Marbella Club Equestrian Center
Marbella is one of those places that immediately draws your thoughts towards beaches, fancy restaurants and a general feeling of luxury and well-being, and the Marbella Club is the quintessence of old-glamour for modern day life. My brother now lives in the beautiful town, so hopefully I will have the opportunity of visiting often. On this visit, we discovered an amazing place I had never been to; the Marbella Club Equestrian Center. A short 20 min drive from the Marbella Club Hotel, up in the hills of Benahavís, hidden away between beautiful old trees and stately palms, we found this idyllic gem. As we approached, my senses took it all in, everything felt so fresh and invigorating. The smell of the woods, the gloriously vibrant colors of the many flowers in bloom and then my most favorite sound, horses neighing in the distance. I couldn’t believe it has taken me so long to find this horse haven. It is crazy to think that I have ever not been obsessed with horses!
Stealing kisses
The fact is I did not grow up around horses, though since falling in love with polo about 7 years ago, I have come to love them. I started riding in order to learn how to play polo, and with time I have come to really appreciate these magnificent creatures. So I am delighted to add one more reason to keep coming back to this wonderful town. I have a very special bond to Marbella, which for many years was my second home. My mom lived here all of my teenage years whilst I was in boarding school in Denmark, and I would come to visit every holiday and long weekends. I love coming back, it really feels like coming home.
We were greeted by the stable manager, who explained to us how the yard works. The Center has horses at various different levels to rent, whether for trail rides in the beautiful woods or riding lessons in the 7000 square meter arena. Pony rides are also available for the little ones. The arena is of international standard, laid with showing turf made of a mixture of sand and geo-tex, the perfect mix for the well-being of horses. The Marbella Club Hipica hosts the Spanish Showjumping Championships, a highly acclaimed competition which attracts riders from near and far.
Whilst wandering around the yard saying hello to friendly and curious horses I could hear a myriad of languages, from German to Swedish and of course Spanish, in the true international style of Marbella.
I had a great ride around the arena on Calia. She was the exact right level for me, calm and easy to control, but got up in a nice canter when asked to. As I hadn’t been riding in about two months I was a little uneasy, I had to find my seat and my groove, so an arena session was exactly what I needed that day. On my next visit, I will be more adventurous and I will definitely explore the trails on horseback (and take lots of pictures!).
Overly enthusiastic rider, completely indifferent horse.
Adventure awaits
After my riding session we drove over to the Marbella Club Golf for lunch, and had one of the best Gazpachos I have ever had (Gazpacho is a cold tomato, cucumber, onion, peppers and mild spices soup) and a shrimp, avocado and watermelon salad, which was so yummy I forgot to take a picture. A delightful Saturday morning in the stunning nature of the Spanish mountains. I will definitely be back!
