Journal of Ravenseyrie

A Week in Portugal / Day Seven

2012-02-14T17:03:00.004-05:00

A young Sorraia stallion, of the Coudelaria Nacional, living in freedom along the Rio Tejo

Note: All photos taken by the author, Lynne Gerard, unless otherwise noted.

Traveling with my German friends Hardy and Rose Oelke made for a unique way to see Portugal and offered experiences that were sometimes prearranged and other times a bit more spontaneous. Their many years of visiting Portugal as part of research and conservation efforts for the Sorraia horses means they have a marvelous familiarity with particular regions of the country and I was quite fortunate to be taken to so many fabulous places.

On the last full day of my great Portuguese holiday (October 3, 2011), though the Oelkes had no contacts or acquaintances in Valada, a riverside town in the Ribatejo region, we were adventurously hoping to find someone at the marina willing to take us to an island in the Tejo river where the Portuguese National Stud pastures young stallions.

After parking the rented Opel, Hardy--never lacking in determination and self-confidence--went in search of someone who might comprehend enough English to assist us in finding a boat charter. The marina appeared to be empty of people, so Hardy walked over to the town center to try his luck, while Rose and I wandered along the riverside.

Hardy Oelke walks by the quiet marina at Valada on the way to town to talk with the locals about hiring a charter boat for a trip on the Tagus.

One of the tile-sided buildings in the town of Valada facing the Rio Tejo

Detail of the same building

An assortment of small riverboats looked artfully attractive in the still waters of the Tejo river at Valada:

The Portuguese people seem very happy to try to help tourists who do not speak their language and Hardy has an earnest, forthright way of making himself comprehendible, a skill that served us well many times over. After several exchanges with locals in town, Hardy learned that there was a woman with a tour boat business that was currently docked here, but it was not certain that she was presently on site.

Hardy located the Ollem Turismo tour boat and to our good fortune Madalena De Mello Viana (who spoke fluent English) was aboard. After discussing what we had in mind, a deal was struck and in short order we found ourselves boarding a smaller vessel that Madalena adeptly piloted away from the dock and out to the middle of the mirror-like Rio Tejo.

Hardy Oelke and Madalena de Mello Viana make arrangements for chartering a boat ride on the Rio Tejo

And down the still waters of Rio Tejo we went!

Our wake briefly disrupts the mirror-like image of the Tejo on a hot October day

(Photo: Rosa Oelke)

The Rio Tejo (Tagus in Spain) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula beginning its flow after first tumbling down the Albarracin mountains in Spain, crossing gracefully through Portugal and emptying out into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. Both countries have a long, poetic relationship with this majestic river and it continues to enchant and inspire authors, painters and musicians, with an especially rich offering of the arts in Lisbon. Though my little boat ride was rather short and focused on getting to just one destination, there are many opportunities for more elaborate cruises up and down the 1000+km of this impressive waterway.

Valada from a distance and closer up

A large estate on the bank of the Rio Tejo

It was another searingly hot day without even a puff of a breeze for relief, so it was quite splendid moving at a high speed out there on the Rio Tejo. Here and there Madalana would slow to point out some place of interest or direct our eyes to a bird on the shore and in less than a half hour (by my guess) we were pulling the little boat up onto the sandy beach of a 54 hectare island referred to as "Potril da Azambuja".

Madalena de Mello Viana our guide to the shore of Potril da Azambuja

Madalana stayed with the boat while Hardy, Rose and I climbed up the bank with great anticipation, for it is here where weaned colts bred by the Portuguese National Stud and the Alter Real Stud are sent to live a semi-wild existence until they reach the age when saddle training commences. There is a caretaker who boats to the island on a daily basis to check on the horses and bring extra feed as needed, but with the exception of the occasional visit by photographers and other interested parties, these Iberian steeds are left to themselves to live according to the natural rhythms of their wilderness landscape.

Iberian hoof-prints in the sand

This island of bachelor horses was pretty special place for me to visit and gave me an appreciation for the experience of freedom the breeders provide the young stallions for several years before being brought back to the world of human exploitation, box stalls, restricted movement and imposed routines. Having experienced here at Ravenseyrie the way this type of autonomy for a group of young horses in a wilderness setting facilitates independence, pride, intelligence, hearty constitutions, sure-footedness and important equine social skills, I can vouch for how horses who have lived in this way have an enhanced essence about them that if respected and appropriately channeled can remain vibrant even when they are brought into a more traditional horse-keeping setting.

A young Sorraia stallion dozing along the Tejo river, noble looking even as he sleeps

I don't know how many young stallions were living on this island during the time I was there, but of those I saw, there were a few groups hanging out together in shaded areas while others were scattered over the dry grassland searching for tidbits to eat.

Some of the young stallions were in the shade...

...others grazed in the hot sun, along with the egrets

Lusitano, Alter Real and Sorraia colts share the island as one herd of bachelors

I do not know if this fellow is a Lusitano or a "lobo" black grullo Sorraia like our own Fada and Interessado here at Ravenseyrie...

These semi-wild youngsters were very accepting of our presence among them on their private island and a cluster of the lads were curious enough to approach me and make my acquaintance, which I always take such great delight in!

A greeting from a Sorraia colt!

Author Lynne Gerard makes the acquaintance of a young, semi-wild Sorraia stallion on the island known as Potril da Azambuja in the Rio Tejo

(photo: Rosa Oelke)

Hardy, Rose and I each wandered to different vantage points to look for the Sorraia colts and take our photos, though we didn't travel too far away from where we had left Madalena waiting in the hot, humid autumn heat...nor did we stay too long after spotting a good number of Sorraia horses-- though if I could have been left there all day and fetched in the evening, I would have easily lost myself in just hanging out with these fabulous horses.

Hippologist Hardy Oelke photographs Iberian horses on Portril da Azambuja on a very hot October day...

...as does the author of the Journal of Ravenseyrie, Lynne Gerard

(photo: Rosa Oelke)

Because I feel much more at home among free roaming horses and the wilderness than I do around well maintained stables and highly groomed saddle horses, both on the island in the Tagus and in the Vale de Zebro I felt a longing to more deeply connect with the horses and the land (through enhanced interaction)...until at least I could finally board the jet that would take me back home to my own free roaming horses and spectacular landscape ...but this was not within the scope of this particular trip to Portugal.

We could easily imagine the names of these two colts are "Hot" and "Humid"

I am certain Hardy was aware that while I truly enjoyed all the people and places he had shared with me, I was overall homesick and as a rather cloistered Canadian unaccustomed to travel, I was definitely overwhelmed by so many wonderful things to see and experience in Portugal. Perhaps he knew that offering to take me back to the Vale de Zebro later that day would be just the grounding balm my wilderness soul needed? (I think the Vale de Zebro is a balm for Hardy's soul, too!)

And so it was that we were once more hiking the terrain of the Vale de Zebro hoping to see again the family bands of the Oelke's Sorraia horses and maybe even sight the two bachelor colts who thus far we had not come upon on our prior visits.

First we were able to locate one family band shading themselves in the woodlands.

And then we found another group seeking a relative coolness (it was probably +30°C in the shade) provided by the Cork Oak trees.

Hardy began hiking down one of the valleys while Rose and I took a higher service road where an occasional, blessed puff of a breeze helped to cool and dry our sweaty brows. And then, like a mirage, I was sure I could see some horses ahead and said to Rose..."I think the bachelors are here!"

We continued to walk closer and sure enough, the two colts were dozing in the shade, head to tail fashion, swishing flies off each other and looking pretty comfortable.

Without sharply shouting, I called down to Hardy that the bachelors were up on the road, and as he began to mkae his way up the hill to join us, I took photo after photo after photo.

At first those dozing young stallions were unaware of humans approaching, but they soon detected us. This series of photos shows how they reacted, by first gathering information regarding our intentions and then feeling the urge to move away from us--yet too curious to break into a full flight retreat.

These handsome colts (both born on the preserve and naturally expelled from the foundation family band) took my breath away! I was SO happy to see these guys--they were the only horses in the Vale de Zebro I hadn't yet been able to "meet". It was an exciting episode in an already terrific day of photographing Sorraia horses!

The boys were once again proudly standing their ground when Hardy gained the road vantage and began taking his own series of photos. A bit of time was spent with us marveling over these exquisite colts as they quietly appraised us. I believe if we had decided to sit nearby in the shade, these young, wild stallions would have once again taken up relaxed, companionable positions and resumed their late afternoon nap without feeling disturbed by our presence among them. But there was one more group we were hoping to see before evening time and Hardy suggested we remain on the road and stride purposefully toward the bachelors to stimulate them into fleeing (Hardy prefers the Vale de Zebro Sorraia horses have as little contact with humans as possible and so discourages making any deliberate connection with them beyond a certain point.)

This next series of photos shows what the colts thought of such a palpable shift in intention:

The colts left the road and ran up a hill to hide in the brush where they then watched us pass by.

We eventually left the road as well and went over the next hill and the next and the next, hoping to spot the other small family group, but finally decided to call it quits and return to the car so we could be sure to get back to town before the shops closed. There was a shoe store in Almeirim where Rose had hoped to purchase a pair of boots (most everything is incredibly inexpensive in Portugal) and I wanted to poke around in an antique shop to see what aged souvenir I might find to bring home for Kevin.

While Rose tried on various styles of hiking boots, I was delighted to find an old wooden wine box caddy in the antique shop which I knew (along with my bottle of wine from day six) would be just the perfect gift for Kevin as well as an authentic cork hewn from a Cork Oak branch.

We then walked over to the O Forno restaurant for my last dinner in Portugal where another fine meal was enjoyed while Hardy, Rose and I reflected on the many fortunate experiences of the past week. With great anticipation of heading home to Canada and Ravenseyrie and Kevin in the morning, I put my wine-mellowed mind and weary body to bed.

I will write one more journal entry (only after a few updates on what has been happening this winter at Ravenseyrie!) summing up my thoughts on what this trip to Portugal meant to me, as well as sharing a little about the difficulties this "unfrequent flyer" experienced while trying to catch all my flights home.

A Week in Portugal / Day Six

2012-01-27T10:57:00.012-05:00

What thoughts might this gentleman have as he sits in the shade on a hot October day looking down the road in the city of Castelo de Vide?

During my week in Portugal I was fortunate to be able to travel with my friends Hardy and Rose Oelke who are devoted Sorraia horse preservationists and annual visitors to this beautiful country. Over the course of my holiday we lodged in two different hotels. The first one was the Hotel O Novo Principe in the town of Almeirim (Santarem district) which gave us opportunity to visit several of the places in that general area where Sorraia horses are living. On the third day, we drove further east to Alter do Chão (Portalegre district) where we rented rooms at a renovated sixteenth century Franciscan convent, the Hotel Convento d'Alter--a place with all the modern amenities, yet impressing the senses with a feeling of more austere times.

The Oelkes have been frequent guests at the Hotel O Novo Principe, but this was their first time taking accommodations at the Hotel Convento d'Alter. I'm so glad they remembered wanting to give this place of lodging a try because it was definitely the type of place where a romantic soul with an affinity for high arched ceilings and old stonework would feel inspired. Where the Hotel O Novo Principe is all hyper polished, modern and spare in its decor, the Hotel Convento d'Alter incorporated the right mix of antiquated reproductions into its authentic medieval structure with a definite homage being paid to the Franciscan monks who used to occupy it. For additional views of this terrific place to take lodging have a look at the photo gallery page of their website.

The author's room at the Hotel Convento d'Alter

We stayed in this stately converted convent for three days while we took day trips to special places to see Sorraia horses as well as other destinations the Oelkes thought I might enjoy. We returned to Almeirim and the Hotel O Novo Principe for my last night in Portugal. Both establishments were much less expensive per room than I had expected, they were very clean, the employees were pleasant, helpful and often able to speak English--and both places had complementary internet for their patrons. I would recommend them both if you should find yourself traveling to Almeirim or Alter do Chão.

The former cloisters in the Hotel Convento d'Alter where self-serve breakfasts were offered (included in the price of a night's lodging) and where special gatherings no doubt take place.

Day six of my Portuguese adventure was a sultry Sunday morning and before driving up to the mountain town of Castelo de Vide, we three decided to see if we could find the vineyard that made a lovely wine we had been enjoying frequently at dinnertime. When we arrived at the vineyard, the entrance was open, but upon driving in, it was obvious that we had come during a time when the vineyard was actually closed--most likely for whatever Sunday observances the people here were in the routine of following.

Before we turned around to leave however, a robust, matronly Portuguese woman in a colourful cotton dress came out of a door, a string of keys dangling in her hand. She motioned for us to follow her. She led us to a building, unlocked a garage-like door which opened to a warehouse full of boxes of wine and a retail counter from which to sell it. Splendid! Though the proprietress did not speak English, we were able to point to the vintage of wine we were interested in, and were delighted to pay just 4 euros for a bottle of the Vale Barqueiros - Reserve 2007 Red.

