Horses, donkeys and the places they call home
Equids in Spain
Horses, donkeys and mules helped people in Spain travel, carry goods and work the land for centuries. Horses also took part in warfare, festivals and public performances. This page follows their history from the wild horses painted at Altamira to today’s breeding farms, riding centres and racecourses.
Equids are the animal family that includes horses and donkeys. Ponies are horses; mules and hinnies are offspring of crosses between horses and donkeys. The earliest chapters of this history concern the whole Iberian Peninsula, which includes present-day Spain and Portugal. Horses later travelled to other regions, including across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
How many horses, donkeys and mules are registered in Spain?
Spain’s agriculture ministry, known as MAPA, publishes the number of equids and the places registered to keep them. The figures below refer to July 2026. The ministry published them in August 2026 in a report whose title mentions 2025.
Registered horses, donkeys and other equids
929,645
This total counts animals entered in RIIA, the national register for individual animal identification. It covers Spain, including Ceuta and Melilla. Horses, donkeys and their crosses are counted together.
Registered places keeping equids
196,219
This figure includes breeding farms, premises used for equestrian activities and private keepers. It therefore covers more than professional farms where foals are born.
Why is the published total higher in 2026 than in 2025?
The ministry reported 638,979 equids in Spain for July 2025. The 2025 total came from REGA, the register of livestock premises: people responsible for those premises declared how many animals they kept. For July 2026, the ministry counts 929,645 equids using a different register, RIIA, which records animals individually. The published number is higher in 2026, but the counting method has changed. The ministry explains that comparing these two totals cannot establish whether there really were more equids.
The July 2026 total does not say how many animals are horses, donkeys, mules or hinnies. A mule is born to a male donkey and a mare. A hinny is born to a stallion and a female donkey. A count separating horses from the other equids would be needed to establish the number of horses alone.
Source: MAPA — El sector equino en cifras (2026) · MAPA — Indicadores económicos sector equino 2024
How have people lived and worked with horses, donkeys and mules?
Wild horses lived in the Iberian Peninsula long before people bred horses there. People hunted horses, then raised animals for travel, work and warfare. Excavated bones, cave paintings and historical texts help explain those changes. More recent censuses also record how many animals there were and the work they performed.
Prehistory and the Palaeolithic
Early inhabitants observed and hunted wild horses
During prehistory, wild horses lived across the Iberian Peninsula, in what is now Spain and Portugal. Human groups could watch those animals and hunt them for food. Archaeologists find horse bones and teeth at sites where people once lived. Studying animal remains from excavations is called zooarchaeology. A cut mark on a bone can, for example, show that people butchered an animal’s carcass. The bones therefore help researchers understand both the horses and the people who used them.
People also painted and engraved horses on the walls of Altamira cave in Cantabria. The artists used colour and the shape of the rock to give form to the animals. The surviving works were made at different times over many thousands of years. Altamira’s images show that prehistoric people observed horses and chose to represent them in their art. The cave preserves a record of those images rather than a count of the horses living nearby.
Researchers can recover DNA, which carries inherited information, from some ancient remains. Comparing that DNA helps identify relationships between horses. A study published in 2025 identified a group of related wild horses known as the IBE lineage. These horses lived in Iberia for tens of thousands of years, before and after the last glacial period. IBE differs from the lineage of today’s domestic horses. Iberia’s prehistoric horses therefore cannot simply be assigned to modern Spanish breeds such as the PRE or Asturcón.
Source: Museo de Altamira — El arte de Altamira · Liesau — Arqueozoología del caballo en la antigua Iberia (2005) · Lira Garrido et al. — The genomic history of Iberian horses (2025)
Second millennium BCE
Domestic horses arrived and bred with horses already living in Iberia
Today’s domestic horses mainly descend from a group of related horses that researchers call the DOM2 lineage. This group originated in the open plains around the Black and Caspian seas. People bred and moved these horses westwards, eventually reaching the Iberian Peninsula. Domestic horses arrived in a region where wild horses already lived. DOM2 and IBE are research names for ancient groups of horses, rather than the names of present-day breeds.
