Equido 2008 - Horse Festival El Ejido 10th -13th April
April 14th, 2008 - Chris MarshallPlease note this post has been edited since it was originally posted on the site to include Pam’s information as well.
Thanks to Irene for this information on their trip to the above festival:
This was our fist visit to this annual spectacle held on the grounds opposite the new Market site in the centre of El Ejido.
We arrived in the afternoon of the final day and caught the end of the finals competition. A large crowd were there but mainly of local and rural people and we saw very little tourists. The exhibition tent offered the visitor a chance to savour many local and traditional delights such as hams, choritzos, wines and breads. Lots of stands with leather goods and boots made here in Spain at very low prices if one was to compare them with prices in the UK. It was lovely to see the young ladies of all ages proudly wearing their traditional and very colourful flamenco dresses. There were a few stalls which displayed and sold these beautiful creations and it seemed to us they had done a roaring trade. No doubt many were bought in readiness for the biggest festival in El Ejido and indeed Almeria - that of San Marcus on 26th April. Not to be missed!
However, despite the beauty displayed in human form it was the horses themselves that caught most people’s attention. It was possible to visit the stables and pet these wonderful placid creatures and admire their stature, colour and poise. Each winning medal of mention of honor award had been posted at each winning enclosure so one could admire agree or disagree with the judges choices. There were also a number of foals on show and they were just gorgeous! Little girls and boys alike were all fascinated by these little darlings who snuggled up to their mums and wondered what all the fuss was about. The evening spectacle was in all honesty a disappointment and one of our party confirmed this when she compared it with last year’s event and said that this year was most certainly substandard.
However, it was rewarding in the sense that we felt very much a part of the community, because as always those involved were most welcoming and happy to answer our questions in their usual friendly and helpful manner.
And thanks also to Pam for her information as well:
9 of us set off to see The Equido in El Ejido last night - no problem with getting in, nice orderly queue - inside we saw rows and rows of very uncomfortable seats, sorted ourselves out and waited for the Show to Begin- late of course. 6 of us were very disappointed at the whole thing and reckoned that it was 1 and half hours too long and we left early to get a cold drink in one of the local tents. I have personally seen better riding in a circus or Gymkhana back home, I thought the riders were very scruffy, unpolished boots, costumes very mediocre and the horses worried me as there was a tremendous amount of frothing and salivating - although I must say that they all looked in perfect condition. There was nothing new in the whole performance - in fact the most exciting thing was the guy sitting in front of me who leapt up and wanted to thump a little guy sitting 3 places along his row - one guy held onto one arm and his wife the other and the guards arrived - apparently the little guy was smoking and this was a no no for the guy in front of me. All eventually sorted and they all settled down.I still don’t understand what the enormous silver robot was all about - I started thinking perhaps St.George and the Dragon but thought no - wrong country.
However after our early departure we all met up and strolled through one of the tents which housed a very impressive collection of the most beautiful flamenco dresses, leather boots, shoes and belts and, of course, ended up at the end of the tent at one of the 3 Bodegas where we sampled and bought some of the really great wines, I think this was the highlight of the evening. The downside was that as Pensionistas we all could have got in Free Gratis - hey ho we will know next time.!!!
About Almerimar
Almerimar is located in the region of Andalucia, Spain. The nearest airport is 30km away in Almeria. Other airports that are within 3 hours include Malaga, Murcia, Granada, and Alicanti. Other holiday resorts in the region include Mojacar , Aguadulce and Roquetas de Mar
Almerimar is a great place to live as an expat amongst the expats, or to work amongst the Spanish. There are all kinds of properties including villas, apartments and town houses for rent or sale. It is a very traditional part of Spain, with traditional Spanish foods so if you plan to travel to Spain either to look for jobs, for your company to trade with companies in Spain, or to learn Spanish and enjoy the Spanish weather then come and take a look.
If you are interested in purchasing a property in Almerimar please visit our sponsors Mirror of the Sun or Mediterraspain. If you have purchased a property and need it furnished please check out our Sponsors DBJ who will give you a Exclusive 5% discount with the code AL2008.
If you want to learn Spanish, get help with anything to do with the legal issues in Spain, or want WiFi access in the marina please check out our sponsor CentrePoint who will give you a 10% discount off all services with the code AL2008.
If you want an amazing activity based day out in the mountains and to learn how to ride a motorcycle off road then check out our sponsor The Long Way Round and get 5% off with the code AL2008.
Almerimar is also one of the largest marinas in Spain with over 2,000 births and excellent boatyard facilities.