A snapshot of one of the vineyard lanes. Wish I had walked down it and taken my photo perpendicular to the vines. Obviously this vineyard does a great job of irrigating their vines and it is always a delight to the eyes to see a verdant oasis in the middle of an otherwise parched landscape.

Both the Oelkes and myself would have purchased a case of this wine to have sent back to our homes with such a low price point offered to us, but the initial difficulty of having ourselves be understood when making out the shipping arrangements seemed too daunting a task and I believe I saw the woman show a definite sense of relief when we decided not to pursue that option. Hardy and Rose purchased two bottles, and me, with my small suitcase reluctantly bought just one bottle* of this very lovely dry, deep red wine.

*In my last article about my trip to Portugal I will share the sad tale of this coveted bottle of wine.

Off now, to Castelo de Vide!

Looking down from one of the upper sections of Castele de Vide

Situated on the Serra de São Mamede in the northeast Alentejo region, this city is an interesting mix of ancient history and religious diversity. The mountainous municipality contains a renowned Jewish sector and architecture from the thirteenth century as well as entire neighborhoods that were added on throughout each time period thereafter overflowing down the slopes. What is perhaps most amazing is that even the oldest sectors are dwelling places for modern day humans--Castelo de Vide is not an uninhabited fortress town, but is a thriving city with definite old world charm.

A very narrow passage on the medieval cobble road.

Our rented Opel, however was not quite small enough to squeeze through so we retreated to a parking spot and continued to ascend the mountain village on foot.

It is interesting to look back on the photos I took and to see the images captured by my digital camera. On this day (the only day in Portugal that we did not go to see any Sorraia horses) my eyes were enchanted by the architecture, the play of light and shadow and the delight of seeing an artistic touch in even the most mundane features of the surroundings.

I'm going to display the photos now, with occasional comments/observations/musings these images have inspired.

The face and voice of noon at Castelo de Vide

Twelve bells was not the only sound to be heard. There was also the voice of this dog in the upper window calling out "Hello, hello you there!" to...

...this dog walking down the hillside with one of the inhabitants of Castle de Vide. Where are they going?

I don't know the destination of the Portuguese woman and her dog friend, but it appeared that along the way they came upon a man they knew and paused for an exchange of pleasantries and perhaps...

...to share a comment or two about the tourists gawking at every little thing and taking photo after photo.

Oh how many images of these Portuguese people I wanted to photograph but refrained because somehow, in my core being to do so felt intrusive and slightly voyeuristic. In every village we went through, the local people seemed to me to be so beautiful and natural in their surroundings...looking always like a romantic image that ought to be captured in a painting. For sure I wish I had taken more photos of the Portuguese people--but when something doesn't feel "right" it is best to listen to one's inner voice and show some restraint. I sure am glad I never felt it was inappropriate for me to be photographing the Sorraia horses!

I wonder about you women of Castelo de Vide, out and about on this hot autumn day...

When you return, from some errand or visitation, with your heels clicking on ancient artful cobbled pathways, and you see before you a splendid door--the door to YOUR home--does a feeling of love and admiration catch in your throat? Or, being so familiar with the antiquated architecture of your medieval city, do you absently pass through from out to in, seemingly oblivious to how extraordinary such an entrance is?

Even a derelict door on a crumbling villa looks inviting to me!

There were several cats napping on the rooftops of the villas. This one looked especially "in the zone":

A gorgeous and refreshing looking covered fountain

We walked through different sections of the castle, along with quite a number of other tourists who were using this hot October Sunday to explore Castelo de Vide. Though I neglected to take a photo of the castle from a distance, I did record some of its more intimate features.

How many architects and creators of human spaces these days consider the elementals (sun and seasons, day and night, light and shadow, warmth and coolness, etc.) when configuring angle of roof, placement of doorway, alignment of window? Looking at the majority of homes, businesses and park structures here on Manitoulin Island, it seems by and large the exquisite effects of elementals interacting with structural edifices have been completely ignored. Buildings these days seem to be mostly a way to shield oneself (hide/escape) from the natural elements and in the most economic, uninspired manner with no thought to how artistic accents, mindful arrangement of walls & roofs and integration with the environment can enhance the overall human experience. What I appreciate about so many aspects of old world architecture is that in addition to creating an inhabitable interior space, a definite appreciation for how a structure interacts with the outer elementals has been taken into consideration and capitalized upon. Just look at the play of shadow and light in some of these photos!

Imagine the way the stonework absorbs the heat of the sun, how delightful the coolness of the shade feels by contrast and how angle on angle lead the eye down the road with the anticipation of more inspiring sensations to be seen and felt beyond the bend!

This following photo was taken by Hardy from the highest point of the castle, looking down to where Rose and I were enjoying a shade break:

Lynne Gerard and Rosa Oelke on one of the roof tops of the medieval castle at Castelo de Vide

(photo: Hardy Oelke)

In my next photo is yet another image of a fabulous looking door, but clearly the people who live behind this entry are making the most of the warm of the sun-soaked masonry. I wonder if they make some homemade vino with the bounty of grapes that look so pleased to be growing here:

I was very taken by how even the cobble alleys and roads had here and there an artistic flair. Were these sunburst like patterns preplanned while the road was being laid? Do they signify something about the surrounding buildings or something below the surface? Or are they the personal expression of whomever had been working on building these roads? To just walk down a cobble road is a pleasant enough experience, but to stride over these impromptu designs awakens one's mind to the presence of those who actually made these roads. Did they sing or whistle while working? Were they happy and fulfilled by their lives? To see these artful touches makes me believe these road builders where promoters of beauty and those who promote beauty typically sing while they work and their lives overflow with joy they help create.

And then there is another gift I found on the cobbleways of Castelo de Vide. It is a very frequent occurrence for me when I am out hiking the wilderness of Ravenseyrie, whether following the trails the horses have made, or letting the light through the forest take me on a different route, I find, right at my feet a bird feather. And so my house and studio abound with the feathers of our local birds. And because I take so many walks and find so many gift feathers along the way, when a purchase is made at the gallery, I wrap it in paper and string and tie a feather to it. My customers always seem pleased for this extra souvenir from Manitoulin Island. I don't know what kind of bird left this feather for me to discover while walking through Castelo de Vide, but how terrific it felt to know that this particular "magic" that I receive here at home was also available to me while in Portugal.

After leaving Castelo de Vide, Hardy took us to see a different segment of the Rio Sorraia. It was by now even hotter and that water sure looked inviting. In fact, in one area of the river there were a number of people having picnics on the banks and cooling themselves in the water. It was nice to find the quieter spots on this part of the Sorraia river to simply enjoy the natural elements after seeing so much of the man-made structures at Castelo de Vide. Though we didn't see any Sorraias on this day, knowing that their progenitors used to live wild along this waterway many, many years ago made me feel connected to them just the same.

My next entry will have an account of a visit we made to a place where some Sorraias were living that very few people know about.

A Week in Portugal / Day Five

2012-01-06T14:11:00.003-05:00

Sorraia stallion on the range at Herdade do Font'Alva

Note: All photos taken by the author

I daresay I make a rather poor travel journalist!

It was back late last September when I made the long and stressful journey to Portugal to see the "homeland" of the Sorraia horses. I returned to Manitoulin Island on the fifth of October -- three months have gone by, Ravenseyrie is in the thick of winter and I am just now typing up my entry for "Day Five" which took place on Saturdayy, October the 1st. Such procrastination, eegaads! It was not my intention to drag out the telling of my trip and perhaps I can finish the last three days in a more timely manner.

Readers will recall that Day Four began with a visit to Herdade do Font'Alva and the hopeful anticipation of meeting Jose Luis d'Andrade. With his time that day already spoken for, it was suggested we come the following day and if Jose Luis was still not able to personally show us his horses, he granted us permission to walk the various ranges where the Sorraia stallions and mares were living.

Before trying our luck again at Font'Alva, my generous guide, Hardy Oelke, wanted to take me to a place he knew where there was a Neolithic dolmen nearby one of his favourite, "out of the way" spots with a grand view of the surrounding countryside in a remote area of the Alentejo region. Portugal is world renown for its megalithic monuments erected by prehistoric pagans. The many dolmens, menhirs and cromlechs would have made for an exciting week's worth of touring the countryside on their own, but having only a short seven days available for my sojourn to Portugal and many Sorraian "hotspots" to visit, I had to content myself with this modest, topless dolmen. For an closer look at some of the hundreds of megaliths in Portugal, you'll find nice photos and interesting information on the "Ancient Wisdom" website.

The surrounding area was lovely, with inviting shadows tumbling down the rocks into the greenery of the valley. The high view would have been very pretty indeed, except (like everyday during my week in Portugal) the intense heat was accompanied by stale, humid air which limited the clarity and distance such viewing areas could present.

After enjoying this bit of wilderness, Hardy, his wife Rose and I walked back to the Opel and resumed our drive to Font'Alva.

We were once again met with disappointment when we arrived at the d'Andrade estate. Jose Luis was not on the property, but quite an assortment of hunting parties were. Thankfully, as we went off to the range where Hardy knew the Sorraia stallions were kept, we were heading in the opposite direction of the different groups of men toting their rifles accompanied by expectant dogs at their sides. Nevertheless, when Hardy parked on the side of the service road and we got out to begin our hike we heard a gunshot which caused me to spontaneously jump and I began hoping that we were not going to be walking into an area where these hunters were aiming their deadly shots--no doubt the Oelkes were hoping the same.

We found a section of the barbed wire fence that allowed for a human body to slip through--though this was perhaps a bit easier for Hardy and Rose as they didn't have to hike a skirt up and expose their tender inner thighs to a potential bite from the barbs! More than once on our many outings I received a concerned look from Hardy regarding my habit of hiking out in a skirt and soft suede boots. Well, I just don't wear trousers of any sort anymore--its been almost two decades since I quit tight blue jeans and other such attire. Typically around our own farm, I wear split skirts (custom made by my very talented mother!) which are much less binding, afford great freedom of movement and allow me to climb fences or sit astride a horse with graceful ease. I wear them bare-legged in the summer (they are MUCH cooler than blue jeans) and layer wool leggings under them in the winter. But in the spirit of wanting to pack lightly for this journey, I left the voluminous split skirts at home and wore instead a traditional skirt in lightweight denim. As hot as it was in Portugal during my visit, this skirt was the better choice, being even cooler than the sturdier workman's denim and heavy cotton duct fabric of the split skirts. And, I am pleased to say, I became quite adept at crossing fences without exposing too much of myself to whomever might be nearby and never once did I snag any tender flesh! No one was slowed down by this hiker in a skirt! And anyhow...just think of those burly Scots from days gone by and all the hiking in kilts that took place through a landscape of gorse and thistles--no one would question their choice of attire, but rather marvel at their dexterity to avoid prickly foliage!

As we began to take in the stallion range, we pretty early on saw what appeared to be a beautiful black Percheron excited by our presence. Hardy relayed that he had heard Jose Luis kept a draft horse. This fellow was certainly a beauty and looked to be in great condition.

Soon a small, somewhat chunky, thick-necked dun horse wandered on the scene. He didn't look like a pure Sorraia, with very short legs, bunching type musculature rather than the longer, leaner muscling typical for Sorraias and seemed to be a companion of the draft horse. He also looked like he had been getting roughed up by other horses, judging by the numerous bite marks on his tawny coat. [After I posted this, I had an exchange with Hardy regarding this dun stud and was told he is not a crossbred, but represents an off-type, one that neither he or I would recommend in a Sorraia preservation breeding program.]

We continued on and I photographed just a few of the many enchanting rock forms we passed, some of which may have been Neolithic dolmens similar to the one we had visited earlier in the morning.

In fact after my return from Portugal, subsequent research on the internet turned up a research paper titled: Antigüedades de Fontalva / Neo-eneolítico e época romana What a man Dr. Ruy d'Andrade was! In addition to all that he is renowned for (including his former mayorship of the town of Elvas!) we can add to his many great foresighted, social-minded, preserving-for-posterity undertakings, the willingness he and his family possessed to allow the appropriate researchers to study and document the archaeological prehistory of their estate. The article says that the d'Andrades faithfully donated to the Museu Geológico numerous artifacts they would find on the estate ranging from the Paleolithic to Visgothic time periods.

But I digress again from our subject...the Sorraia horses at Font'Alva...

How spectacular it was! - as we continued our hiking in the stallion range - to have a beautiful dun Sorraia crest the ridge as you see here:

Soon two handsome grullos also could be discerned from the shadows of the Cork Oak trees, with a string of bulls in the back:

Off farther to the left was a threesome of two duns and a black grullo:

Some young Iberian bulls were also on this range and they were much more disturbed by our presence than were the horses, taking to flight at first sight of us:

I don't know whether we saw all the Sorraia stallions living in this particular range, but after a bit more hiking, Hardy determined it was time for us to begin searching for the mares which he last recalled being turned out several ranges beyond the one were presently were. Through the barbed wire fence once again and off we went, with me becoming completely disoriented in no time at all, but fully trusting that Hardy had his bearings and when all was said and done we would see some Sorraia mares and find our way back to the Opel on this very hot autumn day in Portugal.