In the study published in 2025, the oldest domestic DOM2 horse found in Iberia comes from El Morredón. Its remains date to 1213–1048 BCE. DNA from other horses nevertheless shows that DOM2 animals had bred with wild IBE horses earlier. Calculations based on that DNA place the earliest mixing around 1842 BCE, within a range of 1973–1711 BCE. The date around 1842 BCE is therefore an estimate from calculations; 1213–1048 BCE dates the remains of a horse recovered in an excavation.
Domestic and wild horses bred together at several times and across multiple generations. Horses kept by people were therefore not always separated from wild horses for breeding. The arrival of domestic animals gradually changed Iberia’s horse populations. Researchers no longer find horses belonging to the wild IBE lineage in the most recent samples. The 2025 findings suggest that wild IBE horses left little trace in the DNA of the modern breeds examined.
Source: Lira Garrido et al. — The genomic history of Iberian horses (2025)
First millennium BCE
Communities bred horses and included them in ritual practices
During the Iron Age, people in the Iberian Peninsula bred horses and used them as mounts. Keeping a horse required resources: owners had to provide grass or hay and spend time caring for the animal. A horse could consequently show its owner’s wealth or social position. Excavated equipment and ancient images help researchers understand the place of horses in these societies. Feeding, keeping and training a mount involved knowledge as well as access to land and animals.
At the fortress of Els Vilars, near Lleida, archaeologists found remains of very young equids within the inhabited settlement. Researchers interpret some of these deposits as ritual acts connected with beliefs or ceremonies. To develop that explanation, researchers examine where the bones were placed and the objects found around them. The Els Vilars discoveries provide evidence of animals being bred as well as the practices of one particular community. Their location within the settlement helps explain why the remains were left there.
Ancient DNA also reveals relationships between Iberian horses and horses found elsewhere in Europe and around the Mediterranean. Researchers interpret these relationships as evidence that animals moved between regions. Horses could travel with people who bred, sold or used them. Genetic similarities identify connections between groups of animals. Reconstructing an individual journey also requires written accounts or other archaeological discoveries.
Source: Liesau — Arqueozoología del caballo en la antigua Iberia (2005) · Lira Garrido et al. — The genomic history of Iberian horses (2025)
Antiquity and the Roman period
Hispania’s horses supplied armies and chariot races
In Roman times, the Iberian Peninsula was known as Hispania. Ancient texts describe the reputation of its horses, including their use as military mounts and in chariot racing. Supplying those animals required organised work. Breeders fed the horses, selected breeding animals and prepared young horses for their future roles. People then had to take the animals to armies or racing venues. The demands of warfare and public entertainment therefore supported breeding far from the cities where horses were used.
DNA comparisons provide clues about horse exchanges during antiquity. In the study published in 2025, many horses dating from roughly 1200 BCE to 500 CE had their closest genetic relatives in Iberia or southern France. Connections also appeared with horses from North Africa. These relationships show that horse populations in different regions were linked. DNA alone cannot identify the departure port or exact route of each animal. Written records and archaeological finds are needed to add those details to the genetic evidence.
Donkeys and mules also worked and carried goods in Roman Hispania. Morales Muñiz’s historical survey mentions mule breeding there. Animals could carry goods on their backs or pull vehicles. A carried load needed equipment fitted to the back; pulling a cart needed harness that transferred the animal’s strength to the vehicle. Handlers therefore used different equipment and skills according to the work required. These working animals helped move everyday goods alongside the better-known horses used in war and racing.
Source: Lira Garrido et al. — The genomic history of Iberian horses (2025) · Morales Muñiz — El caballo en la Edad Media (2010)
Eighth–fifteenth centuries
Medieval horses carried fighters, travellers and everyday loads
During the Middle Ages, Muslim territories known as al-Andalus and Christian kingdoms occupied the Iberian Peninsula. Their armies needed horses for mounted fighters. Having mounts available was especially important where rulers disputed frontiers. Authorities encouraged breeding and tried to control horses leaving their territories. Horses, donkeys and mules also served travellers, carried goods and worked in the countryside. Equine work therefore involved breeders, keepers and transport workers as well as soldiers.
