Travel: Paradise in Portugal

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mature. This is because mature grasses contain more structural carbohydrates such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin than new grass.

Digestibility

Lignin is a nitrogen containing compound that helps to give grass stems their rigid structure. Cellulose and hemicellulose also play a role in the structural component of grasses, but where cellulose and hemicellulose are digestible in the horse, lignin is not. Humans cannot digest any of these structural carbohydrates, which are often referred to as fibre. It is only because of certain microflora in the hindgut of a horse’s digestive tract that they get any nutrients from cellulose and hemicellulose

at all. These microbes are able to

do the digesting for the horse.

As digestibility decreases in more mature grasses, so does the energy the horse is able to absorb from

the grass. This means warm season grasses in spring and early summer will give the horse more energy than those same grasses in late summer. This also has implications for horses at risk of laminitis, in that there are more starches and sugars in early stage growth of warm season grasses than mature warm season grasses. Starches and sugars affect insulin levels, which can affect laminitic horses or those at risk of laminitis.

Factors to consider

Feeding horses in summer comes with a range of unique challenges. Ambient temperature and seasonal growth of pastures can affect what you should feed your horse, and it’s important to consider all the factors affecting each individual horse. Your Equine Nutritionist can help to ensure that you’re feeding your horse correctly, no matter the season.

Leisa Hofstetter, BEqSc, is an Equine Nutritionist and founder of Hof Equine. Call her on 0415 120 454, email hofequine@gmail.com, or visit www.facebook.com/HofEquine

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TRAVEL

Paradise in Portugal

They say there’s no place quite like home, so SONIA CAEIRO ALVAREZ armchair travelled very close to her hometown in north western Spain and found magic in Midões.

Nestled just outside the village of Midões in the mountains of central Portugal is Quinta

da Alegria. That’s where an exceptional family of horse lovers, horses, and four-legged farm folk collectively create the heart-warming and unique Portugal by Horse riding holiday and farm stay. It is in essence a bucolic wonderland of mountains, meadows

and rivers, historic villages, deep culture and the warmest hospitality. In reality it’s a captivating farm experience with a herd of much loved horses and Portuguese passion in abundance.

For riders, a farm holiday at Quinta da Alegria is a total immersion into both magnificent nature, and what consummate hosts Liesje Vanneste and João Cabrita call the magic of horses. Liesje and João manage every aspect of the farm stay with heart and soul, and, along with extensive horse riding tours and trails, offer lessons in horsemanship and the captivating Dancing with Horses, as well as on-site yoga, reiki, massage, hiking, cycling and mountain biking tours, crossbow shooting, canyoning, and kayaking.

In 1996, Belgian-born Liesje arrived in Portugal with two horses, two dogs, some chickens and a tipi. She explored the region until she discovered a home for herself and her beloved menagerie: the stunning historical village of Midões, a short train, bus or car ride from Lisbon or Porto. A city dweller from Alcantarilha-Algarve and Lisbon City, João had spent years at university studying and working in IT, until his path collided with Liesje’s. From there, their dream of paradise gained traction as the pair developed a unique horse riding and nature adventure.

The property is abundant in water springs and was last inhabited by Pastor António Pereira with his family and a large sheep herd. After his death

João shares a special connection with Fly.

BELOW LEFT: Ariza gazes through the window at the idyllic countryside.

Quinta da Alegria was abandoned, full of brambles and overgrowth, a devastated orchard, disintegrating roof and 12 years of dust and debris. Since 2009 the couple has lovingly transformed the original three hectares to 25 hectares of pastures, meandering wildflower meadows, and rich fertile land.

Liesje believes that it’s the little things and the simple pleasures that remain in our memories. The things we share with our friends, partners, children or grandchildren. “It’s when we can be taken to another dimension, the dimension of pure joy,” she says. “The joy of Quinta da Alegria is finding eggs in the barn and enjoying them for breakfast, picking fruit from a tree, helping to feed the farm animals, bringing hay to the meadow for the horses, or just watching them run across the fields. It could be the joy of pushing your children in a wheelbarrow and having a picnic in the shade in a hidden valley, or watching sunsets give way to millions of stars by the campfire.”

The Quinta da Alegria herd is made up of 13 unique and diverse personalities including two Haflingers, four Lusitanos, four Portuguese Cross, a Garrano, a KWPN (the Dutch Warmblood) and a Selle Français. Nine are available for riding.

The horses are managed in as natural way as possible and are a true herd. “They are always together and almost always grazing in the 25 hectares of meadow, where they not only eat but also run and play and are extremely happy horses,” explains Liesje. “When they are stabled to work, the structures are open so they can see, touch and smell each other. In winter, when it’s very cold or wet, they sleep and eat in stables, but still go to the meadow, rain or shine.”

All the horses are barefoot, and Liesje says they have not used horseshoes since 2006. “We believe that they are healthier and happier this way. Their hooves are trimmed regularly by a Portuguese specialist in barefoot trimming. Sometimes they can develop sensitivity in summer in which case we use hoof boots,” she explains.

The horses are ridden with English saddles, usually with a sheepskin on top of the saddle for extra rider comfort, although during pandemic restrictions sheepskins are not