Donkey Business

Olmeda de las Fuentes · Madrid Countryside

“Working with horses is not about control. It’s about learning to listen - to the animal, to yourself, and to the environment you share.”

Esther Renedo Martínez

Place & Setting

Donkey Business is set on 10 hectares of Mediterranean countryside in Olmeda de las Fuentes, in the rural southeast of Madrid. Surrounded by trees, open land and country trails, it offers a very different side of Madrid, where visitors can ride, walk and spend time with horses away from the city.

The horses live in large, wooded paddocks in semi-freedom, where they can move, socialize and behave naturally. The setting makes Donkey Business especially appealing for anyone looking for horse riding near Madrid, a countryside experience, or simply a slower and more personal way to spend time around horses.

Visit Donkey Business with Madrid Wine Country

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Founder & Vision

Donkey Business was founded and is led by Esther Renedo Martínez, an experienced horsewoman and equestrian professional who has spent years working closely with horses, their care, training and behavior.

Her idea was not to create another conventional riding school. The aim is for people to understand the horse before asking anything from it, learning how to approach, observe and communicate with the animal and gradually building the trust that makes riding more natural and rewarding.

Philosophy & Approach

Saddled horse portrait at Negocios de Burros

Farrier forging red-hot horseshoe on anvil, Madrid

Horsewoman bridling her horse at Negocios de Burros

At Donkey Business, horses are not treated simply as tools for riding. They live in a social environment and visitors are encouraged to spend time getting to know them, from basic care and handling to classical and Western riding lessons and horseback rides through the surrounding countryside.

There is also an unexpected side to Donkey Business: traditional forging and knife-making experiences. Few visitors expect to find horses, Mediterranean countryside and hands-on blacksmithing in the same place, making it an unusual rural experience within easy reach of Madrid.

Visiting

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Why It Matters

Donkey Business offers a distinctive rural experience in Olmeda de las Fuentes, a beautiful artists’ village near Nuevo Baztán and within easy reach of Madrid. Visitors can explore the countryside through horseback riding, horse-care workshops, classical and Western riding, as well as traditional forging and knife-making. More than a riding activity, it is a personal introduction to horses, nature, local creativity, and traditional craftsmanship, offering an authentic way to discover rural Madrid and a side of Spain that many travelers rarely experience.