Exchanges with North Africa and other Mediterranean regions carried horses and ways of riding between communities. Texts describe riding a la jineta, with short stirrups and an emphasis on a mobile mount. Texts also mention riding a la brida, particularly in descriptions of heavily equipped cavalry. Jineta and brida name riding practices involving particular equipment and actions. They do not name horse breeds. Riding equipment and training could change as people adopted or adapted practices from elsewhere.
People also wrote down knowledge about horse care. In historical Spanish, albeitería means equine medicine. Authors such as Manuel Díez gathered the knowledge of their time about diseases, treatment and the everyday care of horses into written treatises. Practitioners could pass their experience beyond a single stable through these books. The treatises help us understand how medieval people viewed the horse’s body and tried to treat sick animals.
Source: Morales Muñiz — El caballo en la Edad Media (2010) · RAE — Diccionario de la lengua española: jineta
Sixteenth–eighteenth centuries
Rulers organised breeding to produce horses for royal use
Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, royal courts sought horses for the ruler’s travel and for equestrian exercises. Those in charge of breeding selected mares and stallions to produce suitable mounts. Breeding establishments needed grazing, stored feed and people to care for animals every day. The effects of breeding choices appeared through successive births and generations. Building stables was therefore one part of an operation that also depended on land, animals and skilled workers.
Córdoba’s Caballerizas Reales are royal stables commissioned by Philip II. The city’s account dates the commission to 1568. The buildings stand beside the Alcázar, the city’s fortified palace, and provided accommodation for horses. The stables changed over time and were rebuilt after a fire in 1757. Today’s buildings therefore preserve several periods in the history of royal breeding. Visiting the site shows where some of the work of keeping and managing horses took place.
Spanish horses also travelled to other European courts, where they were sought for riding and training. Exchanges of animals carried knowledge about breeding and preparing horses. Royal establishments help explain the standing of Spanish horses in Europe. Today, the Pura Raza Española, or PRE, is defined through its own studbook and breeding programme. Present-day breeders work with registration rules established long after the first royal stables.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Córdoba — Caballerizas Reales · Morales Muñiz — El caballo en la Edad Media (2010)
From 1493 onwards
Horses crossed the Atlantic and gradually spread through the Americas
In 1493, Christopher Columbus’s second voyage carried domestic horses to the Caribbean islands. Spanish colonists later used horses for travel, warfare and territorial control. Establishing herds required bringing animals, feeding them and breeding them. Horses gradually reached other parts of the Americas through movement and exchange. The Caribbean arrival in 1493 therefore began a spread that continued over several centuries. Herds grew and travelled as people established settlements and developed their own uses for the animals.
Indigenous peoples also bred and exchanged horses and incorporated them into their own activities. In Patagonia, at the southern end of South America, finds at Chorrillo Grande 1 show that Aonik’enk/Tehuelche communities used horses before permanent European settlement in the region. The study published in 2023 examines the remains, their DNA and marks left by their use. From this evidence, researchers calculate that horse adoption may have begun in the early seventeenth century. That estimated beginning is separate from the dates measured on the remains themselves.
Horses reached Australia on a different voyage. The National Museum of Australia dates their arrival to January 1788, with the first British colonists. The horses had been bought at the Cape in southern Africa before the journey to Australia. Animals were initially scarce there. Further imports and local births later increased Australian herds. Horses in the Americas and Australia therefore arrived through journeys, exchanges and breeding that took place at different times.
Source: Smithsonian — After a Long Absence: The Horse Returns · Taylor et al. — Early domestic horse exploitation in southern Patagonia (2023) · National Museum of Australia — Spirited: Stories
Before motorisation, into the twentieth century
Horses, donkeys and mules carried loads and pulled tools
Before engines became widespread in Spain, horses, donkeys and mules supplied power for everyday work. Animals carried goods, pulled vehicles and worked in the fields. Animal traction means using an animal to pull a load, vehicle or implement. Drivers prepared animals and equipment for each task. Skilled workers cared for hooves, fitted horseshoes and made equipment for the animals. Animals needed food, water and care even on days when they did not work.
