For the horse lovers in our audience, have we got a show for you. The Puerto Rican Equestrian Art School (Escuela Puertorriqueña del Arte Ecuestre) puts on a beautiful Paso Fino horse show on the first Friday of every month. They breed these Paso Fino horses for perfection - these are magnificent animals. Then they work with them to train both the rider and horse to perform beautiful dressage movements. Come watch the horses and riders dance!

The typical horses you see in Puerto Rico, and all the horses in this show, are Paso Fino horses. The Paso Fino is of Spanish descent, has a proud carriage and natural 4-beat gait. The best will have a very small step, which makes a smooth ride for the rider. The sound it makes is taca-taca-taca-taca…. It’s very distinctive to see and hear. This type of horse is also noted for agility and intelligence, so it can perform some very difficult but beautiful moves like high stepping (the Spanish Walk) or standing on its rear legs (Posada).

The show starts with the history of the horse in Puerto Rico, from it’s first work as field helper and transportation, to its current "job" as entertainment and enjoyment. Then they start the "reprises" or skill sets. They have the horses do the short step walk over boards so you can see and hear the rhythm. Then they perform other skills, including a beautiful story about a stallion (magnificent white) that falls in love with a slave girl. Her performance was done all by talking to the horse (and a handful of oats!) - but no bit, bridle or other controls. Others displayed the Posada, side-stepping, trots, various walks and turns.

The school is dedicated to keeping the Spanish historical culture of the horse alive in Puerto Rico. The professional riders (or jinetes) wear 18th century uniforms - red and elegant. This, along with their skills with the horses, bring back the spirit of Spanish equestrian pride, from which Puerto Rico gets its tradition. The horses and riders execute the steps and dance movements to some wonderful music. It is really lovely to experience. My favorite part was when the maestro (teacher) did his work with his horse. His performance was called "Fantasy", and it was fantastic!

The only real difficulty tourists will encounter is that the commentary and explanations are in Spanish. But they give you a bi-lingual show brochure that explains the different reprises or movements that the horse and riders are displaying. But the beauty of the show and music will make that inconsequential - once you see the horses, you will forget the words anyway!

The school is located in Vega Baja, only 35 minutes (without traffic, seriously - avoid rush hour!) from San Juan.

It is a beautiful hacienda - the horses, grounds and facilities are clean and well maintained. The show is presented under a roofed area, but in an open air arena. There are clean bathrooms. Food and drinks are available.

The cost is only $10.70 for adults, and $5.35 for kids under 10 and seniors over 60. These prices include sales tax. You can buy tickets at the gate or online.

The show is held the first Friday of each month, and twice in December. The remaining shows for 2008 are November 7, December 5 and December 19. Shows start at 8:00pm, but get there early to get a front row seat. The better seats are along the long side of the arena. The show lasts about 2 hours and includes a short intermission.

Call 787-858-1378 or 787-251-9474 for more information.

Visit www.arteecuestre.com/espectaculo.html for more information and to buy tickets.

Directions from the San Juan area: Route 22 West to exit 42 (Morovis/Vega Baja). Turn left at the light at the end of the off-ramp. At the first light, turn left onto Route 670. The Hacienda is on the left - it is all lit up and they have a sign Hacienda Don Carmelo.

Without traffic, it should only take about 35 minutes to drive there from the San Juan area. If you go during rush hour (4:00pm - 7:00pm), it can take over 2 hours! We recommend combining this with some other activity in the afternoon in the Arecibo area so you can avoid the traffic.

You can locate the Puerto Rican Equestrian Art School on our Interactive Island Map