There are lots of amazing places and beautiful landscapes to visit in Spain for your horse riding holiday. Horses make up a massive part of Spanish culture and it’s the easiest way to discover the incredible nature of the country, especially in the south of Spain where horses will carry you through the mountain paths of Andalusia. In this blog post I will be telling you all about the amazing luxury horse riding holidays that Cortijo el Chenil Caballos offers in Spain. Also, make sure to keep reading to get your exclusive HATW discount code!
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Unfortunately, this horse riding stables is closed now. Make sure to check out these horse riding holidays in the same area:
4 Day Breathtaking Sierra Nevada Mountain Ride from Lanjaron, Granada
4 Day Extraordinary Horse Riding Holiday in Mollina, Malaga
2 Day Cattle Ranch Stay with 2 Riding Routes in Jaén, Andalusia
Due to the fact that we came to visit the retreat with the two of us, Luzi and I got to ride four different horses between us. This truly gave me a good understanding of the characters of these horses. They are all very different and amazing to ride. The horses at Cortijo el Chenil Caballos are each wonderful in their own way with lots of personality. The retreat does not offer horse riding outside of the arena for beginners, but only for intermediate and experienced riders. This really shows as the horses are incredibly forward going and full of energy, overall a pleasure to ride. The first day Luzi had the pleasure of riding Dez and I rode the amazing Epico. We were guided by Darren on Rociero. The next day Luzi rode Poppy and I rode Farah, we were guided by Darren on Ray. All the horses come from different backgrounds and some are rescues. It’s amazing to see how much they love going out for rides and how the love and respect from Sarah and Darren has turned them into such happy horses! Over the course of 3 days, Luzi also fell in love with Dave, a 5 month old, very cheeky mule at the retreat!
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Farah, Rociero and Epico are for sale and I can’t say I wasn’t tempted to take the beautiful Epico home with me. They all know their basics in dressage, have fantastic breeding and conformation, and most of all, they have such lively characters and are amazing out on the trails.
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Olive groves, majestic mountain views, valleys and pink sunsets and sunrises. The scenery on the rides and at the retreat is absolutely terrific and we were surprised at every turn. The way the horses navigate the steep mountain paths, villages and streams is such a pleasure to see and experience. We did two outrides during our stay, a bar ride and a picnic ride. You can find all the info on the different rides they offer here. On the bar ride we rode up into a beautiful white village and enjoyed a few beers at the local bar. We rode back a different way while witnessing the amazing views as the sun slowly went down into the mountains. For the picnic ride we rode up to a viewpoint, where we were met by Sarah who had set up a delicious breakfast for us. As we were enjoying the local ham, cheeses and fresh croissants, we had a fantastic view over the Andalusian mountains. We then continued our ride by riding past big pastures full of goats and donkeys, and reached a stunning mountain road with views into a valley. Before we arrived back at the retreat, we got to enjoy a lovely last canter up the road.
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Sarah and Darren are the owners of this horse riding destination and they made us feel at home from the second we arrived at their retreat! We were invited into the bar for a drink and met a couple that had just finished 5 days of riding. Because we arrived in the dark, they told us all about the amazing views at the retreat. When we finally got to see them the next morning when the sun came up, we were most definitely not disappointed. Sarah and Darren are truly wonderful hosts and added so much fun to our trip. They are able to give you the best recommendations in the area, such as an amazing traditional restaurant all the way in the mountains. They did everything to make our stay great, and Darren is a fantastic trails guide. His experience as an ex jockey makes him an incredibly knowledgeable horseman. We didn’t know anything about the racing industry before meeting Darren but he answered all our questions with a smile. We even got to try out a racing saddle on Epico! Luzi did amazing, but it’s better for me to stick to dressage and trail riding. We cannot wait to visit Sarah and Darren again in the future.
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At this horse riding holiday destination, you’ll really get to enjoy the facilities to the fullest. Sarah and Darren’s philosophy is to truly get a holiday during your stay with them. There is more than enough time to lounge by the pool, have a few drinks or more at the honesty bar, hang out with all the horses and dogs and so much more. Besides horse riding, they also offer fishing and there are plenty of opportunities for bird watching. Around the area of the retreat there are lots of activities such as kayaking, paddle boarding, dolphin and whale watching, buggy rides, safari tours and so much more. All these activities are less than 45 minutes away from the retreat. Please have a look here to find out everything about what to do during your stay at the retreat. This also makes Cortijo el Chenil the perfect place to bring a non rider with you. It’s possible to book the entire retreat for events, weddings and other celebrations, click here to find out about the possibilities.
The stunning apartments are spacious and equipped with everything you might need on your horse riding holiday. If you are self-catering, you can use the kitchen in the apartment which is equipped with an oven, microwave, grill, coffee machine, and anything else you’ll need for cooking. There will also be towels and fresh linen provided for you to use, as well as a smart TV, DVD player and bluetooth speaker. Besides that, you’ll have your private terrace with an incredible view, air conditioning in the bedrooms and of course wifi! Have a look here to find out everything about the luxury apartments at Cortijo El Chenil.
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Make sure to use the discount code HATW20 to get 20 euros off your booking. You can find the booking forms here. Make sure to fill in the discount code in the special requirements section of the form. I highly recommend going for a minimum of 4 nights. We only did the 3 night package due to lack of time but we really wished we could have stayed longer at this fantastic horse riding retreat in the south of Spain. If you need any help with your booking or have anymore questions, feel free to contact me.
Also read: Planning, booking and paying for your horse riding holiday abroad
More horse riding holidays all over Spain can be found here.
Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