Spain’s census of 24 September 1865 records the jobs performed by equids. The tables distinguish agricultural work, pulling and transport, and animals used to power machinery. A horse, donkey or mule could therefore supply the force to move a load or operate a tool. The 1865 tables preserve these uses alongside the numbers of animals counted. They help explain why communities kept working animals, beyond their value as mounts.
Adding the horses, mules and donkeys in the 1865 census gives 3,000,219 animals. The final results were published in 1868. Mules outnumbered horses, and donkeys also outnumbered horses. Military mounts and performing horses therefore accounted for only part of the equids kept at the time. Donkeys and mules played a major role in ordinary work and travel. Their numbers make these less celebrated animals visible in Spain’s equine history.
Source: INE — Censo de 1865: caballar (1868) · INE — Censo de 1865: mular (1868) · INE — Censo de 1865: asnal (1868)
Twentieth century, especially after 1960
Tractors and motor vehicles replaced much of the work done by animals
During the twentieth century, tractors took over many farm jobs and motor vehicles carried increasing numbers of people and goods. A farmer using a tractor needed fewer animals to pull implements. Demand for working horses, donkeys and mules consequently declined. Breeders sold fewer animals for those tasks, while trades supplying animal equipment also had to adapt. Engines replaced animal power at different speeds according to the region and the resources available to its inhabitants.
Spanish agricultural statistics show a steep fall in mule numbers between 1960 and 1980. The agriculture ministry reports about 1,158,000 mules in 1960, 533,000 in 1970 and 199,000 in 1980. Horse and donkey numbers also fall across these three comparison years. The published figures are rounded to the nearest thousand: they show the approximate scale rather than an exact count of individual animals. The chart below displays horses, mules and donkeys separately.
In Almudévar, Aragon, a mule and horse fair remained important into the 1950s. The local cultural centre explains that the fair disappeared as farm work became mechanised. Almudévar’s example shows how declining demand for working animals also changed local markets. Breeding nevertheless continued for other activities, including riding, leisure and racing. Conserving some local breeds also became an aim for breeders and their associations.
Source: MAPA — Anuario 2001, 19.25: Ganado equino · MAPA — Anuario 1976: Ganado equino · Centro Cultural de Almudévar — Siglo XX hasta la actualidad
Late twentieth century to the present
Breeding, sport, leisure and conservation give equids several roles
Spain today has saddle-horse breeders, riding centres, racehorses and privately kept animals. Other herds are raised on grazing land. The agriculture ministry also describes breeding for equine meat, particularly in northern Spain. Breeding, fattening and slaughter may take place in different regions. The national total of places keeping equids therefore brings together very different activities, from a private owner keeping a horse to a farm raising a herd.
Spain’s equestrian federation, RFHE, oversees activities including showjumping, dressage, eventing, endurance and driving. Doma vaquera developed from riders’ work with cattle, such as cows and bulls. Flat racing and trotting have their own organisations. Racehorses, riding-school horses and driving horses are prepared for different activities. Riders and drivers learn the skills needed for their chosen discipline, while trainers prepare the animals for its particular demands.
Equine skills also pass through schools and workshops. In Jerez, the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre teaches riding, driving, horse care and equipment making. Breed associations pass on knowledge about breeding and conserving horses and donkeys. Behind competitions and public performances, people feed animals, maintain stables and repair equipment. These daily jobs keep equestrian activities running and give practical knowledge a place alongside the skills seen in the arena.
Source: MAPA — El sector equino en cifras (2026) · Real Federación Hípica Española · Real Escuela — Cursos de Formación de Especialistas
Spain counted over three million horses, mules and donkeys in 1865
The Spanish census counts animals present on 24 September 1865. The final results were published in 1868. The count covers 49 provinces, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, and includes young animals. The figures below concern those Spanish provinces rather than the whole colonial empire of the time.
- Horses
680,373
The census groups horses under the Spanish heading ‘caballar’.
