Owning a horse in Inland Málaga

Are you planning to bring your horses over to Málaga? Marly Van Den Reek, our resident equestrian expert, has all the info!

OCA License

In order to keep horses or other livestock on your land in Andalucía, you need to apply for a license at the Organismode CertificaciónAdministrative (OCA). You have to meet the following requirements to apply:

– There must be a suitable (wooden or concrete) shelter or stable for the animals.

– The land must be fenced.

– The land needs to have it’s own water and electric supply.

After applying, the ministry vet will inspect your facilities to ensure they are suitable. There is a list of things they will check, basically to ensure  that you can look after the livestock adequately (secure fencing, sufficient grazing land, water, feed storage etc.). Aftert his ‘inspection’ and assuming favorable, the license will be issued, usually for the amount of 5 animals,  and you get an OCA code and book to administer your animals on. You pay a small fee for this, depending on which area you are in and which OCA office you have to go to.

International Transporters

There are quite a few international horse transporters, who have regular routes to and from Spain. Most of them have overnight stops, were the horses can rest in a stable. The journey usually takes a few days, depending on location and transporter.

Your horse(s) need to have a passport and up to date vaccinations in order to travel. You can best check these things well in advance with your vet, so he/she can help prepare the right paperwork for your horse(s).

A few international transporters we could recommend contacting are:

www.marceljordan.com
www.paardentransporten.nl
www.locltd.com

Vets

There are many good vets working in our area. As the Costa del Sol has big international (Jumping and Polo) competitions, there are also vets available that speak fluent English as they are dealing with many international clients. We can put you in touch with a local vet in your area.

Farriers

Thereis a variety of farriers and even barefoot trimmers, for the more natural equestrians, working in our area. Apart from Spanish, there are also English and Dutch farriers and trimmers available.

Livery Yards

If you don’t have the facilities to keep your horses at home, there are many livery yards in our area. Prices are usually around the € 300,- per month for full livery, sometimes less if you do some work yourself. Depending on the area and facilities, prices may vary. Yards that focus more on training and competition are usually located more towards the coast, out of our area.

Horse Food

Horses in our area usually get fed oat hay. There are local suppliers who deliver at home and in Coín you find many agricultural shops where you can buy hay, straw, alfalfa and different types of ‘hard feed’.  There is even a shop which sells PAVO.

Like-minded people in the area

We can recommend taking a look at the Facebook group (if you have an account) “horse owners in Spain”. Most equestrians in our area are linked to this page and share information here.

You will love exploring our stunning countryside on horseback!

www.grapevine-properties.com

1 thought on “Owning a horse in Inland Málaga

  1. HorseWeb says:

    Such a nice place. I own a horse farm in Texas and have been on the same place for 10 years already. After reading this article started to think of moving.

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