can travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. This applies if you travel as a tourist, to visit family or friends, to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events, or for short-term studies or training.
Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days.

At border control, you may need to:

  • Show a return or onward ticket
  • Show you have enough money for your stay
  • Have your passport stamped on entry/exit

We recommend you to print the invoice before travelling, or have it saved on your phone to show the authorities, if needed.

Passport Validity

You must have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it may have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago.
You should also have an ‘expiry date’ at least 90 days after the date you plan to leave.
Check your passport is valid for travel before you book your trip.

EU Entry/Exit System for non-EU travellers

From October 2025, the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES) will start for all non-EU nationals travelling in or out of the Schengen area.
The EES is a digital border system which registers non-EU visitors travelling into the Schengen area instead of stamping their passports.
You will need to have your fingerprints and your photo taken when entering and exiting the Schengen area.

You may experience longer queues at borders when the new system starts. You can read more information here.

Please click here to check the updated entry requirements.

Health

It’s important to take out appropriate travel insurance for your needs. A GHIC or EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance and you should have both before you travel. It does not cover all health-related costs, for example, medical repatriation, ongoing medical treatment and non-urgent treatment.

UK Citizens: A UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) gives you the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in the European Union (EU).

Travellers should ideally arrange an appointment with their GP around five weeks before travelling. This appointment provides an opportunity to assess health risks taking into account a number of factors including destination, medical history, and planned activities.
For those with pre-existing health problems, an earlier appointment is recommended.

Please click here to check health recommendations.

Insurance

It is a condition of your booking with Equus Journeys that you have travel insurance which covers you for the riding activities to be undertaken. Your travel insurance should cover you for medical expenses and repatriation. Your guides may request your travel insurance details before they allow you to ride and may refuse to let you ride if you cannot provide them. You should take your insurance documents with you.

You can check our "Insurance Guide" here.

Voltage

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs are in use.

Budget and money

The official currency in Spain is the Euro.

Telephone and jetlag

Country code: +34

Country information

Country ID

Capital: Madrid
Area: 504,782 sq km (194,897 sq miles). Includes Balearics, Canaries, Ceuta, and Melilla.

Language: The official language is Spanish (Castilian). Other languages spoken in the first language in Spain include Euskera (in Basque Country, northeastern Spain), Catalan (in Eastern Spain, with variations spoken in Valencia and the Balearics) and Galician (in the northwest). There are also various regional dialects, but you’ll have no problems getting around Spain with knowledge of Castilian Spanish.
Religion: There is no official religion in Spain. Approximately 73% of the population is Roman Catholic, while 22% has no religion. The young generation are less religious than before, but most still celebrate religious festivals. There are approximately 1 million Muslims (2.3% of the country) living in Spain.


Socio-economical data

The economy in Spain has suffered tremendously under the global economic downturn of the early 21st century. Unemployment rate has reached a new Eurozone high at 21.3% in early 2011, with a record of 4.9 million people unemployed. Along with other major European economies, Spain is currently experiencing a negative GDP growth and inflation. The inflation rate in Spain fluctuated from 3 to 3.8% in 2011.
The agricultural sector produces cereals, vegetables, fruit, olive oil, meat and wine. The fishing fleet, although reduced, remains one of the world's largest. In the Canary Islands, bananas are the main crop produced by the agricultural industry, with just over 90% of produce going to the mainland. In fact, the Canary Islands are the largest banana producer in the EU. The next most important crop is tomatoes, followed by potatoes, flowers and ornamental plants and vines.