- Donkeys
1,298,334
The census groups donkeys under the Spanish heading ‘asnal’.
The 1865 census counts a total of 3,000,219 horses, mules and donkeys. This total adds the three numbers displayed in the cards. The figures come from the final results published in 1868. An initial report had been released in January 1866 and was later corrected.
Horse, mule and donkey numbers fell between 1960 and 1980
This chart shows animal numbers from Spanish agricultural statistics, reproduced in table 19.25 of the agriculture ministry’s 2001 yearbook. The figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. The 1960 count was carried out in November and the 1970 count in September. The month of the 1980 count is not stated. These figures come from older agricultural statistics; the 2026 register counts animals in a different way.
Every bar uses the same scale, from 0 to 1,158,000 animals. A bar twice as long therefore represents twice as many animals. The number is also written above each bar.
Horses
506,000
1,158,000
Donkeys
686,000
Horses
282,000
533,000
Donkeys
368,000
Horses
242,000
199,000
Donkeys
188,000
Source: MAPA — Anuario 2001, 19.25: Ganado equino · MAPA — Anuario 1976: Ganado equino
How are breeding and animal identification organised?
Breeding an animal, giving it an official identity and recording its parents are different tasks. A riding centre can, for example, keep horses without breeding foals. A horse can also have a passport without being entered in a breed’s studbook. Public authorities and breed associations each handle part of these arrangements.
Registered premises include breeders, riding centres and private keepers
Places registered to keep equids support different activities. Some breed foals; others house horses for riding or keep privately owned animals. In northern Spain, breeders make use of grazing land and local breeds. Registered premises are therefore not all farms producing young animals.
Some Spanish breeders raise animals for meat. An animal may be born in one region and then raised to gain weight in another before slaughter. The ministry’s report describes these production activities alongside other uses of equids. A farm raising animals for meat has different needs from a centre preparing horses for riding lessons.
A number, a microchip and a passport identify each animal
Equid identification in Spain uses a unique number called a UELN, an identification device and a passport, also called a DIE. The device is usually a transponder: a small electronic microchip carrying a code that a suitable reader can read. The body issuing the documents sends the information to RIIA, the individual animal identification register. RIIA is part of the national information system called SITRAN. The number, microchip and documents connect the right animal with the right record.
Regional authorities and designated bodies share responsibility for identification procedures. Following an animal’s identity and movements is called traceability. A passport identifies the horse, donkey or mule; a studbook records animals of a breed and their parents. An equid can therefore have an official identity without being entered in the PRE studbook or another breed register.
Breed associations record parentage and organise breeding
A studbook records the identity of animals belonging to a breed and their links to their parents. Breed organisations use this information in a breeding programme, which sets breeding aims and rules. For the Pura Raza Española, ANCCE manages the studbook and selection activities. The public ARCA website provides Spain’s official breed catalogue and information about breeding those animals.
Associations and breeders also work to conserve local horse and donkey breeds. Studbooks retain several generations, including animals that have died, and may include animals living abroad. Adding every name in a studbook therefore cannot establish how many animals are alive in Spain. A current population count needs a reference date, the animals’ locations and information on which animals are still alive.
Source: MAPA — Catálogo oficial de razas · ARCA · ANCCE — ¿Qué es ANCCE?
Which organisations look after identification, breeds and equestrian activities?
- Agriculture ministry · MAPA and regional authorities
Spain’s agriculture ministry coordinates the national system for identifying animals and following their movements. Authorities in the autonomous communities, Spain’s regions, and designated bodies take part in identification procedures.
The ministry’s guide explains the purpose of an animal’s number, electronic microchip, passport and RIIA registration.
- Real Federación Hípica Española · RFHE
The Real Federación Hípica Española is Spain’s national equestrian federation. The national and regional federations organise competitions and publish rules for equestrian disciplines.
The federation’s website provides calendars and rules for activities including showjumping, dressage, endurance, driving and doma vaquera.
Source: Real Federación Hípica Española
- ANCCE · PRE breeders
ANCCE manages the studbook of the Pura Raza Española, or PRE. The association also contributes to the breed’s breeding programme and the presentation of its horses.
