Feria del Caballo Jerez Spain 2012

Thank you,Steve, for you good advise. As our airfare is free, we decided to book in Jerez even though prices are way over the top!....a once in a lifetime indulgence. I've tried the escuelas site but no luck. We have a bit of time before push comes to shove so I'll try again. We look forward to reading the guide book for more info. So glad you enjoyed the performance. Upper level dressage to music (called musical kur) is beautiful. Check out some individual Olympic performances on you tube. Thanks also for the photo info. Horses aren't terribly fond of flashes.

We are big fans of the Hotel Europa at Porto Del Sol in Madrid.

Thank you,Frank. I'll look into it. Have actually heard it's nice.

We were at the horse show in June; it was awesome! The only problem is that they don't allow cameras, and they don't have any good post cards or series of pics available for sale. I would take a few pics during the entry and exit of the horses. The did allow people to take lots of pics at the end of the show. In Rick's book he explains how to order the show tickets online @ realescuela.org. It was easy; you print out a receipt at home and present it to pick up your tickets. We have not done the horse fair. If you don't find someone here with experience on the horse fair, you may want to post your question on Trip Advisor. If you are looking for hotels in Jerez why don't you check out Trip Advisor? We were told that if you stay in town during the horse fair that the rates are super expensive. Rick does not talk about places to stay but the Lonely Planet guidebook lists many, along with info on places to eat, etc.. You could check out apt rentals thru VRBO or Homelidays. You could also stay in Cadiz (40 minutes by train or bus), or Arcos (45 min, faster by car, a super near little hill town. It would be my pick! We loved it.)

Ditto for Hotel Europa in Madrid. Re: Royal school, the 2010 RS book says www.realescuela.org or call 956-318-008. Shows only Tues/Thursday at noon. You can also buy tickets for training sessions (M/W/F). I noticed that you cannot yet reserve tickets for 2012 (it only goes through December of this year). So you'll have to keep an eye out (and wait) until they release tickets for May (check the website frequently). I wasn't able to see the school's show on a RS tour last year, but we went instead to Yeguada de la Cartuja (the state breeding farm for the horses). IMHO, way better, you got to go in the barns, touch the horses, and see the hard work behind the scenes. They also do shows (I didn't see one) on Saturdays (www.yeguadacartuja.com, 956-162-809) Since you'll have a car, consider day trips to Arcos de la Frontera and Ronda. It isn't clear where you're flying in/out of, but if it's Madrid I'd suggest you consider taking the high speed train from Madrid to Sevilla, rent car in Sevilla & drive to Jerez, then return car to Sevilla and return by train to Madrid. Cheaper if you get a deal on train tickets (see other posts on this topic, if you buy about 60 days ahead they have very cheap fares).

We went to the show there a year ago and especially enjoyed it. Our group was a bit disappointed about the no photo part as we are photographers and would not use flash, however, we understand their reluctance to allow any cameras, as there are always people who will violate the flash issue. We were able to take photos afterward outside.
I also have to second the suggestion for a day trip to Arcos, or an overnite as that it where we stayed when we went to the horse show. It was one of my favorite parts of that trip. We stayed in a wonderful hotel at the top near the church and it was spectacular.

Thanks so much to all of you for your Informative responses. In a nutshell, we are flying into Madrid for two nights, training to Jerez,(maybe Seville is a better idea). At the moment we are booked into an outrageously expensive hotel but I reckon they are all out of sight for the Feria. We will hire a car and then drive across towards Granada visiting the pueblos blancos along the way. We will be staying at El Amparo (rural resort) near Granada for five days. From there we will tour around, ride and fish....bit of down time. We will then train to Madrid from Malaga for another night or two, taking a day trip tp Toledo. So there you have it....a proposed plan. Working on the airfare as we speak. Nothing is written in stone as of now. I will carry on rechecking the performance site. At the moment it says nothng about tickets. As you say, too early. Your idea of the stud farm is a great one and one we will definitely consider. That would be very cool. What other small towns in Andalucia did you enjoy? Did any of you go to the Alhambra? We will likely spend a full day there. Anything special we should know?

We attended the Feria de Jerez last May on the final Saturday. They had the horses/carriages and riders at the fairgrounds driving in a loop and giving rides (don't know if the rides were only for VIPs and their friends, or available to anyone/for a fee?). Evidently on the Saturday of the Feria there is a performance of the horse show at night, at about 10pm. Although the announcer and the program said "no photography" lots of people were taking flash photos throughout the show and the ushers did nothing. The horse show was amazing. If you cannot get tickets online you might want to look into a tour group to get tickets to the Saturday night performance, and to transport you to/from the feria and the show grounds. As for hotels in Madrid, we stayed at Hostal Santa Cruz which was modest but fine for us, especially since we were out and about most of the time. After your fancy hotel in Jerez it might be too modest...some relatives stayed at the Florida Norte which I suspect is nicer, its near the Palacio Real and they were happy there.

