Throughout its history the Real Maestranza de Caballería of Ronda has maintained close contact with the equestrian world and currently runs a Riding School which epitomises the essential aim for which it was created: «to train a cavalry». Maestranza de Caballería is synonymous with "Riding School".
The RMR School of Riding, created initially for the sole purpose of providing riding lessons for the young people of Ronda, has gradually refined its aims and is currently mainly engaged in the practice of dressage as a sport and the preparation of Pure Spanish Horses as competition horses. A small number of places are offered annually for the two-year Rider-Teacher Course, the main aim of which is to train pupils to prepare horses for dressage competitions.

Pure Spanish Horses
«As you know, of all the horses in the world, whatever their place of origin, climate or province, Spanish horses are the most expert; and they are thus to a point beyond imagination. This does not make them the easiest to train, because they notice everything with too much attention and application, and because they have excellent memories and prepare and anticipate their judgement, even before knowing the wishes of the rider. In view of all of this they need guiding with great skill and according to genuine principles, and not as a matter of routine. But if one knows how to choose a good Pure Spanish Horse, I vouch that it will be the noblest in the world and that from the tip of its ears to the tip of its hoofs there is none to match its cut. It has great vigour and energy but is very docile; it walks proudly and has a style of trot that is the most beautiful in the world. It is arrogant when galloping, is faster than any other race horse, and is much more noble and friendlier than them too; in short, on a day of triumph it is the best type of horse for a great monarch to display his glory to his people, or on a day of battle to lead his army …I therefore claim that Spanish horses are the best in the world. Spanish horses are good for everything, except for pulling carts.»

Duque de Newcastle

«Experience has clearly demonstrated that Spanish horses are undoubtedly the best in the world for dressage purposes, not only because of their figure, which is willing, vigorous and so docile that they are capable of understanding and executing to perfection anything that with skill and patience they are taught ...; in a word, nature appears to have bred them specifically for dressage; and indeed, they have no equal in terms of bravery, fire and magnanimity.»

Barón d´Eisenberg

«Every author has always given preference to Spanish horses, believing them to be the best for dressage due to their agility, spring and cadence. They believe them to be the best for ostentation due to their elegance, distinction and nobility.»

Francois Robichón de la Guériniére, 1733

Spanish horses, currently registered in the Stood-Book as Pure Spanish Horses, are amongst the most admired animals in the world, not only for their attractive morphotype and general harmony, but also for the sweetness of their character, their graceful movements and the diversity of their skills. They are sensitive and extremely noble animals, easy to train and capable of magnificent movements, which they perform with elegance and harmony. Added to this behaviour is their spectacular height. There are many records to suggest the existence of horses in the Iberian Peninsula more than 3,000 years ago. The same records also claim that for many centuries their morphotype remained unaltered by other races. The current census of Pure Spanish Pure Horses is in excess of 60,000 studs. Spanish horses were regarded to be the best in the world: even in 400 BC they were praised by Aristoteles and, subsequently, by other historians such as Pliny the Elder, Virgil and Columela. Such was the fame of Spanish horses that they were exported to Europe and their blood was mixed with that of other races. Numerous mares and Spanish horses were imported by, amongst others, the following: Lipitza in Austria, Powyslad in England, Mzohegyes in Hungary, etc. Spanish horses also played a very important role during the Italian Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries, and were the most admired of all the magnificent schools that existed at the time. Pure Spanish Horses were the first to populate the American continent and, according to some historians, from the 15th century onwards the conquistadors demanded the best horses from Spain to ensure that they would have total confidence and be well-mounted as they engaged in their exploits. The mares sent rapidly reproduced and as there were no other races with which to be crossed it was possible to maintain great homogeneity in the morphotype of their descendants. The horses bred in the West Indies and New Spain were famous, whilst the selection of studs was both thorough and meticulous, with penalties for breeders who used as studs horses that did not pass the rigorous control of the authorities chosen specifically for that purpose.

The Riding School

The RMR School of Riding provides tuition in dressage, based on the belief that nowadays this equestrian discipline best represents the academic style of horsemanship that has always been encouraged and practised by this institution. The school currently offers a three-year Rider-Teacher Course for young people interested in a professional career in the equestrian field. In addition to its teaching aims, which is the centre¹s main vocation, the RMR school also prepares Pure Spanish Horses for dressage competitions, a discipline for which it believes this race to be particularly gifted. The school provides two types of training programmes for Pure Spanish Horses, one of which is a year long programme to train and prepare colts for their first official competition. Breeders of this race enrol their horses for this programme by means of a contract of «stabling». The other programme is aimed at those horses that have already demonstrated aptitudes to warrant the expectation of an acceptable, if not better, performance in competitions of the highest order. Owners may enrol for this programme of training by means of a contract of «transfer».