ANCCE organises SICAB in Seville, an event devoted to the PRE. Its website also provides studbook information and access to young-horse competitions.
Source: ANCCE — ¿Qué es ANCCE?
- Jockey Club Español
The Jockey Club Español sets and enforces the rules for flat racing in Spain. Its racing code describes the rules participants must follow.
The Jockey Club website publishes programmes, results and documents for horse owners, trainers and jockeys.
Source: Jockey Club Español
- Federació Balear de Trot
The Federació Balear de Trot organises trotting races in the Balearic Islands and brings together the people taking part.
The federation publishes programmes and results for Son Pardo, Manacor and Maó racecourses, as well as documents about the Spanish Trotter.
Source: Federació Balear de Trot
- Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre
In Jerez, the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre offers training in equine occupations and equestrian performances open to the public.
Real Escuela students can learn riding, driving, equipment making, horse handling and animal care.
Seven horse and donkey breeds to discover in Spain
Spanish breeds include saddle horses, mountain ponies, island horses and donkeys. The seven examples below come from different regions and have been bred for different activities. Each official link leads to the breed’s entry in Spain’s agriculture ministry catalogue.
Pura Raza Española · PRE
The Pura Raza Española, or PRE, is a saddle horse closely associated with Spanish breeding history. ANCCE keeps its studbook today. Our PRE profile explains the breed’s uses, breeding programme and registration rules.
Asturcón
The Asturcón is a horse breed from Asturias in northern Spain. The ministry’s catalogue describes animals throughout Asturias and in other Spanish provinces. Its official entry introduces the origin and distribution of this northern breed.
Pottoka and Pottok
Pottoka and Pottok ponies are associated with the Basque Country on both sides of the Pyrenees. The Spanish ministry’s entry concerns the Pottoka in Spain. Our Pottok profile explains breeding and registration rules applied in France. The two links therefore introduce the arrangements on each side of the border.
Burguete
Navarre’s Burguete developed through crosses between local mares and French horses, including Bretons. These horses initially met a demand for working animals. The ministry’s catalogue explains how Burguete breeding later shifted towards meat production.
Menorquina
The Menorquina is a horse breed originating on Menorca in the Balearic Islands. The ministry’s entry describes the breed and its presence beyond its home island. The Menorcan horse introduces one part of horse breeding in Spain’s islands.
Zamorano-Leonés donkey
The Zamorano-Leonés donkey is associated with Castile and León. The ministry locates the breed’s original home in western Zamora province. The official entry describes where these donkeys are bred and provides information relevant to their conservation.
Catalan donkey
The Catalan donkey, registered as Catalana, is associated with several parts of Catalonia. The ministry’s catalogue names the Segre, Ter and Cardener river valleys among its home areas. The breed is also kept outside that region. Its official entry describes the distribution and breeding of these donkeys.
Source: MAPA — Catálogo oficial de razas · ARCA · ANCCE — ¿Qué es ANCCE?
How are equine skills passed on through sport, festivals and work?
Doma vaquera draws on riding skills used to work cattle
Doma vaquera developed from the work of riders handling cattle, such as cows and bulls. The horse must respond to its rider to change direction and adjust its movements to the herd. In sporting doma vaquera, the rider presents exercises inspired by this work in a riding arena. Spain’s equestrian federation publishes the discipline’s rules.
Riding centres and teachers in Spain also pass on dressage, showjumping, endurance, driving and recreational riding. Riders learn how to prepare and handle a horse for their chosen activity. Breeding families pass on their own knowledge about animals and everyday work.
Source: RFHE — Doma vaquera · Real Federación Hípica Española
Flat racing and trotting rely on specialist horses and occupations
In flat racing, the owner owns the horse, the trainer prepares it and the jockey rides it in a race. The Jockey Club Español regulates flat racing in Spain and publishes rules, programmes and results. Its documents allow readers to follow horses and the people involved in racing.