What a spectacular landscape to be hiking in! I loved it--even though I was dusty, sweaty and beginning to get slightly weary--there was simply too much to see and wonder about to feel anything but happy to be where I was, even though it was obvious my chance to spend any time with Jose Luis d'Andrade himself was non-existent.

As Rose, Hardy and I hiked in the heat, we each were scanning the ground for good hoof impressions and fresh manure--mostly we saw only dried up traces of horses having been pastured in these ranges. How many did we pass through in search of the mares? I lost track...five, maybe six different ranges (Jose Luis told Hardy that Font'Alva comprises 2,000 hectares!) Sometimes we saw mirages of Sorraia in the shadows, sometimes we only spotted bulls in retreat. There was one exception in a particular sector we were hiking. While the group of bulls were in retreat, one massive fellow - handsome as he was fearsome - turned and began walking toward us! I don't know about Hardy and Rose, but right then and there I began looking around the landscape to see if there were nearby trees or rocks to clamber up lest Mr. Bull decided we two-legged invaders out to be charged. After stopping and giving us three puny humans a long slow appraisal, Senhor Touro turned and with a stately bearing trotted off to catch up with his range mates.

In one range, I found a most interesting spot where one of those "cattlebeasts" (as Canadians often refer to members of the bovine species) left behind his corporeal body and let his spirit mingle with the twinkling stars. The area where I found these bones almost seemed like it was a "holy" spot, being the top of a small rise with large rocks at the edge of the uppermost section. Not a bad place to lay down and take one's final breath, at least to my way of thinking.

Several feet off from the internment area I found the bull's cranium. Since this lovely treasure would not fit into my carry-on luggage to take back as a souvenir, I did what any romantic artist would do...I found a tree in which to hang it and took a picture instead:

Several hours had gone by and we were beginning to think that the mares were not where Hardy had last viewed them and we may not come across them at all. It was decided we should begin heading back. Honestly, I would not quite know which direction "back" was, especially since we were not retracing our steps exactly, but I knew Hardy was familiar enough with the property that he would find a landmark that would give him all he needed to put us on a trajectory back to the parked car. One such landmark I was happy to see again was the Castelo de Font'Alva. Imagine an estate with its own medieval castle! What a terrific thing it would have been to see this part of Font'Alva, too!

If we had known we were going to have such a difficult time locating where the Sorraia mares were, I would have suggested we should pack a lunch and some liquids and what a terrific picnic break we could have had on the many inviting shaded cool, table-like rocks! But we were a weary group at that point with quite a walk ahead of us and much of the excitement and anticipation had melted away in the heat. When we finally reached the rented Opel, it didn't matter that it was now sitting in full sun and our water was not the least bit cold--it revived us just the same.

Soon we were back on the road headed for a small café that sold the type of ice cream treats Hardy and Rose favour. (There are several of these places Rose and Hardy stop regularly for ice cream on their annual visits to Portugal--a sweet tradition in more ways than one!) For myself, I was hoping to find a dark beer. I knew that I probably wouldn't come across anything as delicious as my Kevin's own brew of Ravenseyrie Stout, but it was worth a try to at least find something heavier than a lager. The proprietor did not speak English and of course, I had forgotten my little Berlitz Portuguese phrase book and I had not taken the trouble to memorize the word for "beer" (cerveja) let alone request a dark beer or a bona fide stout, if such a thing could be had in Portugal. "Do you sell dark beer?" meant nothing to the kind gentleman and I felt ashamed to not have prepped myself a little better. His son was summoned, a handsome brown-eyed young man with a friendly, warm smile like so many Portuguese males. He immediately understood that I wanted a beer and set a bottle of lager on the counter. I said "Sim" [yes]...but, dark, por favor...or, hmmm, brown...?" He indicated he didn't know what I meant. I began to pantomime a bit. I pointed to my eyes and then touched a blue bowl on the counter - then I pointed to his eyes and the put my finger on the bottle of beer. Yes! Instantly the young man knew what I wanted and pulled from a refrigerator under the counter a bottle of dark beer and fetched me a glass. With big smiles on both our faces I paid for my prize and carried it outside to join Hardy and Rose at a shaded patio table. Knowing how much Kevin would appreciate this little beer story, I got my camera out and took a photo for him.

After we felt suitably recovered from our hours of hiking at Font'Alva, Hardy drove us off to Elvas to see the views from up where the castle looks over the landscape. First, though we drove by the amazing Aqueduto da Amoreira, built in the 15th century on top of the foundation of the earlier aqueduct constructed by the Romans. Very impressive!

The Castelo de Elvas was closed to the public on that day, so we contented ourselves with walking the surrounding walls and getting some photos of the terrific view.

I love this photo of Rose...it feels like it would make a great reference for a painting.

There were intriguing narrow roads winding away from the castle and I was thinking it would be nice to get some photos of the architecture for Kevin. I wandered a bit and captured some images of doors (I have a door fetish) some very humble, others opulent and grand.

Hardy assured me that I would find even better scenes to photograph the next day when we were scheduled to spend some time at a 14th century fortress city, Castelo de Vide (the name of the city as well as the castle).

After leaving Elvas, along the way Hardy and Rose spotted a resort hotel they had been meaning to check out and see what the amenities and rates were like. While they were in the lobby obtaining information, I wandered around the premises taking photographs.

There were sections that were in derelict condition and, as is so frequent in Portugal, one finds horses or burros in the most unlikely places!

What vibrancy this donkey has in his expression...in just a moment of communion with him, I feel he knows everything about me!

On our drive back to Alter do Chao, we decided to stop at an interesting looking "mom and pop" restaurant in the village of Viamonte, another place that Hardy and Rose traditionally like to dine at. It was sometime after 4pm I would guess and the restaurant was closed, but the madre invited us to dine there just the same and seated us in the cool shadows of the far back seating area. The kind senhora asked her son, Bruno (who remembered Hardy from a previous visit) to come help decipher our English and bungled Portuguese requests and soon we had laid before us a true feast of foods--just what our tired and hot bodies longed for. I made out very well with salad, potatoes, cabbage, bread, broccoli and a hearty red wine. How appreciative we were at the happy hospitality these people showed us, even during a time of day when their restaurant is closed!

We drove back to the hotel (which I will tell about in the next journal entry--it was such an impressive place!) and went to our rooms earlier than usual. I had time to hand wash some of my clothes and type a long email to Kevin, before meeting the Oelkes in the hotel restaurant for a little dessert before turning in for some sleep.

We didn't see as many Sorraia horses as we had hoped to on Day Five, nor did it seem fate allowed for a dedicated Sorraia preservationist from Canada to connect with the president of the Portuguese Sorraia association...but I felt very pleased to have spent as much time as we did hiking out over the Font'Alva landscape as well as putting in a little sight-seeing that was not horse related. And--still suffering a bit from homesickness--I was now one day closer to returning to my own wonderful life at Ravenseyrie!

Turret on the surrounding wall of the Castelo de Elvas

A Week in Portugal / Day Four

2011-12-03T14:39:00.008-05:00

Sorraia horses at Herdade do Azinhal

Note: All photos taken by Lynne Gerard unless otherwise identified

Day four (September 30th) of my week in Portugal was, like the others before, overflowing with interesting places, people and best of all, Sorraia horses!

First on the agenda for our group of three (myself and my generous traveling companions, Rose and Hardy Oelke) was to pay a visit to Herdade do Font'Alva, home--actually much more than this!--of Dr. Ruy d'Andrade's grandson, José Luis. Though Hardy tried both before leaving for Portugal and repeatedly once there, he was not able to connect with José Luis by telephone to arrange a special prearranged visit, so we were trying our luck, hoping that he would be on the estate and maybe have a bit of time available to show us his Sorraias.

Aside from being a grandson of the man who saved the Sorraias (the regional wild horses formerly known as "zebros") from a sure extinction, José Luis is the president of the Associação International de Criadores do Cavalo Ibérico de Tipo Primitivo "Sorraia". It is perhaps, however, the quality of the "touros" (fighting bulls) raised at Font'Alva as well as finely bred Lusitano and Alter Real horses that have made this man's name so highly respected. José Luis has a degree in agricultural engineering and his fame also includes his own experiences as a bullfighter, to which he was recently paid homage captured in this video clip.

Hardy has relayed that over the years, José Luis d'Andrade has been very good to him, selling him Sorraia horses for export to Germany, providing historic information and even one time arranging a special setting with mounted herdsmen moving bulls so Hardy could photograph how well suited to this job the Sorraia horses are. The long-time acquaintanceship of these two men has been mutually beneficial--the expansive exposure and additional, highly relevant research Hardy Oelke has given the Sorraia horses has raised awareness and interest in these endangered horses and served to inspire more people to become part of the preservation efforts.

Having already seen some video clips and photos of José Luis from my research on the worldwide web, I was hoping to meet this famous gentleman in person and convey to him how dedicated Kevin and I are to the small, unique role Ravenseyrie is playing in preserving the types of horses his family has protected for almost a century.

We entered the estate and drove the rugged, scenic road towards the interior, stopping alongside one particular range were Hardy said the young Sorraia colts are typically turned out. While we could see some cows grazing among the Cork Oak trees, we did not sight the horses until we neared a rustic shelter built into a massive rock face. Like the other days during my autumn visit to Portugal, the weather was oppressively hot (especially so for this Northern Ontario gal) and the Sorraian youths were taking refuge from the heat and sun by shading themselves in this naturally cool shelter.

I have adjusted the lighting of this photo considerably so readers can see how this shelter is built into the face of a massive rock outcropping

We could see that it appeared these Sorraia youngsters had a "babysitter" in the form of an older Lusitano, which made for an interesting contrast between size, colour and overall form. One can clearly see here that Sorraia horses are not simply small, dun and grulla coloured Lusitanos, but have a distinct morphology all their own.

Just as I have experienced with our own offspring at Ravenseyrie, the young horses-- especially colts-- are intensely curious and the inquisitive, rather playful nature in them often wins out over their innate shyness. Several colts inched close enough to Hardy to be lightly touched before being waved away.

After milling around a bit near the shelter, this group of horses decided it was time to move back out on the range to find something (probably Cork Oak acorns) to nibble upon, so we resumed our drive to the network of buildings where we hoped to find José Luis.

Young Sorraia stallions at Font'Alva

Entrance to the residence of Font'Alva
(photo: Rosa Oelke)

And what a network of buildings! Nothing that I had seen in video or photos prepared me for how spectacular Font'Alva is! These magnificent structures are based upon a medieval Piedmont design adapted by José Luis' great-grandfather--world-renown painter and architect--Alfredo d'Andrade, who left quite a legacy in Italy where he married and spent most of his life. It was his son, Ruy d'Andrade who was sent back to Portugal to oversee the installation of the Font'Alva compound and lived here, developing superior Lusitano horses and used his talent and intellect to pursue many other interests, including the preservation of the Sorraia.

José Luis' father, Fernando, carried on the preservation of the Sorraia as well as maintaining the estate of Font'Alva and, upon his passing, the horses and other properties belonging to the d'Andrade family were divided among Fernando's four children. José Luis thus inherited this splendid piece of property and significant buildings.

When we pulled up to the entrance to the "house", we parked behind another vehicle, whose driver was speaking to a groundskeeper. Somehow, though neither the gentleman nor the young man sweeping the stone entryway knew much English, and Hardy knows very little Portuguese, Hardy learned that this man, like us, was hoping to connect with José Luis, who presently was out working on a different sector of the property but would be returning soon if we cared to wait.

While waiting, Rose and I took photos, though, strangely, I felt rather out-of-place and paralyzed by all that I was seeing and took only a few shots and was too timid to walk around the exterior grounds and stables, though I certainly longed to do so! (An old chapel tucked into a shady grove fronted by massive cactuses looked especially intriguing...but I didn't even get a photo of it!)

After a little while, we heard the sound of horse hooves on the stone drive and we all looked toward the outer entrance expectantly...could this be the return of José Luis?. My jaw dropped at the genuine feeling of living history unfolding before us as the horseman rode through the entry way. It was José Luis!

José Luís Vasconcellos e Souza d'Andrade at Font'Alva
(photo: Rosa Oelke)

Here you have a Portuguese gentleman, the "real deal" --riding his impeccable, noble steed not for special exhibition, but because it is part of who he is and how he lives and is something done in harmony with the horse for a specific purpose and likely a regular feature of life at Font'Alva. I confess, I fell immediately in love with such a romantic visage! [Jean Lafontaine, if you still read the Journal of Ravenseyrie, I am sure your poetic soul can appreciate such a scene!]

Thankfully Rose was not so timid or paralyzed as I and took several photos which she sent me to use in the Journal of Ravenseyrie. How natural this horse and rider appeared together, in complete accord, each the epitome of suave-cool in their calm, composed confident deportments.

