DAY 27: JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA: A MUST STOP FOR HORSE PEOPLE

Tuesday, May 13 (Jerez de la Frontera) - As a horse lover / rider / equestrian my whole life, I was excited to not only visit Jerez de la Frontera, but to visit during their annual horse festival!

I planned a stopover in Jerez between Sevilla and Cadiz, thanks to Javier - an awesome guy I found on Couchsurfing who said he would hang on to my luggage for the day while I explored the city.  I've never used Couchsurfing before, and I'm warming up to the idea of it (just started using Airbnb), but what a great way to utilize the network of people who want to help tourists out in their hometowns!

So Javier met me at the train station in Jerez and walked me to his place where we dropped off my luggage and then departed as he went back to work and I went over to the world famous Fundacion Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre.  This organization promotes equestrian arts through breeding, training and shows for tourists.  I had a chance to witness the show and was thoroughly impressed!

Before the show begins, you can watch the riders warm up ("school") in the outdoor ring to get a taste of what you are about to see.  I've seen a lot of riding, I've done a lot of riding, but dressage is a discipline that I have only dabbled in.  This art is where the horse seems to be dancing and does fancy and difficult moves such as marching in place ("piaffe") and cantering in a lateral direction.  Watching the riders collect their horses and practice these advanced movements - while barely noticing the ask or signal to the horse - was stunning.

A little piaffe to prepare for the show

Schooling for the horse show

Getting ready for the show!

Dressage seemed to be the foundation of the show, but in a unique way that brought to life the Andalusian horse, its beauty, its strength, and its utility.  Photos were not allowed but I was able to quickly snap a shot of one of the horses performing one of the 'airs above the ground' or higher-level dressage movements.  This one is called the "capriole" and is when a horse rears up with force, jumps up and kicks out his hind legs in mid-air.

Andalusian horse doing a capriole

After the show, I walked over to the fairgrounds where the annual horse festival was taking place.  It was early in the day (1 or 2PM) when I arrived, so it was not very crowded, but by the time I left a few hours later, people were everywhere.  The festival itself has very little to do with horses (unfortunately).  There are special shows and events throughout the week of the fair, but not on the day I happened to visit.  So the fair itself was very similar to the Feria de Abril in Sevilla which I attended a few days ago.  There were rows and rows of casetas (tents decorated in unique ways with food, drinks, dancing, and conversation), and many people were dressed in traditional flamenco attire.  However, unlike Feria in Seville, the casetas were public and you can go in and out of as many as you choose.  (Very few are private, but there are some).  Also, it seemed like a more laid back atmosphere with fewer people dressed up.  

Entering Feria del Caballo 2014

Dressed for the occasion

I went caseta-hopping, enjoyed the new "it" drink of the Feria called Pepe Limon (Tio Pepe, a sherry from Jerez, and lemonade) and had a different tapa everywhere I went.  I wish I was there during a horse-related event, but I still had a great time and love that I was able to take part in two of the biggest festivals in Andalusia!

Enjoying tapas in a caseta

Refreshing Pepe Limon