Riding at Epona
EQUESTRIAN FACILITIES
At
Epona you'll find:
- an Olympic size dressage arena 60 x 20 m
- a 42x22m covered floodlit school with sprinklers
- two additional dressage arenas 30x15m one of which is floodlit
- one 50 x 50m jumping arena with a wide selection of jumps
- a small cross country course
- a 20m lunging ring
- unlimited hacking in beautiful countryside with no paved road or fences
THE HORSES
Many centres are limited in who they can take and what riding activities they can offer because of the limited number of horses they own. Epona has over 60 horses of different breeds, shapes, sizes, levels of training and temperament, so they can match each guest with the ideal horse for the trail rides, different levels of dressage and jumping lessons. Most of their horses are Andalucians or Andalucian cross breeds but they have other breeds such as Warmbloods (Hanoverian, Westfalian, Holsteiner, Oldenburg and Selle Français), Anglo-Arabs, English Thoroughbreds and different breeds of ponies.
COMBINED TRAIN & TRAILRIDING ITINERARY
Most holiday programmes offer either trailriding or tuition. Epona gives
you the best of both. The combined programme allows you to enjoy the countryside
around Seville in a way which is impossible for those who do not ride.
At the same time they will allow you to experience the joy of riding the
sensitive, honest Andalucian doing what he does best, dressage school
work.
TRAINING ONLY ITINERARY
The Epona training holiday has been developed for a restricted number
of people who want five days of training to improve their dressage or
jumping on Epona's well-schooled Andalucians and thoroughbreds. Epona's
wide selection of horses can cope with most weights and levels of riding
ability from novice to high school work. Groups are divided to keep the
levels similar. Lessons tend to have only 3 or 4 riders.
The level at which you will be taught, under the supervision of Chief Instructor Catalina Garcia Dow, will be based on the information you give us on your booking form about your riding ability and what you wish to achieve during your stay, combined with the assessment lesson on your first day of training. As a BHS approved training and examination centre, all instructors have an obligation to ensure that pupils are challenged but not over-faced. The dressage work that you will be doing will mainly focus on riding your horse round, straight, and balanced, riding transitions, lateral movements, flying changes (depending on your ability) and may include High School work on the stallions for advanced riders.
Following your assessment, your instructor may suggest a session of lunging or other remedial work to help you achieve a higher level of ability. Lessons will be held in the morning and afternoon leaving you free to take it easy by the pool, watch the others ride, or take the bus into Carmona or Seville for a few hours sightseeing. You are guaranteed 10-15 hours of tuition during your stay. All lessons will be on horses using English tack.
INSTRUCTORS
All Epona's instructors are British Horse Society qualified and speak
fluent Spanish and English, so safety and knowledge are guaranteed, this
way your lessons will always be fun, interesting and helpful. Here is
a summary of our instructors qualifications and experience.
QUALIFICATIONS
Epona is British Horse Society Approved Centre, as well as a member of
the Association of British Riding Schools, the Andalucian Equestrian Federation
and FEBEMACH, the Association of European Equestrian Centres. This guarantees
that the centre offers the very highest standards of safety and a high
level of instruction. You will only be taught by qualified instructors
and led by qualified, bilingual guides.
+44 (0)20 8904 3964