Hardy Oelke speaking with José Luis Sommer d'Andrade
(Photo: Rosa Oelke)

Speaking to each other in German, Hardy and José Luis exchanged greetings and made general small talk. At one point I heard Hardy say, "Canada" as he motioned toward me while José Luis, still astride his shining steed, gave me a dashing smile and a nod of his head. Sigh... That was it! That was the extent of my meeting José Luis d'Andrade...for the timing was all wrong for us as José Luis and the gentleman who also had been waiting for him had to go and make certain arrangements for an upcoming testing of the fighting bulls that are bred and raised at Font'Alva. With great disappointment I returned to the rented Opel with my traveling hosts and we drove away...but not without hope, as José Luis suggested we come back the next day and perhaps he would have time to show us the horses, if not, he gave his permission for us to walk the grounds and go see them on our own.

As we were paused on the drive out, looking for one last sign of the young Sorraias we had visited earlier, Jose Luis and the gentleman who had come to pick him up whisked by us and waved as they sped toward their destination.

The village fountain at Monforte

We next drove to the nearby town of Monforte to explore a little and hopefully find a "florista" because Rose wanted to purchase a bouquet of flowers to bring to the very special couple we were next scheduled to pay a visit upon. After a bit of sight-seeing to pass the time, we drove to Herdade do Azinhal where another grandson of Dr. Ruy d'Andrade--Fernando, and his wife, Martha were expecting us. Regretfully, I did not take photos of any of the beautiful structures at Azinhal so will break up the text early on with photos of Martha and Fernando's Sorraia horses.

A warm friendship with Fernando and Martha has formed over the many years that Hardy and Rose have been coming to Portugal to assist in the preservation of Sorraia horses and so this hospitable couple had arranged a special meal for us to visit over before escorting us out to see the horses.

As I passed over the aromatic meat dish and delicious looking cheese in favour of selecting just the homemade bread and lovely roasted potatoes, it became conspicuously known to the d'Andrade's that I was a vegan. Though I so wanted this not to be an issue of discomfort for anyone, my gracious hostess immediately dashed to the kitchen and quickly put together a sumptuous salad of mixed spring greens and fresh tomatoes with a topping of walnuts and a perfect wine and vinegar dressing. This was the best salad I had eaten during the whole week I was in Portugal! I could see that the entire meal was the work of a woman who knows how to bring the best out of wholesome foods as well as delight her guests with a magnificent looking (and tasting, according to Hardy who has a definite sweet tooth) mousse-like cake accompanied by a nice espresso.

My love of antiquities, art and earthy beauty was amply rewarded while a guest in Fernando and Martha's home. One such as myself (who lives in an architecturally boring rectangular vinyl-sided "stick-frame" home built within the last fifteen years) is completely inspired to see the old world structures in Europe, especially those that are so obviously well maintained and well loved, as is Azinhal. And the history that permeates these dwellings evokes a reverence for the centuries of stories the walls hold within.

The Sorraia stallion who is presently living with Martha and Fernando d'Andrade's mares

Both Martha and Fernando speak English fluently so it was easy to learn from them about Fernando's great-grandfather, Alfredo and the rich history of the arts that runs through the family, much of which I could see was an integral part of Martha and Fernando's home. Large volumes of leather bound books with plates showing reproductions of drawings and paintings by Alfredo were amazing to behold...even more surreal was to have Martha bring out an original landscape painting rendered by Alfredo!

Hardy pointed out to me a section of wall space that displayed nicely many of the azulejos (traditional painted tiles) that Martha herself had painted, some of which looked to have Sorraia horses depicted. Absolutely lovely! And the visual treats just kept coming, this time accompanied by tender tales of life at Azinhal in the form of charming children's books Martha has written for her grandkids (a few were in English for those grandchildren living in the states.) Splendidly illustrated by photos and drawings Martha herself has made, these self-published books are definitely family keepsakes--I was honored and delighted to be able to view them.

We left the house then and went out to meet a special calf that Martha had been nurturing for some health troubles (wish I had taken a photo, she was a gorgeous and friendly calf!) and then we tucked ourselves into the d'Andrade's four-wheel drive Land Rover-like vehicle and drove to the range where the mares resided along with a stallion. There were no foals among them and it was hoped that the stallion, who had earlier that year been allowed to live among the mares, had managed to impregnate a good share of them. I should note here there exists a meaningful connection between the Sorraias bred under the name Herdade do Azinhal and our own stallion, Altamiro, for it was here that Altamiro's sire, Ultrajado was born in 2001.

While Rose and I took photos of the Sorraias, Hardy Oelke and Fernando Vasconcellos e Souza d'Andrade engaged in conversation

It was hot, and wine from our meal had mellowed me even more than usual so I was feeling quite languid and rather at home--in a sense--watching the Sorraias shading themselves on a beautiful landscape. After taking my fill of photos, I found a rock, not too unlike the type one can find out among the fields of Ravenseyrie and I sat down feeling happy to be having such a fine assortment of memorable experiences in Portugal, yet intensely homesick for my simple, quiet life on Manitoulin Island with Kevin and the animals.

Journal of Ravenseyrie's author, Lynne Gerard, takes a repose from photographing Sorraia horses in Portugal belonging to Fernando and Martha d'Andrade
(Photo: Hardy Oelke)

Fernando drove us next to see some other Sorraia stallions and colts living on a range in a different sector of the estate, a few of which might be possible candidates for Claudia Radbauer to choose a stud from. (Claudia is the woman in Vienna who is putting together a Sorraia preservation project that includes two fillies from Ravenseyrie.) They were on a pretty open range, among cattle, looking just wonderfully wild, not grouped together, but rather spread out. As I recall we never found where all the stallions were keeping themselves even though we were driving "off road" all over that range. It may be that Hardy got some photos of the other stallions with his huge telephoto lens, but I didn't bother to take any because I never felt I had a good shot. As we were leaving, I did take a couple photos of the stately bovines out there, though. Handsome!

The daylight was fading, it was time to bid our hosts farewell and head back to our hotel. So many great feelings stayed with me from sharing that time with handsome-eyed Fernando and beautifully talented Martha, the best of which, I think, was the exchange of stories of the interesting and sometimes challenging dynamics that occur when a stallion is allowed to live with the mares. There have been at Azinhal the occasional Sorraia stallion who, like Altamiro, is a highly aggressive and tyrannical presence when among his mares--many of the things I have observed here at Ravenseyrie have been played out in like manner at Azhinal.

Martha and Fernando d'Andrade with Lynne Gerard
(photo: Hardy Oelke)

Something in the way Martha retells the many things she's observed with their Sorraia horses makes me believe that, like me, she views these horses (and all the elements of nature) as special entities with their own rich cultures and ways of living. Of all the places where Sorraia horses are being preserved in Portugal, I felt that Azhinal was most like Ravenseyrie. Their Sorraias are allowed to live fairly autonomously in semi-wild conditions but with a true sense of nurturing and love that the presence of Martha and Fernando in their lives brings...reminding me again of a feeling I have that horses and humans--even indigenous wild horses, must have had an initial coming together that was based on friendship, not violence. History likes to tell the tale differently, but it pleases me to believe that they have represented (or conjectured) only one fragment of the whole story of horse/human relationships.

The Elementals of Autumn

2011-11-16T11:07:00.012-05:00

The 2010 fillies head off to better grazing on a different sector of the landscape.
(front to back: Levada, Tocara and Pinoteia)

My delay in typing up entries to the Journal of Ravenseyrie chronicling my week in Portugal has been hampered by two things...

A view of Gore Bay from the vantage point of the East Bluff during the autumn
(photo: Kevin Droski)

Long time readers may recall that I have a studio and art gallery down on the Gore Bay waterfront, which typically I keep open all year round.

The space I lease for my business is in a marvelous, yet derelict structure that has come to be known as the "Wharf Building".

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Gore Bay Heritage Museum curator, Nicole Weppler, grant monies were gathered to save the building (owned by the town of Gore Bay) from further ruin and now the renovation work has begun! This means, however, that the all of Ravenseyrie Studio and Art Gallery had to be carefully packed and stored in a safe location for the five months that phase one of the renovations will take.

A view into the working studio section, where author Lynne Gerard creates arty things
(Photo: Angie Timan)

A short view into the gallery

I will move back in next spring, along with more creative studios and businesses. So officially, I am on a sabbatical and can spend all day, every day up on the bluff where we live among the horses of the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve.

Levada (Altamiro x Zorita) in October, looking oh-so prehistoric!

After I returned from Portugal, there were many preparations for the packing up of the studio which rather upset the normal routine of things and also, at home there has been the press of finalizing as much as one can around the house and land to be ready for winter. These two situations made for very little time to tap away at a computer, and even now, I do so with the pull of decent weather calling me outside.

So, until the next day of inclement weather, I will continue to put off writing about the rest of my Portuguese trip...but trust, me...what further experiences I wish to share from that interesting week are worth waiting for!

As a reward for dedicated readers, however, I could not resist taking a little time from the busy-ness of winterizing to share some of the stunningly beautiful scenes of autumn I have photographed here at the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve.

Altamiro, the Sorraia stallion who knows precisely how marvelous and special he is!

Please enjoy the array of images and forgive me for the delay in reporting on my Portuguese adventure, won't you?

Tobacco poses for the perfect October beach scene, with the North Channel of Lake Huron uncharacteristically as still as glass.

Zorita nurses Legado, with a bit of autumn colour still present in the background trees.

Altamiro posing with impeccable nobleness while his 2011 foals romp and play up near the bluff's edge.

Altavida

Esperanda

Legado

Another hike to the beach on a different day reveals the more typical character of the North Channel in autumn.

How splendidly the shades of grulla mingle with the landscape, especially in autumn!

The grulla colour has the marvelous ability to appear as grasses, darkly shadows, tree bark, dried herbs, distant shrubs, soil, etc....any elemental that the horses are surrounded by!

Destemido!

This past Monday I was finally able to connect with the three year old stud colt, Interessado while he was dozing--this allowed me to completely liberate his mane, tail and forelock from the copious wads of burrs that he had been carrying around for several weeks.
I did not photograph him until Tuesday, but still his tresses flowed freely. But this morning, the dark handsome fellow had managed to adorn himself with no small amount of Hound's Tongue burrs.
It is a good thing I like (truly, I do!) spending time deburring the horses and mules, because this particular task is one that will continue to need my attention all throughout the wintertime. ( I should note, here, that on Friday--unless the weather turns foul--Interessado and his full brother, Silvestre have a date with the veterinarian. We should have had them gelded before now...but it is not something I necessarily wanted to do, but find we must do, out of necessity...)

Mules look pretty lovely in the autumn, too! And how great it is to see Jerry's tail blowing in the wind instead of hanging heavily bound by burrs.

Doll yawns in the unseasonably warm morning sunshine...makes you want to take a nap, doesn't it?

I found this morning's light irresistible and stopped house work to go out and photograph the horses. Legado found me and my camera irresistible so he came over to say hello.
Unfortunately, our timing of this little visit didn't suit Altamiro at all, who was ready to take his family band to the northwest sector. Needing only a few steps in our direction with a lowered head and glaring expression, Altamiro impressed upon his son that it was time to leave.
and so off they go...
and so must I!

Confucius instructed:
First, set your HeartMind on the One.
Then listen,
not with your ear,
not even with your HeartMind.
Listen with your Qi,
the very essence of your ultimate self.
The ear can only hear.
The HeartMind is typically
entangled in evaluation.
The Qi is completely open and receptive
to every subtle level of being.
--Zhuang Zi, Inner Chapters, Fourth Century B.C.E.

There is SO much magic in these elementals of autumn...I hope you felt yourself enraptured for a little while as you mingled with them vicariously through the Journal of Ravenseyrie!

A Week in Portugal / Day Three

2011-11-01T10:00:00.011-04:00

An almost fantasy-like feeling emerges from this section of stabling at the Coudelaria Nacional
Alter do Chão, Portugal

Note: Unless otherwise identified, all photos are taken by the author, Lynne Gerard.

Day three of my week in Portugal fell on Thursday, September 29th and was devoted to strolling through the extensive network of buildings, courtyards and pastures of the Fundação Alter Real close to the city of Alter do Chão. Housed within this complex (first established by royal decree in 1748) are the Coudelaria Nacional (National Stud), the Alter do Chão Professional School of Rural Development, and the Serviço Nacional Coudélico (National Horse Registry) and the Molecular Genetics Laboratory. The Fundação Alter Real organization maintains oversight of the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art located in Lisbon, and probably other groups and organizations which I did not catch the names of. The complex is sprawled over 800 hectares, of which I wandered just a fraction of, since my primary reason for being taken to this beautiful facility was to see the Sorraia horses that live here.

It was clear that my hosts during this once in a lifetime trip to Portugal had a great familiarity with this property, so were moving at a brisk pace from stable to stable and many times I had to pass on taking photos of the myriad of things that captured my fancy because I was afraid I would lose sight of Hardy and Rose and become lost in the tangle of unfamiliar buildings.

