Spain - Dressage & Show Jumping in Majorca

Please Note: The opinions expressed in these reviews are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Trails Ltd. These reviews are "directly from the horses mouth" and unedited. Unicorn Trails may make additional comments for clarification clearly identified in red.

Review received from CS of Lockerbie on 05/07/2016

Dressage:

Sunday: Arrive at the finca. Relax in the your room and then have a welcome cocktail with the group to learn about the horse riding holiday. Free time to explore the finca grounds or have a swim until 19.30 when dinner is served and you meet your fellow riders. No riding on a Sunday.

Monday:
08.00-09.30 Breakfast
09.30-11.00 Dressage lesson
11.30-14.00 Own time
14.30 Lunch
17.00-18.30 Dressage lesson
19.30 Dinner

Tuesday:
08.00-09.00 Breakfast
09.30-12.30 Dressage lesson
14.30 Lunch
17.00-18.30 Dressage lesson
19.30 Dinner

Wednesday:
08.00-09.30 Breakfast
09.30-11.00 Dressage lesson
11.30-14.00 Own time
14.30 Lunch
17.00-18.30 Dressage lesson
19.30 Dinner

Thursday:
08.00-09.00 Breakfast
09.30-11:00 Day trail ride to mountain
18.30-19.30 Own time
19.30 Dinner

Friday:
08.00-09.00 Breakfast
09.30-12.30 Dressage lesson
14.30 Lunch
17.00-18.30 Dressage lesson
19.30 Dinner

Saturday:
08.00-09.00 Breakfast
09.30-11.00 Dressage lesson
14.30 Lunch
19.30 Farewell dinner

One of these days will have an all day ride to the mountains. The day depends on the itinerary of that week.

Sunday: Breakfast as before 10.00 free time until your transfer back to Palma airport and farewell to Mallorca, Spain.

Show Jumping:
This programme follows a similar structure as the above combining 4h flatwork, 3h jumping, 3h dressage, 1h short trail and one all day trail.

Sunday: Arrive at the finca. Relax in the your room and then have a welcome cocktail with the group to learn about the horse riding holiday. Free time to explore the finca grounds or have a swim until 19.30 when dinner is served and you meet your fellow riders. No riding on a Sunday.

Monday: 1.5h flatwork and 1h trail in the morning

Tuesday:  1h dressage morning  and 1h jumping afternoon

Wednesday: Day trail ride to mountain

Thursday: 1h jumping morning and 1.5h flatwork afternoon

Friday: 1h flatwork morning and 1h dressage afternoon

Saturday: 1h dressage and 1h jumping

Sunday: Breakfast as before 10.00 free time until your transfer back to Palma airport and farewell to Mallorca, Spain.
 

Please note: All itineraries are given for your guidance only and it may be altered on the ground and in accordance with the prevailing conditions by the organising team.

The stallions are in first class condition and are well-mannered and responsive. The working stallions are classic examples of the Andalusian breed and stand about 15.2hh. The instructors are German taught dressage instructors who speak excellent English and Spanish. If preferred you can use geldings.



As well as working with the stallions (groundwork and ridden work) in the menages there are trail rides out exploring the local scenery on other horses at the finca each day as well. The trail horses are mainly homebred Spanish and Andalusian horses renowned for their sensible temperament - all are fit and responsive. Sizes range from 14.2 up to 16hh; they are ridden in both English and Spanish tack. There are around 30 horses available for the guests to ride.

On the dressage programme riders are expected to be able to groom, saddle and then shower their horses after working. To ride and handle the stallions a degree of confidence and knowledge of dressage is expected but the stallions can be substituted for well trained school-master geldings if the rider can not manage a stallion or simply would prefer a gelding. Minimum age 15.

The weight limit for this ride is 209 lb/95 kg, please enquire if you are an experienced rider exceeding this weight.

The finca offers 8 standard double bedrooms (all en-suite), each decorated in the traditional style of this island. All guest rooms have a bathroom, satellite TV, minibar, fan, central heating, air conditioning a safe and a telephone: most have french windows opening onto a balcony. There are also 4 wooden chalets which come equipped with twin beds, a lounge area, bathroom and outside decking area with tables and chairs.



The superior rooms have been newly built for 2018. They are situated next to the main building above the new dining room (also renovated for 2018). The rooms are more spacious and offer views of the terrace, swimming pool and vineyards from their balconies. The superior rooms can accommodate up to 4 people.



There is also a junior suite available, please ask your Travel Advisor for more information. Cots are provided free of charge in every room.



The restaurant serves Mediterranean food where you can sample typical Majorcan dishes. Breakfast is continental - help yourself to cereal, rolls, meats, cheeses, croissants, a selection of juices and coffee. At breakfast you are given a form from which to select your lunch and dinner choices - both meals are three course and the finca is licenced with a full bar open all day.



