For the Horse Lovers: Saca de Las Yeguas in Huelva, Spain
Thereâs no shortage of ways to enjoy being a horse lover in southern Spain. Andalusia is famous for Andalusian horses (shocker), which are native to the Iberian Peninsula. Theyâre bred across southern Spain and also run wild in some of the territoryâs national parks.
These horses have been a part of Spanish culture and livelihood for thousands of years, and Saca de Las Yeguas is one of those ancient traditions that you can witness as a tourist if youâre there at just the right time.
History of the Festival
Saca de Las Yeguas, which translates to âTaking of the Mares,â is an old Andalusian tradition thatâs thousands of years old and that has remained completely unchanged for over half a century. Horses in this area of Spain are a way of life. In the town of Almonte, the streets arenât paved, theyâre sand, to facilitate the movement of horses. Traditions and celebrations such as Saca de Las Yeguas are built into the foundation of towns like this.
On the 26th of June each year, corresponding with the Festival of San Pedro, local horsemen known as yegĂŒerizos trek into the swamps of Doñana National Park in the province of Huevla. They round up the wild Marismeña horses that live in the park, which otherwise live free from any human interaction, and corral them towards the woods near the small city of El Rocio. El Rocio is a significant pilgrimage point near the town of Almonte, which explains to why this festival is held here each year.
After a short period to allow the horses, primarily all mares and foals (young horses), to adjust to the yegĂŒerizos, the horses are herded into Almonte, where they are washed, re-shoed, and put up for sale. After the sales are over, the horses that werenât bought are returned to the national park once again.
For horse lovers, like myself, this is an unbelievable festival to witness. As you stand around the town square with hundreds of locals and travelers alike, everything is quiet, peaceful, and blistering hot. Around 10am, a voice comes over the loudspeaker: âthe horses are on their way!â Everyone begins buzzing with excitement.
Soon, you begin to hear the stampede of horses and you see the first of the yegĂŒerizos enter the square. Within a matter of minutes, the entire square is packed with hundreds of wild horses and the crowd is roaring. They gather in the square for a couple of minutes, and then proceed through the town to their final destination. Just like that, itâs over.
Itâs a fascinating story behind a breathtaking event. To learn more about the history of this event, check out this link.
Getting There
I found about Saca de Las Yeguas literally two days before it was going to happen. By happy coincidence, I was booked to leave Sevilla on the 27th, so I decided to spend the 26th driving myself down to Almonte to witness this intriguing festival.
If youâre in Sevilla, Cadiz, or any other city or province in Andalusia, and you really want to see this festival in person, your best (and only?) option is to drive. I couldnât find a single BlahBlah car or bus that would take me to this tiny town in time to see the festival, so I just rented a car from the Sevilla train station to get me there.
Almonte is only a few hours from Sevilla, and itâs an easy drive. If youâre an avid horse-lover, or just appreciate these kind of authentic, ancient traditions, AND you happen to be in Andalusia at exactly the right time in June, this event is not to be missed and absolutely worth the drive.