Hardy Oelke takes us through one of the many lovely courtyards surrounded by stabled horses

Hardy had arranged to meet with Francisco Beja, the coordinator of the stud farms. We found him in one of the manèges with an older couple who were observing one of the the younger Alter Real stallions being ridden. I believe I heard Francisco say there are sixty stallions presently in training.

Alter Real stallion and rider at the Coudelaria Nacional

Francisco and Hardy discussed the Sorraias--the four mature stallions in training and also the younger stock-- while Rose and I wandered nearby taking photos. The architecture and light repeatedly begged to be recorded on my digital camera. Before I share photos of the Sorraia horses we looked at, I will let readers look through a sampling--in no particular order-- of some of the photos I took of the buildings and other interesting elements:

This is not a staged photo...these handcrafted brooms are actually used in the stables. Unique, lovely and probably very efficient!

There was a café and a gift shop on the premises, but both were closed when I visited Alter. A museum of sorts (coach house?) was open and I took just a couple of photos because early equestrian elements do not hold the same interest for me as they used to years ago, when I was thick into French Classical Dressage and Baucherism.

I was glad to see this little tribute to the man who is responsible for the initial preservation of the Sorraia horses. One little curious bit of info--Dr. Ruy d'Andrade died on December 20th, 1967, the same day that your author celebrated her seventh birthday. For a much more thorough review of this great man's life, please follow this link to an article written by Hardy Oelke: Ruy d'Andrade

Hardy and Rose wait outside a building where several antiquated Iberian skulls are housed. After a lady fetched the key to the cabinet, Hardy brought the skulls out for Rose to take photos of. I took a few, too...here is one:

I was very excited to get to see up close and personal my very first, real live Olive tree, with olives ripening in the sun:

Hardy laughed when I took this photo as he said during the course of my trip I was sure to see many Olive trees far more impressive than this one. And there was a more impressive one in one of the courtyards at the Stud:

Taking a break to cool off in the shade on a hot autumn day in Portugal are Rose Oelke and your dutiful author, Lynne Gerard
(Photo: Hardy Oelke)

I did get to view all four of the Sorraia stallions, one of which I thought looked especially nice, though it is rather difficult to get decent photos when horses are in a stable.

I also took photos of two of the stallions who were part of an exhibition team that soon would be traveling to France by special lease arrangement, to be used as breeding studs and competitive driving, if I have my memory of what Francisco said right.

We left the facility for an hour or so to let Francisco have his lunch while we went in search of our own and then met back later in the afternoon. I once again was treated to a raucous ramble at breakneck speed, this time knocking knees with Rose as we sat on the hub benches holding onto anything we could to keep from being thrown to the floor in the back of a well used Land Rover. A drive like this is something Francisco obviously makes numerous times in the course of the day, so I was confident that we would not actually collide with the narrow archways and gates and hairpin turns around buildings as he deftly drove us (at a crazy-fast pace) out of the network of structures and off to the pastures to see some of the young Sorraia colts.

The Sorraia colts were in a bachelor group comprising a mix of Alter Real, Lusitano and Arabians:

Hardy Oelke discussing Iberian horses with Francisco Beja at the Coudelaria Nacional

Though the Sorraia colts in this group were very shy, one outgoing Lusitano youngster was always trying to get a scratch from me and even followed me back as we were leaving. I turned to give him one more itch along with verbal praise before walking back to the Land Rover as you see captured in this photo:

Lynne Gerard bids a farewell to an inquisitive young Lusitano stallion at the Coudelaria Nacional, Alter do Chão, Portugal. (Photo: Rose Oelke)

Francisco had another bit of business he needed to tend to, so he let us go to visit the mares and foals on our own.

I found myself impressed with quite a few of the Sorraias at the National Stud who seemed to me overall much more uniform in type than I expected. I also felt good about the youngsters that have been born at Ravenseyrie. It was a good experience to get to see the Sorraias in so many different settings and to see that our offspring, though half Sorraia and half Sorraia Mustang are of as good or better type than the Sorraias I had seen so far in Portugal. I think this bodes well for the preservation efforts! And I still had several more days ahead of me to visit with even more Sorraia horses, of which I will write about soon.

Also on "display" at the equestrian complex at Alter was an aged Przewalskis stallion and some amazing falcons:

When we left the complex and drove back to Alter do Chão, it was getting on into evening time. We drove by a small tack shop that was still open and stopped in to have a look at the offerings there. There was a time in my life when I would not have walked out of a tack shop without a riding bit or a crop, or a leather nose band, etc. But that part of me is in the past, along with the part of me that used to dream of going to Portugal and taking riding lessons on a finely bred Lusitano or hacking across the landscape visiting different Portuguese villages on horseback. I suppose living with "wild" horses and gaining a feeling for them as "persons" with lives of their own takes one beyond concepts of keeping them as animals to use for work or pleasure. No matter how elegantly appointed the stables may be, when I see horses confined to a box, separated from their own kind by iron bars and completely dependent on humans to satisfy their every need, I realize I much prefer to be with horses out on the ranges, braving the elements and moving from one great vista to another.

An empty communal water trough

I recall while on the last leg of my return flights I was sitting next to a man named Jared, who grew up on a farm. From his perspective, he felt that the majority of animals would happily exchange their freedom to live a more comfortable life where all their needs are supplied by humans. In his experience, he felt the cows they raised had it made because they were protected from the harshness of nature and never had to worry about not having enough to eat or being attacked by predators (at least until their human caregivers decided it was time to "harvest" them for food.) We talked about the possibility of some animals being co-conspirators of the domestication process, and this may be indeed be so--or was at least in the beginning before agriculture and animal husbandry gave themselves over to factory farming. Yet there is something that moves us humans on a deeper level when seeing horses living fairly autonomous lives in a natural setting. I extend this to cattle and other "livestock" as well--I saw some stunningly beautiful bulls living semi-wild lives in Portugal and they, too, take one's breath away with how much more "presence" they seem to have.

A full communal water trough

Among the stabled Iberian steeds I saw at Alter, most had lost this presence and seemed rather haunted in spirit, or absent and resigned...there were a few however, that still had the fire within and their noble sense of "I AM" was vibrating outward through their iron bars. Many of the Lusitanos whom I have in seen videos working with bulls still retain that strong presence--and this I find heartening...that some horses and humans can come together in a domesticated life without losing that essence of freedom and a sense of independence that inspires respect and awe.

Though it was an informal excursion to this mecca of the Iberian horse at Alter do Chão, it was one that I will treasure for its useful, yet incredibly visually appealing buildings, its beautiful horses and for its own grand role in preserving the surviving "Iberian Tarpans" known as the Sorraia.

A Sorraia stud colt, displaying good "Iberian Tarpan" characteristics
Coudelaria Nacional
Alter do Chão, Portugal

A Week in Portugal / Day Two

2011-10-15T07:54:00.014-04:00

O Rio Sorraia

My second day in Portugal dawned with a brief coolness that after a few hours was chased away by the hot, hot sun. When the dining room opened at 7:30am, I met the Oelkes for the breakfast provided for us by the kind staff at the Hotel O Novo Principe. Morning cuisine in Portugal is a self-serve offering of processed cold cuts, cheese, bread, sweet rolls, cereal flakes, fresh fruit, juice, tea and coffee. We three each took our individual selections from the buffet, brought them back to our table and ate with minimal conversation at first, which became more forthcoming after the second cup of coffee. When we were through, we headed off once again in the direction of the Vale de Zebro!

Is she spirit or flesh?
A shy Sorraia mare, partially obscured by dried foliage, pauses to look at the woman with the camera.

The particular sector of land that Hardy's Sorraia horses inhabit is in a very remote area, which is part of an agricultural region comprised of large tracts of lands fenced on their outer parameters, containing Cork Oak, Stone Pine, Eucalyptus and Olive trees interspersed with grasslands where cattle graze.

With the exception of those times when the trees are being harvested, or the cattle moved from range to range, I think it must be incredibly peaceful for the horses with little adulteration of the natural world by the man-made smells and noises that other Portuguese horses are exposed to living in and around the various villages and cities.

A well traveled path made by the Sorraia horses living in the Vale de Zebro preserve

To me, following along the various paths the horses have made and looking for signs of their recent presence on this preserve in "the middle of nowhere" feels very, very much like home--how often I do this very same thing at Ravenseyrie with just the sound of the birds and the wind in the grass enveloping me!! Hiking here in the Vale de Zebro eases my homesickness and feeling of cultural displacement, something I attribute to the magic of the elements and the marvelous presence of primitive Iberian horses.

Much like yesterday, we came upon the horses after just a brief bit of searching. This day, though it is just two of the family groups, the third one we did not see nearby and again, we did not meet up with the two bachelor colts. I especially was hoping to see these colts in case one of them may be selected as a candidate for export to Austria to serve as the herd sire for a new Sorraia / Sorraia Mustang preserve that is just now getting organized by a talented, intelligent woman named Claudia Radbauer. (Claudia has purchased from Ravenseyrie the 2010 fillies, Tocara and Levada, who will travel to her converted ranch just outside of Vienna in the spring of 2012.)

One of the beautiful mares of the Vale de Zebro

The smallest group (formed with two mares and one foal, which the one young stallion had managed to put together since Hardy and Rose's spring visit to the Vale de Zebro) was keeping to the shade, up a bit of a rise a little distance from where the main family unit was determining whether to run away from us human intruders or keep on with picking at the dried grasses.

Despite the severity of the drought in the Vale de Zebro, these intrepid Bolete mushrooms apparently found conditions just right to fruit! Though the temperature that day was in the mid 30 degrees centigrade, these mushrooms (which were in full sun!) were cool and moist to the touch.

Hardy and Rose walked off on a slightly different trajectory than I did, and when it appeared that this family band was comfortable enough with our presence on their parameter, I decided to do what I always do at home--just sit down and observe with no expectations and an inner spirit of respect and love for horses. To my great surprise, this group of wild Sorraia horses responded exactly as the Ravenseyrie horses do, by coming nearer to where I had settled into repose!

Sorraia horses in the Vale de Zebro mingle under a Cork Oak while Lynne Gerard sits nearby, observing, admiring and taking photos.
(photo: H. Oelke)

But before I could congratulate myself on my magnetic presence, I realized that it wasn't me the horses were coming closer to see, rather they stopped about fifteen or twenty meters from me and began nuzzling the ground underneath a Cork Oak tree.

Soon I heard crunching sounds and realized these Sorraias were eating the fallen acorns! I know I have read that acorns are toxic to horses and other types of grazing animals, but later on this trip I saw other horses, cows, sheep and goats travel from cork tree to cork tree in search of the dropped acorns. Perhaps the Portuguese grazers have developed a tolerance for the bitter tannins that are said to be poisonous? Or maybe the tannins in the Cork Oak are not as toxic as other members of the Quercus family? It is my understanding that the special Iberian black pigs are fattened up on these acorns, imparting an enhanced quality to their meat. At any rate, during my time in Portugal, it appeared grazers relished their acorns and suffered no ill effects. I found it very pleasurable to watch these horses forage for acorns and listen to the sound of the outer shells cracking.

Sorraia horses foraging on Cork Oak acorns in the Vale de Zebro

After some time had passed and this herd was beginning to move again, Hardy motioned for me to come over to where he and Rose had been observing things and from there we moved off hiking over varied terrain to see if we could find the other horses. After several hours with no luck, we decided to quit the preserve and take a drive to Alpiarça to check out the Reserva Natural do Cavalo do Sorraia.

This Sorraia reserve is not so natural or remote as the Vale de Zebro, but rather is more like a tourist attraction (complete with a charming restaurant and exhibition picadero) that has several pastures where one can view Sorraias grazing as well as a shed row of stables wherein several Sorraia horses stood facing the back of their prison cells reluctant to interact with us humans peering into the shadowed space to see and photograph them. We had come during the off-season and during a time of day where there was scant activity, so we went about looking at the horses un-escorted.

The stables at the Sorraia Horse Nature Reserve in Alpiarça

Though I have seen photos of the Sorraias at Alpiarça posted on the web a few years back, the horses I was seeing on this day appeared small, underweight and not of ideal Sorraia conformation or colour. My disappointment in their lack of quality, and the reluctance of the stabled horses to kibbutz with us kept me from taking any photos. (Readers can follow THIS link to view a slide show of photos on the web which show the Sorraias of Alpiarça a bit better with only one photo displaying the off-type Sorraias.)

There was a red-tinged very light grulla mare and foal out in one of the pastures, which I did photograph and later I saw the off-type stallion who was turned out with them, but I refrained from photographing him because he seemed so much more like a red/light bay dun pony than a relic of the Form III ancestral horse from prehistoric times. I also took a photo from a distance of a filly kept in a separate pasture by herself (recently weaned, perhaps?), who at least had much more the look of the typical Sorraia. I should have ventured closer and taken more photos of her.

