There is a farm nestled between the mountains of Galicia and the impressive waters of the Atlantic ocean, where your guide Adrián will show you the most exquisite parts of Galicia, Spain. Besides being an experienced guide, Adrián is also a talented horseman with a true connection to all his horses, but above all a real, authentic Galician! During your stay at his farm, he will take you riding through the mountains where you will see lots of purebred Galician wild horses. Learn about the history of the wild horses of Galicia, their habitat, characteristics, traditional management and their relationship with the people.
DATES
Have a look on the booking page to find all upcoming horse riding holidays to Galicia!
Hooves Around Galicia, Spain booking page.
Sign up form for your trip to Galicia here!
Adrián belongs to the fifth generation of a family from the countryside of Galicia. Since he was born he lived with horses that were part of his family, and he will be with you on all the rides. Adrián is currently improving his English, but if there aren't any Spanish speakers in your group he will arrange for a translator to come along on parts of the horse riding holiday. All of Adrián's horses are incredible to ride, very responsive, confident, smart, and above all they are very, very loved! You’ll be bonding with your horse throughout the week. You’ll take your horse in, brush and tack up - meaning lots of one on one time to get to know each other. The rides are slow paced, as the terrain is rocky and steep, but there is the opportunity for the occasional canter.
While riding through the mountains you will even find petroglyphs showing the existence of the wild horses of Galicia in these mountains for more than 5,000 years. There is a figure of a human mounted on a horse which demonstrates the horsemanship of these animals at that time, coinciding with the domestication of the horse in the mountains of central Asia around the same dates!
The food on this horse riding holiday is out of this world, dishes made with local products, in local restaurants and in Adrián’s family home. This really is a unique experience of immersion in culture with the traditional hospitality of a Galician family. On the trail rides you Adrián will take you to stunning places, with incredible views, and countless waterfalls and rivers.
Located in the southwest of Galicia, surrounded by sea and mountains, we offer you the possibility of getting to know the equestrian culture of rural Galicia from a privileged place. We are committed to promoting and protecting our roots and culture around Galician horses, that is why we want to provide a unique experience in an environment where the protagonist is the horse. - Adrián
This is the perfect experience to disconnect and connect between humans, horses, and nature.
We recommend arriving the day before the trip starts, spending a night in Porto, and heading to the farm on the morning of the first day to make the most out of your holiday. This itinerary is an example of what your horse riding holiday can look like. Of course we always have to take the horses, their welfare and the weather into account so activities might be moved to different days.
Arrival at the accommodation in the afternoon. You are welcome to arrive anytime in the afternoon, so you have some time to get settled before the welcome dinner in the evening.
After a good night's rest and a lovely breakfast, you'll go to try out your horse in the arena to see if you're a good match. Adrián will also assess your riding and check to see if you might need to switch to a different horse. Please keep in mind that this horse riding holiday is only for intermediate and experienced riders.
Afterwards, you'll be going on a trail ride to the waterfall, this ride is 3-4 hours in total, and you'll see and cross plenty of rivers on the way. On this horse riding holiday you'll be fetching, grooming and tacking up your own horse every day, which is a lovely way to bond. The horses are incredibly sure footed and navigate the steep and rocky terrain with ease. You'll have the evening to explore Baiona and eat at one of the many lovely restaurants!
The dogs will come with you on most rides too and they're so funny to watch!
The town of Baiona is absolutely lovely, and it's not far to walk down to the town center several evenings for tapas, drinks and ice cream!
You'll get to have a horsemanship and horse communication workshop from Adrián, and afterwards you get to try what you learned with your own horse! You'll also learn roping the traditional Galician way (the way they do with wild horses here) and then go for a trail ride of aprox. 3 hours. You have the evening free for dinner in Baiona.
During our trip, when we had lunch at the house, we had pumpkin soup, octopus empanadas, and fish that Adrián had caught, and it was delicious! After some fresh fruit for dessert, we tried some (very strong) local liquor.
The lunch I mentioned above, you'll have on day 4, at Adrián's grandmothers house! The trail ride on this day will be 4 to 5 hours long, and take you along many more diverse and stunning views.
In the afternoon you'll be visiting the natural hot springs. The hot springs are about an hour away by car, and are truly an oasis. There are 5 hot spring of different temperatures, a jacuzzi, and two cold baths for cold plunges. We absolutely loved the hot springs! You'll be having dinner together this day.
On day 5 you'll ride into the mountains to see the herds of wild horses that live there freely, past waterfalls and to a small mountain village. The terrain is varied, and after climbing the first big mountain you'll end up in endless forests and stunning, green plains. The ride is approximately 3 hours with a few opportunities to canter too.
Lunch will be at an authentic restaurant (with wine of course!) in a small, picturesque mountain village. When we were here we had pork knees for lunch, and even though I initially didn't think it sounded very tasty, it was absolutely delicious. After lunch and a few glasses of wine, you'll ride back to the farm which takes about 2 hours.
The last day of your horse riding holiday will be a ride to the rocky coastline. First you'll ride through the forest, before meeting up with the famous Camino de Santiago. Here there is the opportunity to canter if it isn't too busy with hikers.
You'll ride to an old monastery, and walk on the small beach with the horses. If it's very hot you can even swim with the horses! The ride takes 2 hours, and then you'll stop near the monastery for some tapas (and maybe some home-made sangria!) on the rocks while the horses graze on the lunch grass next to the beach. After tapas, you'll have a 1 hour ride back over the Camino de Santiago and some villages. You''ll have a farewell dinner together, as day 7 is departure day.
We had an absolutely incredible stay in the mountains of Galicia, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of every ride we did. We can't wait to welcome to you to this paradise, so please contact me if you have any questions. To sign up for this trip, click here. For more pictures and videos, check out our "Galicia" highlight on Instagram.
4 Day Breathtaking Sierra Nevada Mountain Ride from Lanjaron, Granada
4 Day Extraordinary Horse Riding Holiday in Mollina, Malaga
6 Day Extraordinary Horse Riding Holiday in Malaga, Andalusia, Spain