The finca has its own 5m x 11m swimming pool; cycles are available for hire onsite and there is a spa at the finca which is also available. Please note that SPA facilities are not available in June. There is free WiFi for guests

Vegetarian or other dietary requirements can be accommodated with advanced notice. Please contact Unicorn Trails with requests.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct documentation in place for your trip. If Visa’s are required the requirements can change from year to year depending on diplomatic relations. Please request information from the appropriate Consulate in your home country. Unicorn Trails will assist with any questions you have or supply any necessary supporting documents as required by the consulate on request.

General information:

Visa are not required for U.K. or other European nationals. In the UK the British Foreign Office gives travel advice on travel insurance, passport and visas, health and vaccinations, legal issues and emergency issues. They can be reached on 0207 008 0232/0233 or at www.fco.gov.uk

The British Consulate in Madrid is at the Calle de Fernando el Santo 16, 28010 Madrid. Tel: +34 91 7008200. Email: commerce@ukinspain.com www.ukinspain.com.

The Spanish Embassy in the U.K can be found at 39 Chesham Place, London SW1X 8SB. Tel: (020) 7235 5555.

Varies from a low of 14 degrees in January to the mid/high 30s in mid-summer

No special health precautions are required for visits to Spain, for further details please see your local doctor. We do advise taking plenty of sunscreen!

For up to date information on specific health concerns please contact the Medical Advisors For Travellers Abroad. Their website can be found at www.masta.org

Voltage is the same as in the UK and most appliances such as battery chargers for videos, hair dryers etc. can be plugged in with appropriate adapters. These are available for purchase at most airports and travel shops.

230V 50HZ with a two pronged round pin plug

Mainstream batteries and film can be bought from local towns, there is electricity and mobile phone reception in the hotel.

It is warm to hot all year round so pack accordingly, in the evenings it may be cooler in the autumn, winter and spring. Remember your swimming gear (it is a lovely pool) and plenty of suntan lotion - temperatures will reach the mid-high 30s in August.
Jodhpurs/riding trousers, long sleeved shirt and T-shirts, riding hat, boots/walking shoes, ½ leg chaps, sun hat, toiletries, warm jacket, rainproof coat, camera, binoculars, NB sun cream, swimming costume, shorts. As with all trail riding short boots/walking boots which are comfortable and fit well are invaluable and infinitely preferable to long riding boots.
Hats and half chaps can be borrowed.

This is a 8 days/7 nights programme with 6 days riding available Sunday to Sunday from March to November. No riding on a Sunday.

2021: Every Sunday to Sunday from 1st March to mid November.
No riding on a Sunday.

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‘The New Spaniards’ –John Hooper, ‘Driving over Lemons’- Chris Stewart, ‘The Story of Spain’- Mark Williams, ‘South of Granada’ – Gerald Brenan, ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ – Ernest Hemmingway, ‘As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning’- Laurie Lee and ‘Don Quijote de la Mancha’ – Miguel de Cervantes. For the equestrian traveller who would like to see what is possible on horseback visit www.thelongridersguild.com also a fantastic place to acquire your equestrian travel books is www.horsetravelbooks.com

Bicycle hire is available onsite; a 11m x 5m swimming pool and the spa at the finca can also be enjoyed at the end of the day

Look out for the protected tortoises are you ride through the forests, also geckos can be spotted around the finca. Inland you will pass fields full of sheep wearing bells, goats (even pygmy goats!); asses and donkeys - some still used as a form of transport. You will ride past mulberry trees (red and white fruiting); fig trees; carob trees; orange, lemon trees; date palms and vineyards.

The finca is located in a beautiful remote location so if you want to explore the island you may like to hire a car from Palma airport. Local markets are close by and fascinating to visit.

Spain is a beautiful and diverse country, the second largest in Europe. The official language is Castilian Spanish but Catalan, Galician and Basque are also spoken. Territory includes two island archipelagos – the Balearics and the Canaries – and two enclaves on the North African coast, bordering Morocco – Ceuta and Melilla. The African influence can be found throughout Spain but especially in the south, for example the guitar was invented by the Spanish when they added a sixth string to the Arab lute. Music and art permeates Spanish culture, most obviously displayed in the fire and passion of the Flamenco and the stunning modern architecture found in the cities.

The famous siesta is still enjoyed by the majority of Spaniards, most shops close at lunchtime for two or three hours so everyone can escape the often scorching afternoon sun. Evening meals are served late into the evening with plenty of wine or sangria. Often meals can last two or three hours, especially if your host is serving Tapas, small and varied dishes of meats, bread, vegetables. Paella is also a delight and very popular across the country.

Spain is one hour ahead of GMT and they use the metric weights and measures system, so kilometres and kilograms instead of miles and pounds. There is approximately 1.6 kilometres in a mile and 2.2 pounds in a kilogram. The international dialling code for Spain is +34.