As I understand it, the horses at this reserve in Alpiarça are managed in collaboration with the Associação Internacional de Criadores do Cavalo Ibérico de Tipo Primitivo, the organization which has the mandate of documenting and preserving the integrity of this race of primitive equines that are suffering from a genetic bottleneck. They face a difficult task--on the one hand attempting to create breeding pairs with as great a distance genetically as possible and yet maintain the continuity of the original morphology of these horses (which is, in essence, an Iberian variant of the European Tarpan) as so carefully described by their saviour, Dr. Ruy d'Andrade. I am definitely illiterate as far as genetics go, but from what I could see on display the day I visited the Sorraias at Alpiarça, whatever gains that have been made on the genetic level are at the expense of overall Sorraia characteristics and it gives viewers the wrong impression of what typical Sorraias look like. --I should note, however, that it is perhaps inappropriate for me to form any fixed opinion based on just one brief viewing of this assortment of Sorraias, especially without having spoken with those who made these particular breeding choices...I am merely relaying my impressions.

Close up detail of the Municipal Market building in Santarém, Portugal

Hardy, Rose and I left the Reserva Natural do Cavalo do Sorraia and drove to the city of Santarém where a magnificent farmers' market building is decorated with hand-painted tiles detailing historic scenes from the region, many of which one can still see playing out in modern times.

Unfortunately, we must have come after the morning market had ended as the entrances were gated shut and we could see that the interior of the building was being hosed down and cleaned up.

Given that my very own Kevin is part of our much smaller Gore Bay Farmers' Market on Manitoulin Island (Ontario, Canada) I tried to get a few photos that would show him how much the city of Santarém values their public market place by providing such a spectacular permanent structure for farmers to sell their produce within.

Below are closer views of just a few of the scenes depicted in these marvelous tiled artworks:

These hand-painted tiles are called "azulejos" and are an art medium stretching back centuries. For a wonderful online overview of the art of azulejos, follow THIS link.

Hardy and Rose Oelke lead the way to the stables of the Agricultural School in Santarém

We then traveled to the stables of the Escola Superior Agrária de Santarém to see the Sorraia horses that are kept there. These horses were much more in keeping with the morphology and colour I have been familiar with, and looked to be in much more robust condition. Again, there was no one on hand to personally show us the horses so we viewed them as best we could on our own. Unfortunately, once inside, I did not have my camera configured on the appropriate settings and the majority of the interior shots I took were blurred.

This agricultural school at Santarém has a special riding curriculum which often showcases the Sorraia horses as well as providing courses on breeding and maintenance in collaboration with the Coudelaria Nacional (National Stud). HERE is a link to a video that is highlighting the Sorraias at the ESAS. While I find it difficult to see this primitive subspecies of horses objectified as children's mounts and my heart is more aligned with the efforts of those who aim to preserve the Sorraia horses in a true natural habitat, it is nonetheless gratifying to know that even more formalized, modern breeding establishments like the ESAS are assisting in the propagation of this nearly extinct race of horses and providing venues for public awareness. We all need to support these horses each in our own way, but I do feel it would be better for preservation efforts overall if more people engage in incorporating Sorraia horses into "rewilding" and "grassland management" schemes where they are allowed to live and breed naturally.

We walked through the riding picadero to see one of the stallions that was enjoying a bit of turnout time.

He was a nice looking stallion and walked up to receive some praise from the gal from Canada

In a section on the other side of the building there were two mares turned out with two foals, all looking like nice Sorraia types.

A mare and foal at the Escola Superior Agrária de Santarém, reminding me very much of Bella and Altavida here at Ravenseyrie.

Our next stop was a pretty significant landmark--well not so much a landmark as a living, flowing entity (albeit now manipulated by man) which bears the name "Sorraia", after which the indigenous striped wild equine of southwestern Iberian was named. O Rio Sorraia, one of the tributaries that flows into the Tagus (Tejo) river, had in times gone by served as an important waterway for the transport of agricultural and forest products. Now, however, this river is controlled by dams and used for irrigating valleys increasing the capacity for greater agricultural production.

I don't know the name of this particular type of giant grass, similar to Pampas grass, but it grows along the Rio Sorraia and almost anywhere in Portugal where there is sufficient moisture.

While the land surrounding the Rio Sorraia no longer is the habitat for wild equids, we did see a good offering of Cattle Egrets and Great Blue Herons along its banks--an indication that a healthy population of fish, frogs and other aquatic beings were supported by this now rather shallow tributary.

Rose Oelke of Halver, Germany strolls the Rio Sorraia while taking photos of the Great Blue Herons and Cattle Egrets

As early evening approached, we next sped off to meet up with Eduardo Oliveira e Sousa at the Herdade da Agolada de Baixo. On this estate exists also the Coudelaria de Maria d'Andrade de Oliveira e Sousa, the stud farm inherited by the granddaughter of Dr. Ruy d'Andrade (and Eduardo's wife.) It was Ruy d'Andrade who had discovered the remaining "zebros" (Sorraias) in the Coruche region while on a hunting excursion and later gave specimens of these horses refuge at Agolada, saving them from certain extinction.

During recent years of my researching all things related to the "zebro", I have had the pleasure of corresponding with Constança Oliveira e Sousa (Eduardo and Maria's daughter and great-granddaughter of our hero, Ruy d'Andrade) and I was very hopeful to get to see the historic estate where the remnant survivors of the striped wild horses of Iberia had been preserved. Hardy has visited Agolada de Baixo on many occasions to look at their Sorraia horses and though it was a very busy time for the good people of Agolada, between the petitioning of both Hardy and Constança (who is presently living and working in Georgia, USA), Eduardo generously offered a bit of his time to a Sorraia devotee from Canada.

We pulled into the drive just as Eduardo was arriving home after a long day of business in one of the larger cities. The farm itself was active with combines harvesting rice and trucks moving the captured grains to other locations. I should have taken photos of the unique harvest equipment which ran on tracks instead of wheels. (There are many missed photos from this trip to Portugal, I'm afraid!)

After greetings were exchanged, Eduardo led out two Sorraia stallions for us to see. Both were handsome stallions of good type and it was such a pleasure to get to stroke their noble heads and relay my admiration first hand.

This stallion is Oceano. Hardy suggested I step in closer and he took some photos for me on my camera:

A happy Sorraia devotee from Canada posing with two handsome Portuguese males
(photo: H. Oelke)

This next stallion is Ratão, and he, too is a very nice looking Sorraia--either one of these boys would have been my choice to run with the mares in Alpiarça rather than the straight-faced reddish dun pony type that I had seen earlier in the day.

Ratão hasn't yet sired any foals, but prompted by Hardy's suggestion, Eduardo is contemplating turning him out to live part of the year with mares which may stimulate a higher viability of this highly valuable stallion's sperm.

Some of the difficulties from the genetic bottleneck in the Sorraia horses are: sterility in the stallions, lack of conception in the mares and when mares do conceive, some are not carrying to term. This makes for some troubling setbacks in the preservation efforts and may mean that a decision will need to be made in the future to inject some appropriately selected outside blood (of which it could be said Ravenseyrie would be one proven source to select from.) Other options might be certain lines of Lusitano that repeatedly have offspring that are of Sorraia type as well as finding an appropriate outcross among South American Criollo horses that have retained their Zebro heritage. And let's not discount some of the Sorraia type mustangs!, which may actually be one of the best choices, with less domestic influence than the highly pedigreed Lusitanos and Criollos.

Lynne Gerard enjoys exchanging pleasantries with the rugged Sorraia stallion, Ratão
(Photo: H. Oelke)

My photos do not do Ratão justice as he was in rough condition on the day I visited him, but I remember an excellent photo Hardy had sent me of him when he had visited Agolada some time earlier, and with his permission, I'm including that photo here as well:

Sorraia stallion, Ratão at Herdade da Agolada de Baixo
(Photo: H. Oelke)

After visiting with the stallions we folded our bodies up into Eduardo's smart looking all-wheel-drive sedan and rocketed off to search for the Sorraia mare who was out on a range along with two Haflinger and several Lusitano mares. If my mind had become scrambled when Hardy exhibited the typical speeding of a German driver on the highways between Lisboa and Almeirim, my entire body was jumbled at the cellular level feeling itself rapidly whoosing over the rugged farm roads of Agolada with Sr. Oliveira e Sousa at the wheel! I tentatively felt for the security of my seatbelt, then just let my worries go and tried to enjoy the ride as if it were some amusement park thrill as we dodged wash-out sections and rode out dips and tight curves at high speed. Who needs a Land Rover when an all wheel sedan handles these rough farm roads so keenly? Yeee-haaah! Eduardo told me this was one of the key reasons he bought this vehicle, for its brilliant versatility.

I confess, so much had been thus far packed into this second day of my holiday in Portugal that I am finding it difficult to remember certain events. For example, I know we stopped somewhere for lunch but I cannot recall where or even what I ordered to eat. And while at Agolada, with the daylight fading, we went into to different sectors of the estate, first looking for mares and second looking for colts. I sort of remember there were two Sorraia mares, but I only have photos of one Sorraia mare...the one whose foal had unfortunately died just a week ago. (**Hardy corrects me here to say that there was only one mare and that we had also gone off to look at a filly, not for colts...my how off I was here!)

This lovely dun mare , though turned out with the Haflinger and Lusitano mares was keeping to herself and seemed to me to definitely be feeling depressed.

I kept to myself my own sense of loss that welled up inside upon seeing this mare, for she SO much reminds me of our recently deceased Kiger Mustang mare of Sorraia type, Ciente.

Ciente, one of the foundation mares at the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve with her 2009 colt, Silvestre

Though Ciente was a grulla and the Agolada mare is a dun, they have the same sensitive faces and lean, less-rounded muscling over distinct long frames in the way their limbs and necks are attach to their torsos.

Ciente, in foal a few seasons ago...
Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve

This beautiful mare at Agolada also reminds me of one of Sheri Olson's Sorraia Mustang mares. With Sheri's permission I am including a photo of "Kiger Sarah" so readers can see how some of the Kiger Mustang horses have retained many of their Iberian Tarpan ancestral genes that one can appreciate why horses like Sarah and Ciente have been chosen to assist in the consolidation of the Sorraia type that persists in many North American Mustang horses.

Sarah, a Kiger Mustang mare captured from the wild off Riddle Mountain in Oregon, USA
Kiger Sarah is part of the Soul of Sorraia ranch

This photo of the Agolada mare is blurred, but I include it to compare to the photo below of Ciente. I hope that this mare will conceive again and bring a healthy Sorraia foal to the world in the coming years.

Ciente, the deceased Kiger Mustang mare of good Sorraia type and one of the foundation mares from the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada

We did not find the other horses among which (if I am remembering correctly) there was a Sorraia colt we were hoping to see. We might have looked a bit longer, but the evening was upon us and the light too dusky for sighting horses out on the range.

Eduardo looked quite tired and I imagined he was anxious to return to the house for his evening meal, so though I was reluctant our time at Agolada was over, I was very happy to have been able to experience just a bit of this historic place in Coruche with such significant meaning for the Sorraia horses. Imagine!, the preservation effort to save the Sorraias started right here! I should also note before fully leaving off my experience at Agolada, it was here that the dam of our own Sorraia stallion, Altamiro, was born. Pompeia was born in 1996 and later exported to Germany. I wish I had thought to inquire if Eduardo had any photos of her...perhaps another opportunity for that will arise in the future.

After this incredibly full and exciting day, Hardy, Rose and I returned to Almeirim and had a much appreciated meal at the bustling O Forno restaurant before retiring to our rooms to sleep away our weariness and be ready for the next day's adventures.

A Week in Portugal / Day One

2011-10-11T07:08:00.010-04:00

A band of Sorraia horses living wild on the Vale de Zebro in the Coruche region of Portugal

Author's note: All photographs were taken by me (Lynne Gerard) unless otherwise specified. Please email for permission to copy or paste or share those photos I have taken. My email address is: ravenseyrie@xplornet.com

It took nearly three hours to drive from Ravenseyrie high up on Gore Bay's East Bluff (on Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario, Canada) to the Greater Sudbury airport on the mainland, but in no time at all, I was flying on a "Bombardier" turboprop bound for the Toronto Pearson International airport. In a little over an hour, I landed in Toronto and after a bit of a wait, was seated on a much larger "Airbus" which wore the Lufthansa logo. This massive jet transported me across the Atlantic ocean, into the next day and 7 1/2 hours after departure deposited me at the international airport at Dusseldorf--a long enough journey in itself!--but wait, I still had to catch a "Boeing 737" and fly nearly another three hours in order to plant my feet in Portugal's international airport in Lisbon. For a gal who speaks only English, rarely gets off Manitoulin Island and had not traveled by air in roughly a dozen years, this was an awkward and stressful journey requiring the type of clear-headed bravery this 50 year old menopausal woman wasn't always confident she had sufficient reserves of.

My friends from Germany, hippologist Hardy Oelke and his wife Rose, were scheduled to land at the Lisbon airport one hour after my flight touched down. Somehow I found my way through the crush of travellers, and took up a chair just outside the kiosk of Sixt Car Rentals to wait for them as we had previously arranged. Hardy arrived first and after a quick welcome hug placed himself in a queue to claim the vehicle he had pre-reserved. I found myself breathing so much easier after that, knowing that I was no longer alone in a foreign land. Shortly before Hardy signed off on the paperwork, Rose arrived with their trolly of luggage...another familiar face, and a reassuring warm hug.