Trotting races are especially prominent in the Balearic Islands, including at Son Pardo, Manacor and Maó racecourses. The horse must maintain a trot. In harness races, the horse pulls a sulky, a light two-wheeled vehicle carrying the driver. The Federació Balear de Trot publishes programmes and results for these races.
Source: Jockey Club Español · Federació Balear de Trot
Horses take part in local festivals at Caravaca and Sabucedo
At Caravaca de la Cruz, the Caballos del Vino festival brings together horses wearing embroidered coverings and attendants on foot. Some inhabitants prepare the animals while others make the decorations. UNESCO recognised the tradition in 2020. The festival passes on skills connected with both horses and textile making.
At Sabucedo in Galicia, horses live freely in the hills and are gathered for the rapa das bestas. Participants cut the manes and provide care for the animals. Local people pass the gathering’s skills and organisation from one generation to the next. The 2025 heritage decree describes the practice and its documented history.
Source: La Moncloa — Caballos del Vino (2020) · Galicia — Decreto 53/2025: Rapa das Bestas de Sabucedo
In Jerez, students also learn horse care and equipment making
The Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre in Jerez offers training in riding and driving. The school also teaches the making and repair of saddlery and harness equipment. Students attend classes and work in the equestrian facilities and workshops. The training prepares students for animal care and the occupations supporting equestrian activities.
An equestrian performance requires work long before a horse enters the arena. People prepare the animals, clean the stables and check saddles and harness. Learning these tasks helps keep animals cared for and equipment in good condition. Jerez’s training passes on these daily skills alongside the techniques audiences see in public performances.
Where can you find the figures and historical evidence?
The references below lead to the figures, discoveries and examples used on this page. Each entry explains what the document covers and gives page numbers where helpful. Organisation websites were consulted on 10 November 2026. The dates of counts and events remain those stated in each entry.
- Lira Garrido et al. — The genomic history of Iberian horses (2025)
Published in Nature Communications on 2 August 2025, this study compares ancient and modern horse DNA to trace relationships and breeding in Iberia and other Mediterranean regions. Figure 5 presents mixing dates estimated through calculations; figure 6 shows genetic relationships between regions.
- Museo de Altamira — El arte de Altamira
The national museum presents the horses painted and engraved in Altamira cave. Its page explains the artists’ techniques and the different periods when the works were made.
- Liesau — Arqueozoología del caballo en la antigua Iberia (2005)
Liesau’s article appeared in Gladius 25 in 2005, on pages 187–206. It explains what bones and other archaeological finds reveal about ancient Iberian horses. Els Vilars remains are discussed on page 199. The genetic discoveries published in 2025 add to this article’s older hypotheses.
- Morales Muñiz — El caballo en la Edad Media (2010)
Morales Muñiz’s chapter appeared in 2010 in volume II of Homenaje al profesor Eloy Benito Ruano, on pages 537–552. It starts on PDF page 195. The chapter covers medieval breeding, horse uses, riding practices and treatises on care.
- RAE — Diccionario de la lengua española: jineta
The Real Academia Española’s dictionary defines riding a la jineta. Its definition describes the use of short stirrups in this way of riding.
- Ayuntamiento de Córdoba — Caballerizas Reales
Córdoba’s municipality presents the history of the royal stables. Its entry dates Philip II’s commission to 1568 and describes changes to the buildings, including rebuilding after the 1757 fire.
- Smithsonian — After a Long Absence: The Horse Returns
The National Museum of the American Indian describes horses’ return to the Americas in a 2011–2013 exhibition. The page covers the Caribbean arrival on Columbus’s second voyage in 1493, followed by colonial uses and Indigenous relationships with horses.
- Taylor et al. — Early domestic horse exploitation in southern Patagonia (2023)
Taylor and colleagues published this study in Science Advances 9 on 8 December 2023. They examine horses at Chorrillo Grande 1 in Patagonia and their use by Aonik’enk/Tehuelche communities. The article separates dates measured on remains from the beginning of horse adoption estimated through calculations.
- National Museum of Australia — Spirited: Stories
The National Museum of Australia describes horses arriving in January 1788 with British colonists. The page explains that the first animals had been bought at the Cape, then describes the imports and breeding that increased their numbers.
