Choosing a riding holiday without personal experience of the centre you are thinking of visiting can be a very difficult task. To help you avoid expensive and uncomfortable mistakes here are a few questions that it is wise to ask any centre before you make up your mind:


Magic horses? Many centres will advertise that their horses are excellent for beginners, intermediate and advanced riders and can carry every weight from a child to a 14 stone adult. However, if you ask how many horses they actually have and how many are actually in work at the time, you discover they only have 8 or 10. How can 8 or 10 horses cope with all these tasks unless they are magic?

At Epona you will find more than 60 horses and ponies, all well mannered, well schooled and fit for their purpose. With that number we really can cope with beginners, advanced riders and everything in between. It really is possible to match the temperament of the horse to rider and it is possible to change horses if the horse and rider are not getting along.
You will find we have different horses for trail riding, dressage and for jumping although of course, like humans, some are good at more than one thing. We have found that we need this many good horses to cope with the needs of 8-10 riders a week.


Are all the instruction staff and ride leaders suitably qualified? Who is actually going to teach you and take you out on rides? Are they bi-lingual? We have all heard horror stories, particularly in Spain, of riders being allowed to go out on unsuitable horses with unqualified instructors and ride leaders and no insurance or first aid knowledge and unable to speak the same language as their guests.

At Epona every instructor is fully qualified by the BHS and/or ABRS and the Spanish Equestrian Federation. All ride leaders and assistant ride leaders hold diplomas from British Equestrian Tourism and the Federation of International Equestrian Tourism (FITE). You will only be taught or led by bi-lingual staff (some multi-lingual). All ride leaders carry mobile phones to summon rapid help in the unlikely event that this is necessary.


Will you have to ride to the lowest common denominator? Can the centre cope with groups of mixed ability and age? If you are travelling with children in the family or even with a group of friends it is likely that people will have varying levels of ability. Many centres cope with this by tuning down the level of activity to suit the weakest rider, which is little fun for those of greater ability.

Because at Epona we are an Approved BHS Training and Examination Centre, we are used to training people of all abilities, from beginner to advanced High School work. We are, therefore, happy to split rides and adapt our programme as necessary to suit both experienced and less experienced riders and have the horses, ponies and staff to cope.


Will they cancel your holiday if they don't get enough riders? Many people are unaware that many riding holiday centres will cancel your holiday at the last minute if they don't get a minimum number of riders for any particular week. Even in these circumstances you are unlikely to have all of your deposit returned and they certainly won't compensate you for the flight you have already booked. So ask if they need a minimum number of riders and what happens if they don't get them.

At Epona we don't require a minimum number or riders. If you book with us, the holiday will go ahead even if there are only one or two people booked for the week.


How long has the riding centre been running holidays? It takes time for any new venture to get up to speed and understand what makes a good riding holiday. The more experienced the centre, the more chance you will have of enjoying a trouble free holiday.

At Epona we have been running training and trail riding holidays since 1985. In the many years since, we have developed a lot of experience and made a lot of firm friends.


Ask what equestrian facilities the holiday offers. How many arenas do they have and what size are they? Do they have a covered school? This is particularly important in Spain where the heat of the sun can be a major problem. If hacking, what sort of countryside will it be in? Will you come across traffic and paved roads? Will you have to ride through towns?

At Epona we have:

• 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 lungeing ring
• unlimited hacking in beautiful countryside with no paved road or fences

Will you be riding with English tack? What is the quality and safety of the tack you will be using? Again stories are legion about people having to ride with poor, ill fitting and uncomfortable and often dangerous tack.

As a BHS approved training and examination centre, all our tack is regularly checked and renewed and is fit both for the rider and most importantly the horse. Most of our riding is with English tack, however we do have a McClellan saddle, Western saddle, Australian saddle and a Spanish country saddle available on request.


Where will you actually be staying? Will you be lonely?
It is not uncommon for some or all guests to be put into bed and breakfast accommodation in different locations outside the riding centre. If you are on holiday alone it can be a lonely evening after the riding has finished, sitting on your own in your bedroom in a distant village where you do not know anyone.

At Epona you will stay in an en-suite bedroom at the 16th Century family hacienda surrounded by dogs, cats and 60 horses and ponies. Every afternoon and evening you can join the rest of the party to enjoy a drink and chat about the day's activities in one of two traditional living rooms. You can play music, watch tv, play games or read. You are even welcome to visit and help with the horses under stable yard supervision. There is also a swimming pool open from april to november and plenty of places to sunbathe. You will also find vending machines for water, soft drinks, ice cream as well a small boutique where you can buy Epona t-shirts, sweatshirts, vests and caps as a memento of your visit.


Will you really ride on a beach? If so, when?
Riding centres in Spain and Portugal often give the impression that you will be able to ride on the beach cantering through the surf. The reality is that it is almost impossible to ride legally on any beach in Spain and Portugal at a civilised time of day. In those few locations where it is possible to ride on the beach, you'll find it's only possible before eight in the morning or after ten at night. There are still a few places you can ride outside these times in the winter between November and March. Even then, it's quite possible that your 'beach ride' will only be observing the beach from a distance as you ride along a cliff.

At Epona we will take you to an area of outstanding natural beauty where we have permission to ride for up to three hours at any time of the day through the herb-strewn dunes, through the surf and along the magnificent beaches of the Doñana National Park. This we can guarantee 12 months of the year.


Ask how far your destination is from the airport and in what sort of vehicle you will be collected. After a long journey the last thing you want is to spend another couple of hours trekking by bus or train or expensive taxi to your final destination. It is not uncommon for three or four people travelling together to find that they can't get themselves and all their luggage into a single taxi, doubling the cost of the fare from the airport to the final destination.

Epona will always send someone to meet you with one or two modern minibuses that can comfortably take you and your luggage to the nearby centre. We are happy to pick up any of our guests from Seville bus terminal, train station or airport, at pre-set times. The journey to Epona will take about 25 minutes from the train or bus station and about 15 minutes from the airport. (Don't worry if it sounds a little close to the airport, we are not on the flightpath and you will rarely hear an aircraft at Epona)


What extras are not included in the holiday price?
You will often find on arrival that you are asked to pay for transfers to and from the airport and extras for other services which were not clearly explained prior to booking.

At Epona all transfers to and from Seville on arrival and departure, and transfers which are part of the set programme, are included within your holiday price. All other extras are clearly listed as part of the programme details.


Do you have a special diet? Are you sure the centre understands and can cope with your needs?

Jane is the cook at Epona and in all these many years she has been faced with many hundreds of different dietary requirements and has met the challenge creatively. As long as you tell us at the time of booking what your requirements are, we are sure he can cope.


Will your room and towels be cleaned daily? What facilities does it have?

All en-suite rooms at Epona will have the beds made, room and bathroom cleaned and towels changed on a daily basis, if required.
You will also find a direct-dial telephone, tea and coffee making facilities, free drinking water, boot jack, swimming pool towels and hair dryer in your room.


Will you be cut off from the world? Some places are completely cut off from the world and you often have to rely on your own cell phone (if there is coverage)

At Epona we  have a comfortable broadband internet room so you can stay up to date with your emails or surf the net for any information you require. If you are coming by car you will find that we are only a couple of minutes from the main Seville/Cordoba motorway with lots of free easy parking. If you don't want a car, you'll find the bus stop is only a five minute stroll away, with a regular service to Seville or Carmona.

Once you have asked these questions and compared a holiday elsewhere to a holiday at Epona, we think you'll agree that we offer one of the most interesting, enjoyable and best value riding holidays around.