Off we went in the rented Opel with my mind feeling utterly warped as Hardy expertly sped through a snarl of big city traffic, completely self-assured of which lanes to be in and what exits were required to take us out of Lisboa in the direction of Almeirim. Truly, I marveled at how fast Hardy could drive through what seemed to me like a complete jumble of hyper-speeding automobiles, tangled highways and incomprehensible traffic signs, all the while speaking to me in English and switching fluidly back to his mother-tongue when talking with Rose. Maybe driving in Portugal isn't too different than driving in Germany? (Do all Europeans drive so fast?) Or maybe Hardy is exceptionally gifted in coping with a multitude of overlapping stimuli? If I had attempted to negotiate my way through those many roundabouts, I might still be circling, circling, circling without a clue of what to do!

Our first stop was at a supermarket where we purchased bottled water, assorted fruit and juice to sustain us during our visit to the Vale de Zebro preserve in the Coruche region where Hardy's Sorraia horses live completely wild on a territory of roughly 500 hectares. Before driving there, however we checked into the Hotel O Novo Principe, a modern establishment with kind staff (capable of speaking English) and very affordable rates where we would spend several nights lodging. After freshening up, we headed for the preserve! (**I guess the jet-lag fiddled with my memory, as Hardy tells me we went to the preserve first and the hotel after.)

A view out of my hotel window in Almeirim

At the time of my visit (late September into early October), Portugal, and especially the Vale de Zebro were painfully dry, which I understand is typically the case during the summer months. I was surprised however to experience such a drought and heatwave in late September--every day during my week in Portugal was in the low to mid thirties (°C) in the shade, much higher than that in the sun.

Everywhere in the fields of dried, dormant grasses one sees the obligatory tilled areas of the highly flammable vegetation which creates fire breaks and access roads designed to aid in halting the spread of wildfires should they occur. (In fact I understand parts of Portugal are on fire even as I write this.) The loosened soil is exposed to further drying and baking by the sun, and it appeared to me like a combination of white clay, sand and mica--slippery to walk upon in some areas and almost crunchy in others, providing quite a contrast to the faded yellow grasses and the greenness of those plants that are drought hardy.

Note the contrast between the tilled soil and the dried vegetation--a very common sight during my stay in Portugal.

The preserve is populated by sections of Eucalyptus which are grown managed and harvested for their highly durable wood which is exceptionally rot resistant and is used extensively for fence posts. Hardy relayed that the Sorraias rarely spend time in the Eucalyptus forests, unless they are being hazed by the top stallion and seek refuge in the tall, shaggy-barked trees. It looked to me like there was virtually no understory of plant life in these Eucalyptus forests, but perhaps this is due to the drought and the lateness of the season. I was surprised that though I saw many of these expansive areas of Eucalyptus trees in the various regions of Portugal I visited, I neglected to take a photo!

A Eucalyptus forest, similar to those that I saw in Portugal
(Photo credit: Forest and Kim Starr, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

An especially lovely Cork Oak tree

All throughout the Vale de Zebro are the very attractive Stone Pine and Cork Oak trees. Cork Oak trees are a highly valuable asset to any landowner's property and most everywhere you see these iconic trees, you notice they have been completely girded of the outer bark on their trunks!

This harvesting of several inches of the outer bark occurs once every nine years and does not harm the trees which can live upwards of a hundred and fifty years. Portugal supplies 50% of the world's cork needs, and in the Vale de Zebro, these cork trees, along with the round-topped Stone Pine trees supply refuge from the heat of the sun. Like the Stone Pine, the Cork Oak trees keep their foliage all year round and are considered evergreens.

Sorraia horses seeking refuge in the shade of the round-topped Stone Pine trees

I had Hardy stand next to the trunk of an exceptionally large Stone Pine to provide a sense of scale to this grand old tree. These trees are the source of the great tasting pinenuts that are so wonderfully nutritious and bring a special flavour to authentic pesto sauces.

Sorraias in the shade of the Cork Oaks

Though the landscape was so still (not even a whiff of a breeze to cool us) and arid, it was nonetheless alive with the sounds of birds, insects (lots of flies, just like home!) and the subtle spiced-perfume aroma that appeared to be emitted by the Cork Oak trees. I was told that I had come at one of the least appealing times of the year, for in the spring all the dried vegetation I saw spread out before me is, in that season, a magical carpet of wildflowers and fresh grasses that bombard the senses with beauty. Maybe so, but I could still appreciate the grandeur of this wilderness landscape within which Hardy's Sorraias live their lives. How very appropriate and lovely they look in this faded autumn environment!

Given the vastness of the Vale de Zebro and the seemingly endless hills, valleys and clusters of forest, I was amazed that we found most of the Sorraias early on in our hike. As it turned out, all but the two 2 year old bachelor colts were grazing in the same general vicinity. Did they know I was coming and rather than being as elusive as they normally are they decided to give me the gift of seeing them on my very first day in Portugal?!

What a grand scene for me to see on my very first day in Portugal!

Hardy observed that one of the young stallions had managed to acquire two mares (one with a foal) meaning that now there were three distinct breeding groups. With the exception of a brief discussion between two of the stallions, it appeared that given the time of year with no mares being in heat, the close proximity of these separate family bands was tolerated by each of the three stallions.

After several hours of exploring the Vale de Zebro and photographing the horses, we weary human travelers hiked back to the Opel and back-tracked to Almeirim stopping by the hotel to wash the dust off our bodies then walked to one of the local restaurants (O Pinheiro) to wash the dust out of our throats--and fill our hungry bellies. How ravenous I was!

The full-flavoured red house wine, delicious bowl of olives and fresh-baked bread served to take the edge off our hunger as we waited for the dinner to be served. Being a vegan in Portugal means I did not experience their cuisine at its finest, though I could see at every establishment we dined in, the seafood and beef and hand-crafted cheeses are what meals are based upon and were proudly served and well appreciated by the restaurant patrons.

On this first night, I enjoyed a lovely "soupa de legumes" (pureed vegetable soup) along with a tossed salad and an order of roasted potatoes in garlic (excellent!). Hardy and Rose ordered a particular fish dish which came with platters of salad, a boiled medley of cabbage, carrots and potatoes. There was plenty to eat, too much in fact, something I experienced at every restaurant we dined at. To finish this first meal, I enjoyed a well prepared demitasse of espresso.

Before laying my head on my pillow, I connected with Kevin back on Manitoulin Island (five hours behind the time in Portugal) using my iPad and the FaceTime application. It would have been absolutely the perfect way for us to keep in touch (we are telephone-challenged at Ravenseyrie) except that though Kevin could see and hear me and I could see his wonderful, handsome image in the live video, the audio feature wasn't working. (Kevin later discovered this appears to be a glitch that often occurs between those in Europe who are attempting FaceTime connections with North America.) After marveling that I was actually here in Portugal and had already experienced my first trek into the Vale de Zebro, I drifted into a much needed slumber with visions of light grulla horses on an arid, but lovely landscape.

Sorraia horses (and a Cattle Egret) on an autumn day in the Vale de Zebro

Fantastical Presences - A Trip to Portugal

2011-10-08T15:46:00.007-04:00

German hippologist, Hardy Oelke, surveys a group of his Sorraia horses which live completely wild in the Vale de Zebro preserve near Almeirim, Portugal. The Vale de Zebro preserve is on a private wilderness estate and not open to the public, assuring the horses remain as free from human influence as possible.

"I see before me fantastical presences"

--Teixeira de Pascoaes (from ENCOUNTER)

Handsome bulls at Herdade do Azinhal

The fates aligned recently and presented me with a truly significant and likely once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

An impressive entrance, rich in architectural detail

On the 26th of September, with mingled emotions of anticipation and homesickness, I gave farewell kisses to Kevin and all my beloved friends at Ravenseyrie, and embarked on a series of connecting flights bound for a week-long holiday in Portugal.

Hardy and Rose Oelke, leading the way up a 14th century cobblestone walkway. Castelo de Vide in the Alentejo region.

At the Lisbon airport, I met up with renown wild horse expert, Hardy Oelke and his wife Rose, who had left their home in Halver, Germany to spend two weeks in the land of cork and olive trees, aristocratic Iberian horses and immensely kind people. Hardy and Rose have been yearly visitors to Portugal for well over a decade and graciously had arranged to introduce me to several breeders of Sorraia horses and show me as many of their favourite places as possible in the course of my seven day Portuguese adventure.

One of the countless enticing roads in Portugal lined by aesthetically inspiring dwellings.

We traversed row on row of horses
Shaking their manes in the trade winds
--Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (from DISCOVERY)

A family band of Sorraia horses at the Vale de Zebro preserve.

I am still feeling a bit in between worlds and am carefully working through the 800+ images my camera recorded during this amazing sojourn in Portugal. Over the next weeks, I will relay individual accounts of the people I met and places I was fortunate to see--and especially I wish to share with readers the photos of Sorraia horses.

"Sorraia horse: reconstituted by Ruy d'Andrade, from the ancient Iberian horse of convex profile, mouse colour or yellow dun, 1.47 m. Resulting from the inbreeding for the last 40 years [80+ years at present time] of a group of animals found in the Valley of the Sorraia River, tributary of the River Tagus, which answer to the descriptions made by ancient authors and of their now wild descendants in America." --Fernando d'Andrade (from A SHORT HISTORY OF THE SPANISH HORSE AND OF THE "GINETA" HORSEMANSHIP FOR WHICH THIS HORSE IS ADAPTED)

Standing out among a mixed group of yearlings at the Portuguese National Stud, two Sorraia colts show clearly their primitive characteristics which set them apart from domestic horses.

As moved as I was by all that I saw and experienced in Portugal, I found that the feeling I have for Ravenseyrie and its inhabitants is a reflection of being completely satisfied with my own humble existence here on Manitoulin Island. There is no place like home!

Sorraia stallion, Altamiro and his son, Interessado, enjoy an autumn afternoon at the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve

The Homogeneous Sorraia Mustangs of Ravenseyrie

2011-09-15T16:11:00.011-04:00

This journal entry is a brief "at a glance" documentation of the offspring born here at Ravenseyrie from 2008 to 2011.

As you look through the foals born here and see their development to date, what do you see?

For today, just a quick comparison, beginning with the very first foal to be born at Ravenseyrie and moving through the years.

Animado
born 12April08

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Bella (Reg. Spanish Mustang)

Fada
born 24May2008

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Belina (Spanish Mustang cross)

Interessado
04August08

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Ciente (reg. Kiger Mustang)

Encantara
10May09

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Belina (Spanish Mustang cross)

Silvestre
12July09

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Ciente (Reg. Kiger Mustang)

Segura
21August09

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Zorita (Purebred Sorraia x Sulphur Mustang)

Pinoteia
28March10

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Bella (Reg. Spanish Mustang)

Tocara
29April10

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Belina (Spanish Mustang cross)

Levada
16July10

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Zorita (Purebred Sorraia x Sulphur Mustang)

Esperanda
18March11

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Ciente (Reg. Kiger Mustang)

Altavida
29March11

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Bella (Reg. Spanish Mustang)

Legado
07August11

Sire: Altamiro (Purebred Sorraia)
Dam: Zorita (Purebred Sorraia x Sulphur Mustang)

Destemido
14May11

Sire: Interessado or Animado (blood-typing pending)
Dam: Fada (Purebred Sorraia x Spanish Mustang cross)

It should be noted here that in 2011 Belina gave birth to a stillborn colt by Altamiro. Espirito was a solid grullo with shoulder and leg stripes. When the foals are born, they don't right away show their convex profiles (of which all the Ravenseyrie offspring have) and their foals coats often cover up the degree of striping they may have. Though varying in shades, all of the Ravenseyrie offspring are grulla, with the very dark variants (Fada and Interessado) having the effect of making their primitive markings indiscernible.

This comparison is limited in showing overall conformation due to the fact that most of the offspring are under three years old, but as they mature we should be able to show that there is not just homogeneity in their long slender faces with convex profiles, but also in the rest of their morphological shape.

Something completely unscientific, but interesting to me on a couple of different levels, is the way each of these exquisite Ravenseyrie youngsters look at me--even at a very young age, there is a presence of great intelligence, nobility and sense of self that is decidedly impressive.

A Continuing Legacy at Ravenseyrie

2011-08-11T18:14:00.004-04:00

The Elementals create a magical scene in greens and lilacs at the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve on a summer evening.

On my 2010 calendar I have it documented that after Zorita gave birth to Levada, she was settled by Altamiro on her foal heat less than a week later. This would have put Zorita's 2011 foal due in late June to early July and she certainly looked the part in these photos taken on July 4:

Zorita likes to sit like a dog and rub her bum on the short grasses.

