Locals in Spain have been riding their horses in jumps through fire in commemoration of a 500 year old Luminarias religious festival.
Horse in fire
The 500-year-old event in Spain sees many horses blessed before they are ridden through the streets of San Bartolome de Pinares, a village 60 miles north-west of Madrid and then jumping over bonfires.
The annual event is a celebration of St Anthony, Spain’s patron saint of animals, and sees hundreds of horses ridden through the narrow cobbled streets.
After the riding stops at midnight, the locals party until sunrise. Locals insist the event causes the animals no harm but animal rights groups are campaigning to end the tradition.
The event is one of a number of fire festivals held across Spain throughout the year, including the spectacular Festa Major, at L’Arboc, near Tarragona in Catalonia.