- INE — Censo de 1865: caballar (1868)
Spain’s national statistics institute preserves the final results of the census of 24 September 1865, published in 1868. Pages 178–179 record 680,373 horses under ‘caballar’, with breakdowns by province, sex, age and use. The total includes the Balearic and Canary Island provinces.
- INE — Censo de 1865: mular (1868)
Pages 180–181 of Spain’s final 1865 census results record 1,021,512 mules under ‘mular’. The tables also describe animals used for agriculture, transport and powering machinery.
- INE — Censo de 1865: asnal (1868)
Pages 182–183 of Spain’s final 1865 census results record 1,298,334 donkeys under ‘asnal’. The tables give animal ages and uses. The 1868 volume corrects the first figures released in January 1866.
- MAPA — Anuario 2001, 19.25: Ganado equino
Table 19.25 of Spain’s 2001 agricultural yearbook is on PDF page 25. It reproduces horse, mule and donkey numbers, including the years 1960, 1970 and 1980. The figures are given in thousands of animals; this page’s chart retains that rounding.
- MAPA — Anuario 1976: Ganado equino
Printed page 414 of Spain’s 1976 agricultural yearbook is PDF page 20. The table presents equids by year, age and animal category. Its notes establish, among other details, that the 1970 count refers to September.
- Centro Cultural de Almudévar — Siglo XX hasta la actualidad
Almudévar’s cultural centre presents local twentieth-century history. The page explains that the mule and horse fair, important into the 1950s, disappeared with farm mechanisation. No publication date is stated; the page was consulted on 10 November 2026.
- MAPA — El sector equino en cifras (2026)
The agriculture ministry published this report in August 2026 with a title mentioning 2025. Page 2 explains the change in the register used to count animals and gives the number of premises. Page 31 records 929,645 equids registered in July 2026, including Ceuta and Melilla.
- MAPA — Indicadores económicos sector equino 2024
The report whose title mentions 2024 gives 638,979 equids for July 2025. That total uses declarations from premises in the REGA register. The report explains how animals were counted before the switch to individual records in RIIA.
- MAPA — Trazabilidad de los équidos
The agriculture ministry explains equid identification in Spain. The page covers the UELN number, electronic microchip, DIE passport and recording of information in RIIA within the national SITRAN system.
- MAPA — Catálogo oficial de razas · ARCA
The public ARCA catalogue presents recognised Spanish breeds and information about their breeding. Entries for the seven breeds on this page were consulted in November 2026. The breed cards link directly to those entries.
- Real Federación Hípica Española
Spain’s equestrian federation website presents disciplines, competition calendars, rules and training. It also provides links to the federations in Spain’s regions.
- ANCCE — ¿Qué es ANCCE?
ANCCE describes its role in managing the PRE studbook and the breed’s breeding programme. The page also presents SICAB, the event devoted to the PRE in Seville.
- Jockey Club Español
The Jockey Club Español explains its responsibilities for flat racing. Its website provides access to the racing code, programmes and results.
- Federació Balear de Trot
The Balearic trotting federation presents its organisation and publishes race programmes and results. Its website also provides documents about the Spanish Trotter.
- Real Escuela — Cursos de Formación de Especialistas
The Real Escuela’s training page describes teaching in riding, driving, equipment making, horse handling and care. Courses combine theoretical knowledge with practical learning.
- RFHE — Doma vaquera
Spain’s equestrian federation presents doma vaquera and its rules. The page explains how sporting exercises draw on movements used when working cattle on horseback.
- La Moncloa — Caballos del Vino (2020)
On 16 December 2020, Spain’s government announced UNESCO’s recognition of the Caballos del Vino in Caravaca de la Cruz. Its account describes the horses, attendants on foot and embroidered coverings used in the festival.
- Galicia — Decreto 53/2025: Rapa das Bestas de Sabucedo
The decree of 30 June 2025, published in Spain’s official bulletin on 26 September, describes Sabucedo’s rapa das bestas. Its text and annexes cover gathering horses, mane cutting, care and the history of the practice.