Ever since I saw picture postcards of colorfully dressed women riding behind a well dressed man on a beautiful Andalusian horses, I knew I wanted to see the Jerez horse fair.
Well, we went this week end and it was fabulous! I love all the festivals in Spain, but this one was really special. If you are ever in the area in early May, make sure you spend at least one day at this very special event with some of the most beautiful women and horses in the world.
We also had a delicious traditional meal and heard some fabulous flamenco. I even enjoyed the sherry which is not something I usually like.
I have read that this has been going on since the 1300 and it definitely has a timeless feel.
It is a week long celebration and it does always take place early in May. This year's fair started a week ago Sunday ( which was the end of April) and ended this past Sunday ( May 4th). I think the dates do change a little every year.
Here is a video that captures a bit of it and that site has more information about Jerez and the fair.
I was not really that thrilled the first time we saw Jerez, but the fair is very special and the video does not do it justice. Even pictures do not do it justice. It is one of those things you have to experience. The combination is quite magical.
If you like horses and horse fairs, then you shouldn’t miss the Portuguese Thoroughbred Festival in Portugal (Cascais) every year in June (this year from June 4th till June 7th) where the breeders showcase their best horses and the Saint Martin’s Fair every November in Golegã (a small village near the city of Santarém in Portugal). It’s a weeklong celebration of the horse and this year it’ll go from November 7th till November 16th.
I am not really a horse person, although I have grown fond of the beautiful Andalusian horses and the amazing ballet that they can do. I hear and see them clomp by my window all winter long or watch my daughter feed them sometimes after school on the walk home past the country side. Once this winter we saw a new baby foal just hours old in the street with it's mother, so that it will be use to the chaos of cars, people and mopeds which makes up village life today.
BUT, it was really the colorful dresses, elegant outfits, flamenco and Spanish flair that attracted me to this fair.
It is exhilarating to see so many beauties in gorgeous dresses on the back of these stallions or strolling along like flowers on heels, handsome men attired in elegant hats & outfits, babies and children dressed in mini versions, hearing the heartfelt music or tasting the sherry & traditional food,..... thus hard not be enchanted by the charms of Andalusia. The regal horses, fancy dressage and ancient carriages add to the ambiance for sure, but was not what brought me.
That said, I will be going to Portugal next, so will look into the festivals that you mention. Thanks!! Since they are both in Iberia, it will be interesting to see how Spain and Portugal compare.
There are quite a few differences between Portugal and Spain… after all, the now good humored feud between the two countries is almost 900 years old! For a similar setting as the Jerez Fair (but with a little less colour) you should see the Saint Martin’s Fair. The Portuguese Thoroughbred Festival is a breeder’s event so it goes without a lot of the frills of the previous two but you get to see beautiful horses from all ages, foals and adults. For the lay person the Portuguese and the Spanish breeds look pretty much the same but don’t try that line at festival! Actually the two breeds have the same origin and most experts consider that the most fundamental differences aroused in the twentieth century on the account of the political instability and strife that mainly Spain went through which compromised the purity and quality standards of the breed in Spain therefore making the Portuguese thoroughbred a more consistent horse in general.
If you like equestrian shows the Palácio de Queluz near Lisbon is where the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art is housed. You can see them train Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. till 1 p.m. and you can also see the show every Wednesday at 11 a.m. from May until October .
But here I am blabbing away (I’m an amateur rider )… If you need any help around here, let me know. I’ll be glad to help if I can.
Slow Travel Talk 
)… If you need any help around here, let me know. I’ll be glad to help if I can.
