Horse riding routes, from the Doñana dunes to the Pyrenean meadows.

Seeing the landscape at a horse's pace

A horse ride is not a riding lesson or a race. It is going at a walk, in single file, behind a guide, along paths that on foot would take half a day and that you cannot do by car. That is why it works for people who have never ridden: the horses of serious companies are used to it and the route adapts to the group.

On this page we bring together the Spanish equestrian companies that have a page on Geocalia and whose own website we have read. You will see what each does, what an hour or two costs, from what age you can ride and when it is best to go. Where the website does not publish a detail, such as the price or minimum age, we say so and do not invent it.

Beach and dune: Doñana and Cabo de Gata

The Doñana coast is the best-known place to ride beside the sea. Doñana Hípica El Pasodoble leaves from Parque Dunar in Matalascañas and crosses the fossil dunes with the Atlantic in view. It has three rides for first-time riders: one hour (€30), an hour and a half (€35) and two hours (€40, with a sunset departure in July and August). You can go without experience between the ages of 12 and 65; from 6 to 11 at least a year of lessons is required. Rides along the beach itself are only for experienced riders. It runs all year, except the week of the Rocío pilgrimage.

A little further south, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the beach is the racecourse for the August horse races: watch them free from the sand on the Bajo de Guía walk. For riding on the Cádiz coast, such as Conil or Tarifa, we do not yet have a page for a company with its own verified website, and we do not recommend any without having read it.

In the south-east, Cabo de Gata has a different kind of beach: unspoilt coves among lava. Hípica Aguamarga leaves from a spot 3 km from Agua Amarga and offers rides of one, two and three hours. The two-hour one reaches Cala de Enmedio and, if it is not busy, you ride along the shoreline. The three-hour ones require some experience. Prices are not on its website: call and ask.

On the Valencian coast, the Club Hípico Legend de Villajoyosa has rides of one to four hours in the mountains or towards the beach, for all levels; the four-hour ones are for advanced riders.

Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees: meadows, rivers and beech woods

In the Pyrenees the offer is the densest. In the Broto valley, Caballos Casa Blas offers rides of one hour (€20) and two (€40) from Sarvisé, with a reduced rate for under-12s. In the Aran Valley, rides of 1, 2 and 3 hours leave from Vielha, with ponies up to age 5 and from €30 an hour, from spring to autumn. In the Cerdanya, the Hípica de Llívia goes out every day from age 8 and publishes €25 for one hour, €32 for an hour and a half and €40 for two; these are prices posted in 2023, so confirm them when you book. In Berga, the Vilaformiu riding centre takes bookings by WhatsApp and offers from 1 h 30 up to La Figuerassa, with full-moon rides in season.

Further south, at the foot of Montserrat, a ranch in Castellbell i el Vilar organises rides with Western riding; there is a plan with a ride, lunch and the rack railway. In the Montseny, Can Vila charges from €28 an hour and crosses the Tordera river.

On the French side, the excursion to Gavarnie reaches the glacial cirque on horseback, in case your trip crosses the border.

Picos de Europa, Asturias and the interior: named mountain ranges

In Cangas de Onís, El Dorado has been running for more than 25 years with rides of one and two hours along the royal road to Isongu and along the riverbank to Corao, with a cider stop on the two-hour ride, suitable from age 8 and 1.20 m in height. Its website does not publish prices. Closer to Arriondas, the ride beside the Sella costs €25 an hour and €40 for two, with a minimum height of 1.30 m.

In Castilla y León, Gredos a Caballo leaves from Hoyos del Espino with two-hour rides (€45) for beginners and half-day or full-day rides for those who already ride; in the Sierra de Francia there is a one-hour ride for €38, and at Las Médulas, from Salas de la Ribera, rides of 1 or 2 hours to the La Palombeira cave, from age 9 and with a maximum of 95 kg.

In Aragón and Teruel, the Tramacastilla ride through the Sierra de Albarracín costs €35 an hour and admits children from age 6. In Morella, the hour-and-a-half ride crosses the Bergantes river with the town in view. And in the Bardenas Reales, from Landazuría, the rides are 3 to 4 hours and cost from €150: it is a plan for someone who has already ridden.

Levels: how much you need to know

No experience. Almost all one-hour rides, and several two-hour ones, are. The guide explains how to mount and how to handle the horse before setting out. If it is your first time, choose one hour: two weigh on your legs and back.

Some experience. Rides of three hours or more, those that cross open country or those that include trotting, require you to keep your balance and steer the horse. The companies state this, and if not, ask.

Advanced riders. The rides on the Doñana beach or the four-hour ones in inland Alicante are for those who ride regularly. Do not sign up out of pride: a tired horse weighs more on the descent.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times almost everywhere. Inland and in the south, summer calls for the first or last hour of the day; in the Pyrenees and the Picos, summer is the most comfortable season, although it sometimes fills up. In winter, the Doñana coast, Cabo de Gata and the Marina Baixa can be ridden well, and in the mountains it is wise to confirm whether there is a departure, especially with snow or mud. Most companies work all year with advance booking; Doñana closes during Rocío week.

What to bring

Long trousers that do not chafe on the saddle, closed shoes with a firm sole (no sandals), a light layer and water. In summer, a cap and sun protection. Almost all companies lend a helmet, and in several it is compulsory for children. If you bring a camera, put it in a securely closed bag: on a horse there is nowhere to keep anything. For children, measure them: many companies set a minimum height, as well as an age.