History

Spain is a strategically located nation, a fact which has led to it being conquered by many empires throughout history. The Celts, Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks all had a hand in the region in ancient times, but the Roman Empire was the first major empire to extend into the Iberian peninsula. Rome was part of Spain from the 2nd century BC through to its demise in the 5th century, when the Visigoths displaced them. Two centuries after that, the Moors stormed across from North Africa into Spain, extending their Islamic Empire.
The reconquest of Spain was a priority for the Christian kingdoms of Europe, who were gradually able to fight their way back into and across parts of Iberia. In the 15th century, Fernando of Aragón and Isabel of Castile married, leading to a unified Spain. It was around this time that Christopher Columbus sailed out to discover the New World, setting off a process of Spanish conquest in the American continent. Colonization created wealth for Spain. Wealth which was, in turn, used to fight wars in Europe and continue the very bloody inquisition in Spain and beyond its borders.
Spain mined so much gold and silver in the New World that it actually devalued the world price gold. Since its entire economy was valued on gold and silver, this hit its economy extremely hard. Whenever Spain entered into war with another European power, the gold and silver ships were also their main weakness, as their opponents would simply attack the slower and weaker gold and silver ships, sinking countless numbers of them. Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th century Spain's power declined even more rapidly, to the point where almost all of its New World colonial possessions were independent by 1811 and most of Spain was under the rule of Napoleon during a couple of years in the early 19th century. The humiliation continued in 1898, when Spain lost Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam, Micronesia, Palau and the Philippines to the United States in the Spanish-American War.
The 20th century was an unstable period in Spain's history. Anarchy and fascism were both gaining prominence in the Spanish political landscape at the turn of the century. In 1931, the Second Spanish Republic was established - only to be destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, which ran from 1936-39. Francisco Franco took control of the country. He would rule Spain with an iron fist for close to four decades.
After Franco's death in 1975, it didn't take long for Spain to move towards democracy. Since 1978, Spain has been a democratic state, a process helped greatly by the attitude of the present King, Juan Carlos. Echoes of Franco's dictatorship rang through during the failed coup of 1981, a coup of which the physical bullet holes can still be seen in the ceiling of the congress building in Madrid. In 1986 Spain became a member of the European Union, and introduced the Euro (€) in 2002, replacing the peseta.

Geography

Spain shares the Iberian Peninsula with its smaller neighbour, Portugal, and is bordered to the northeast by the Pyrenees mountain range that cuts across France and Andorra. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, Spain has numerous stretches of coastline that are extremely crowded especially in summer.
Spain has two main groups of islands that are popular with tourists: the Balearic Islands located 193km (120 miles) southeast of Barcelona, and the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa.
Mainland Spain is the second highest and most mountainous country in Europe, with an average height of 610m (2,000ft). The Pyrenees stretch roughly 400km (249 miles) from the Basque Country's Atlantic coast. In places the peaks rise to over 1,524m (5,000ft), the highest point being 3,404m (11,169ft).
The main physical feature of Spain is the vast central plateau, or meseta, divided by several chains of sierras. The higher northern area includes Castile and León and the southern section comprises Castile-La Mancha and Extremadura. In the south, the high plains rise further at the Sierra Morena before falling abruptly at the great valley of the Guadalquivir.
Southeast of Granada is the Sierra Nevada, which runs parallel to the Mediterranean. Its summit Mulhacen, at 3,718m (12,198ft), is the highest point on the Spanish peninsula. The highest peak in Spain is the Pico del Teide on Tenerife in the Canaries, measuring a height of 3,718m (12,198ft).

People, culture and traditions

Social conventions:
Spanish life has undergone rapid change in recent decades and stricter religious customs have been superseded by more modern ways, particularly in the cities and among women. In spite of this, traditions remain strong; hospitality, chivalry and courtesy thrive. Handshaking is the customary form of greeting between men, while women (outside of a business context) are greeted with a fleeting kiss to either cheek (left then right).
Spaniards eat late; lunch around 1400-1530; the evening meal 2100-2300. The Spanish have two family names; the maternal surname follows the paternal, but is rarely used outside a formal context. Smoking is banned in offices, shops, schools, hospitals, cultural centres and on public transport. Bars and restaurants must declare whether they permit or prohibit smoking. The vast majority have opted for the former, though large restaurants are obliged by law to have a substantial non-smoking section.