Spanish Horses Can Dance

       [Jerez] Spanish Horses Can Dance
       Andalusia: Dressage and Equestrian Ballet
       Andalusia is undoubtedly one of Spain’s most vibrant regions. Without Andalusia, Spain would lose much of its charm. Seville, Granada, Córdoba, Málaga… there are so many captivating cities in Andalusia that leave visitors enchanted. That’s why Jerez de la Frontera, this rather unassuming little town—you may not know its name, and that’s understandable. But you can’t ignore it or overlook it, not only because of its important historical significance, but also because it is home to three globally renowned specialties: sherry wine, the Jerez horse, and flamenco.

 

Equestrian Performances — Carriage Shows

 

       In 2009, I set off from Seville and took a quick day trip here, just to taste sherry wine—just for that one intoxicating sip of Spanish sunshine. Later, after reading a blog post by my fellow blogger Shuangxue Mingming about the equestrian events and festivals in Jerez, I thought to myself: next time I have the chance, I must come back in spring and join the fun—definitely to see the equestrian shows.
       Driving from Seville to Jerez takes less than an hour. We set our GPS destination as the equestrian school. In Jerez, everything revolves around horses—our top priority was securing tickets to the equestrian performance before anything else...

       Skipping all the details, thanks to our efforts, we not only got the performance tickets but also managed to obtain photography permission!(Photography is usually not allowed during the shows—the easygoing Spanish are oddly strict about this.)
       The equestrian performances start at noon every Tuesday and Thursday. We arrived early, and there were already quite a few spectators present. (During the Horse Festival, there are additional shows—apparently from October to March, they’re only on Thursdays.) We hurried into the performance venue, almost as if afraid someone else might take our seats.
       Actually, these photos of the school were taken after the show... You can tell how excited we were.

 

Royal Box

 

 

       Montage 1: The Famous Jerez Horses The Jerez horse is world-renowned. It often appears in top-tier international horse racing events. The Jerez horse, also known as the Spanish horse, has a breeding history dating back to the 15th century. Monks at the Carthusian monastery in Jerez bred what is said to be a horse with Arabian lineage—the Carthusian horse—which is considered the “ancestor” of today’s Spanish horses. It is said that these horses have exceptional rhythm, agility, excellent jumping ability, courage, and gentleness—they possess all the virtues of a top-class horse.

       Spain doesn’t just have fine horses—it also has world-class equestrian schools. This is the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, where we are today.

       Established in 1973, the school was created primarily to preserve the region’s long-standing equestrian traditions. In 1987, King Juan Carlos II and Queen Sofía granted the school the title of “Royal Patronage,” which is probably why it carries the “Royal” title today.