Elizabeth, Thank you so much for your reply. There are two types of horse events during the Feria...the performance by the equestrian schools students and horses and competitions such as show jumping and dressage. I can't seem to find ticket information on either but I reckon it's too early.If anyone can help in this area, please jump in. I think we will be able to see what you saw (and more) even though we are leaving Jerez on Sat. Three days there should be enough to see most everything. Thank you for the hotel info in Madrid. After the prices in Jerez, we may follow you advise!

Hi Betsy, It is amazing what you find when you google things, and when googling Feria del Caballo I saw your post on Rick's site, which I was unaware of, and is an incredible source of travel information. So, I immediately signed up so I could email you. First and foremost, you will fall in love with Jerez; it's amazing. I am a freelance photographer and am working on a photo book of the Feria, and next year will be my 5th Feria del Caballo. I have friends there, so also I get to visit them each Summer. My suggestions based on my experience are to reserve a hotel room, or rent a condo/apartment as soon as possible....the standard thought is to rent as soon as the current year's Feria is over as the rooms are booked very quickly. And yes, they are expensive. Consider going with a team to 2-4 people and you can split the costs. To help save costs, I also rent a condo each year and invite 2-3 friends to help with the lodging; which I barely use as I am photographing the event. For horse tickets just google....Royal Escuela Andaluza del Arte Escuestre...and you can buy tickets for the Special Event Horse show that they have on the Saturday night before the Feria ends on Sunday. I think the week of 6-13 May 2012 are the possible dates for Feria del Caballo 2012...but I have not confirmed as of yet. If you check Real Escuela's site...they have the date of the Special Event for sale, which would give the dates for the Feria away. Normally, by early fall the City of Jerez will announce the dates if not beforehand. As far as crime, I have had no issues thus far in my travels there. If I can assist you or anyone with travel thoughts and notes for Southern Spain/Andalucia or Madrid just advise. I will help where I can. Regards jim
Alexandria, VA

Betsy I did a quick visit to the Real Escuela Equestrian School for tickets for the Special Event in May 2012 during the Feria del Caballo, and did not see the tickets posted for sale yet for 2012. They did still have the event date of 14 May 2011, which I attended. My experience from last year was that I bought tix in January and was able to buy the tickets and pick them up at Will Call upon arrival. Now, I think it is very important to buy beforehand, because the day of the show, you will have 2-lines; one line for people going to buy tix, and a line just to pick-up....the line to buy that day was very, very long. I will keep looking this fall to find when tix go on sale; if I see the date I will make a post. regards jim
Alexandria, VA

Betsy, you might consider spending a night in Cordoba on the way, instead of or in addition to Sevilla. They do a wonderful horse show there-smaller, very accessible to the audience. It is call "the passion and Spirit of the Andalusian Horse" and it is part Spanish Riding School performance (dressage and leaps) and part athleticism. The indoor arena is quite small and photos are fine. We just happened upon it when we were in Cordoba last May and were unable to get tickets for the main performance, but they added another one earlier in the evening. We were able to wander aroudn the stables while they were saddling up before the performance. http://english.turismodecordoba.org/esta-semana.cfm?idnoticia=10638 It is also possible to visit the royal studfarm which is just outside Cordoba, but we did not have time. And if you need more suggestions for Madrid, our room at the four-star Husa Paseo des Artes, just a half-block from Atocha station (where you will catch the AVE to Cordoba and Sevilla) was only 92 euros.

Thanks so much for the suggestions in Cordoba. We are hiring a car in Jerez, driving through the villages to our country resort near Granada. One day we will drive to Cordoba so will try to visit the stud there. Good idea. We are going to ride through the Sierra Nevada at least one day. Also hope to fish AND tour. So much to do...so little time especially where horses are concerned.

there was still a LOT of snow in the Sierra Nevada when we were there in early May-we could see it from our hotel room balcony. But I imagine the places with riding facilities are at lower elevation, so you should be fine. Have fun-sounds like a great trip.

Dear Lola.....Hum, skis or a hard hat. Tough decision :) I'm amazed by the snow statement. Will pack sweater! Seriously though, I'm sure you are correct about the elevation. As long as it's not, ice, I'm cool with riding. We used to fox hunt in the snow in Pa.

You might want to look at staying in either Puerto de Santa Maria or Sanlucar for your time in Jerez. Both are 15 to 20 minutes away from Jerez and driving in Andalucia is pretty easy with all the new roads put in the last 20 years. You might still see signs with just the old road numbers in the more rural areas. Also be sure that wherever you park is legal -- don't get scammed by the gypsies near the feria area. And I recommend you go to any of the public "casetas" at the feria. If you can make some acquaintances to get invited to the others, go for it. They are great fun!

Alisa, thanks so much for your reply that I didn't see until just now. Unfortunately, I've already booked us into a hotel within steps of the fair grounds. The reason for this was that we did t want to hassle with a car or with the driving during the fair...break ins, getting lost, divorcing....We will pick up a car on Sat as we head out and across towards our hotel near Granada. You are right about the gypsies,scammers and shysters. We,re reasonably streetwise, thank heaven. Yes, it can happen to ANYONE! We are looking forward greatly to this trip.