Zorita
by the Sorraia stallion, Sovina and out of the Sulphur Mustang mare, Tia

During this time her udder looked plump, but never taut, or waxy or dripping, and some mornings it didn't look like there was milk in it at all. When these uncommitted indicators continued, I knew for sure that a two day heat observed in Zorita in September of 2011 was not a fluke thing, but that somewhere between June and September she had aborted her fetus from the foal heat breeding and was resettled by Altamiro in mid-September.

Altamiro

Even on the evening of the 6th of this month, there was no significant change in the way the foal was being carried, nor in Zorita's udder. But come dawn on Sunday morning the 7th, there was a delightful light form standing with Zorita apart from the rest of the family band who had come up for their breakfast oats. I didn't have my camera on me at the time, but I brought a pan of oats out to where Zorita was waiting and was able to get a closer look at her new foal. I was delighted to see that this time she had delivered a colt!

Later in the morning I went back out to where the family band was grazing and took some photos:

And then in the evening of the same day, I went back out and took more photos, of course!

It is always a delight to see newborns get the feeling of what it is like to be a seemingly lighter-than-air quadruped, after being nearly a year suspended in fluid inside a beautiful mare. Zorita's colt enjoyed engaging in short sprints around his mother:

Then this stunning colt paused and gave me a very nice pose which showed off his leg stripes on both front and hind limbs:

Of course after exercise and posing for the camera, one must take a blissful nap:

In the following days, I went out frequently to get to know the new colt and get a sense of what name he might like to be presented with. Always he would look directly at me, with a lovely pose and a friendly, yet serious expression before tentatively coming close enough to reach his muzzle out to touch me. I felt as if he was trying to tell me something but hadn't yet found a way to share, other than to demonstrate a sort of calm assuredness beyond what one would normally expect from a days old foal.

I began to get the sensation that here in this perfect colt resides an amazing legacy which will be continued into future generations once he matures and sires his own offspring. Zorita's colt is endowed with a double dose of purebred Sorraia genes --not only has his sire, Altamiro, passed his amazing reliable DNA along, but through Zorita, the genetics of the purebred Sorraia, Sovina (living in the U.S.) are also part of this new Sorraia Mustang's heritage. Having been gelded a year or so ago without having left any male offspring who haven't already been gelded, Sovina's lineage can only continue to contribute through the few females he has sired, of which only Zorita possesses the Sorraia phenotype.

The genetic (and phenotypic) inheritance that has been bestowed upon the Ravenseyrie foals serves not only as a safeguard for the nearly extinct Sorraia and Sorraia mustang horses, but also demonstrates the persistence and durability these ancestors of the Zebro/Iberian Tarpan possess. These primitive horses have an important legacy to continue.

Their story--first observed emerging from Paleolithic rock art, later woven through medieval literature and in the modern era has been rescued from complete obliteration by a few devoted conservationists and private breeders--has more chapters to be added. Each of Altamiro's "kids" are contributing tremendously to this ongoing true, historic and iconic legend.

Whether or not they all contribute to carrying forward their genetics by being part of other Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang breeding programs, each of them--Animado, Fada, Interessado, Encantara, Silvestre, Segura, Pinoteia, Tocara, Levada, Esperanda, Altavida, Destimedo and also now Zorita's colt--add romance and beauty to this ongoing saga of the Form III ancestral equine by their reliably consistent forms and amazing individual personalities.

Because it has been Zorita's newborn colt that prompted me to more fully appreciate what a legacy he and his siblings represent, it was only fitting to offer up to him the name, Legado, which I am sure astute readers already have figured out is the Portuguese word for "legacy".

When I first spoke it to him last night, he and the rest of the family band were trotting up to come to the area where I had been spreading out "treats" for them. When I saw Zorita coming from behind the others, my eyes and the colt's eyes locked into each other and I tentatively called out, "Legado?". Even as the word was leaving my lips, this mythic colt angled himself directly to me, with Zorita following his trajectory, then both stopped right in front of me. "Legado!", I announced jubilantly to all that surrounded us. There was no point in asking for his approval, he seemed already to have laid claim to this name.

I know there are among the readers of the Journal of Ravenseyrie (from all across the globe!) many who will feel the call to help continue the legacy of these wild Iberian horses. We humans are part of this ongoing story, too...though the chapters we appear in haven't all been for the preservation of these types of horses. We humans can put our past misdeeds behind us and take positive action now so that the history we create today shows we support initiatives that aim to safeguard and strengthen the primitive Iberian Tarpan genetics still present in the Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang.

Whether you have land upon which you can begin your own preserve, or perhaps want to befriend a gelding or mare with no interest in breeding (or keep a bachelor group of stallions)--or even if you have no room for a horse in your life right now at all, you can still spread the word about the important roles the Sorraia and Sorraia Mustangs are playing in keeping a link to the ancient past alive into the future. All these things help Legado and his siblings (and all the other equines who possess these prehistoric genetics) continue their important legacies.

Sorraia Mustangs on the Ravenseyrie Beach

2011-07-28T11:14:00.011-04:00

When gelded, Interessado will be able to continue to have free roam of all of Ravenseyrie and mingle with the other horses both old and young, as he is doing here with Fada's colt, Destemido.

Instead of substituting a new form of stress, as an "enforcer", we should take on the role of "decider," not the one who imposes his will and dominates the horse. --Frédéric Pignon
(from the book Gallop to Freedom, by Delgado, Pignon and Walser)

From time to time there comes to me from those individuals who read the Journal of Ravenseyrie a question or comment that I am prompted to respond to not in the follow-up comments section, but within a new journal entry. I have mentioned in one or two recent entries that after careful contemplation, Kevin and I had decided we would soon be gelding our two young colts, Interessado (Purebred Sorraia x Kiger Mustang) and Silvestre (Purebred Sorraia x Kiger Mustang). Most likely this declaration caused a indignant gasp from some who are against the castration of stallions while simultaneously receiving a derisive exclamation of "Well it's about time." from others.

One long time reader, June, typed out an earnest query, and here, among the many lovely photos of our Sorraia Mustang youngsters (of mixed ages who have been expelled from the family band by their sire, Altamiro) enjoying the cooling breezes coming off Lake Huron's North Channel, I have decided to provide her an equally earnest answer.

June inquired: "I have a question for you - what are your feelings about gelding? I ask this not to challenge you, but because the idea makes me feel a bit off, and I'm sure you're a somewhat ambivalent too. Maybe you have some reassuring thoughts for me?!"

Lovely Fada

The castration of horses has a history extending back to the days when gold-bedecked Scythian horseman (highly skillful and wickedly ferocious) roamed the vast Pontic-Caspian steppe, is even in modern times a "simple, routine" procedure--yet still is not without potential risk to horses, and is a distinct act of governance on the part of the human. One wonders, then how I would even consider imposing such a life-altering operation on our young stallions?

Since we have been unable to link up with the right type of situation that would provide meaningful, full lives away from Ravenseyrie for these colts, and we cannot support more than one free range breeding herd, the only options we see are to break up their open acerage with "stallion proof" fencing and segregate the colts and fillies from each other and the family band, or to sterilize the colts so they can continue to roam virtually free.

A coating of lakeshore mud helps Interessado cope with biting insects

Both Kevin and I know our horses very well...we know what they most desire on a day to day basis--and this is the freedom to run in wide open spaces as part of the extended family. The desire to procreate is seasonal and hormonal driven and of secondary interest to an overall sense of belonging to a free range group with their mental and physical needs mostly provided autonomously with a little support from us from time to time. We feel 100% confident that given a choice between remaining biologically intact, yet segregated into more confined region of the landscape or being denied reproductive rights, but allowed to continue to experience rich, full living in the big wide open with the opportunity to mingle with the other equine inhabitants, both Interessado and Silvestre would prefer the latter.

It is worth noting that even in a truly wild situation with no fences containing them, not all stallions will have opportunity to breed mares, some will form bachelor bands, some live solitary lives and some are accepted as non-breeding assistants to a family band.

Of the few options available for purposefully rendering male horses infertile, we have determined castration is the most appropriate for our semi-wild living conditions here at Ravenseyrie. Once gelded, Interessado and Silvestre will be taken off the "for sale" list and can live out their lives here with us.

Segregating stallions, provided they have sufficient room to live and acceptable companionship is not a bad thing...and should any of Altamiro's sons move on to other lives where they are not kept in the company of mares, I am confident they would adapt quite nicely with the right type of human support and affection. However, to extract them from their former free and glorious interactive life in the big wide open landscape Ravenseyrie presently provides them, and place them inside a formidable barrier that keeps them from the very things they love, while their former world continues to be visible to them, is akin to creating a jail in a palace where the princes can see all that was once theirs but not participate in it.

So, with Frédéric Pignon's words in mind, we will not become the "enforcer" of a truncated lifestyle which would be daily stressful for the unsold colts but rather serve a role as "decider" in what we feel has the best, holistic interests for the horses and the landscape.

Pinoteia in a pensive pose

We do not expect that there will be universal support for our determination to soon geld Interessado and Silvestre (and later Destemido) but readers will at the very least know the reasons we have come to this decision.

Thank you, June, for your question and the opportunity to explain how we came to this decision.

Destemido, the fearless one, son of Fada

The longer I live in the company of horses the more I feel my ability to communicate with other humans deepens and the more I appreciate the need for respect, not to judge too easily, to be tolerant, to have compassion and acceptance. This is the horse's gift to me. --Frédéric Pignon
(from the book Gallop to Freedom, by Delgado, Pignon and Walser)

Tocara and Levada enjoy a mutual grooming session Zorita's 2010 filly, Levada

Ambassadors For the Sorraia / Iberian Tarpan

2011-07-19T15:02:00.008-04:00

Segura, Animado and Encantara
Ambassadors for the Sorraia / Iberian Tarpan imported from Canada to the U.S.

Whenever in any region remainders of a primitive race of horses are discovered, it deserves our utmost attention, because in a time as fast-moving as ours, it may be a matter of just a few years and something irretrievable might be lost. --Prof Dr. Rainer Willmann / Zoological Institute Goettingen
(from the foreward to Hardy Oelke's book, BORN SURVIVORS ON THE EVE OF EXTINCTION / Can Iberia's Wild Horse Survive Among America's Mustangs?)

The conservation of the purebred Sorraia in Europe and Sorraia Mustang horses in the United States received a major boost on July 14, 2011 when Sheri Olson of the Soul of Sorraia ranch in Cheyenne, Wyoming crossed the border at Sault Saint Marie, Michigan with precious cargo. Three genetic treasures were exported from the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve (on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada) to assist in the further consolidation and safeguarding of the Sorraia--a.k.a Iberian Tarpan--among those North American Mustang horses of Sorraia type.

Segura

Our three year old stallion, Animado, and his half-sisters Encantara and Segura (sired by our purebred Sorraia stallion Altamiro and out of our Sorraia Mustang mares Bella, Belina and Zorita, respectively) are now part of Mike and Sheri Olson's efforts to perpetuate the ancestral genetics of the Iberian strain of Equus ferus that have survived in certain specimens of feral and captive bred mustangs.

Animado

The importation of these rare horses could not have come at a more critical time, as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management continues to carry out deleterious culls (to the point of genetically nonviable numbers) of the wild horses that inhabit their public landscapes and expansive ranges--even those that have been proven to be genetically significant with zoological and historic ties to the Iberian Peninsula. It more and more seems apparent that preservation of important strains of Spanish Mustang horses as well as those that continue to exhibit the atavistic phenotype of the prehistoric wild horses of Europe, like the Sorraia Mustang, falls into the hands and hearts of private breeders.

Encantara

It is my belief that Animado, Encantara and Segura carry on their backs a very important and multi-faceted role to play as ambassadors for the Sorraia/Iberian Tarpan horses. Not only will their exceptional forms assist in dispelling misunderstandings and educating all those who meet them about the differences between typical Spanish Mustangs and those that exhibit a true Sorraia phenotype (for there continues to be far too many people referring to their mustang horses as Sorraias when they show little to no distinct characteristics), but these special young horses will also demonstrate how beneficial it is to cultivate a relationship with horses that is based not on pain, force and coercion, but on a loving, nurturing friendship--something especially vital for interacting with primitive horses.

Quoting again from the foreword to Born Survivors on the Eve of Extinction / Can Iberia's Wild Horse Survive Among America's Mustangs? we read:

"As late as the middle of the 20th Century, it became known that Iberia must have had its own form [primitive race] of horse - today known as Sorraia horse. Very few of these horses still exist today, but Hardy Oelke reports that many of the characteristics of the Sorraia horse are found among the North American mustangs. What's more: Many mustangs resemble the Sorraia!

"This lends extraordinary importance to some mustangs, because they bring to our eyes a facet of the original wealth of forms of European wild horses. As the remaining Sorraias in Europe are so few, we must not miss out on the opportunities this discovery holds for us. And there is immediate need for action: Along with the efforts to control the total number of mustangs, the existence of the Sorraia mustangs is in jeopardy." --Prof. Dr. Rainer Willmann

How thankful Kevin and I are that Hardy Oelke introduced us to the Olsons and encouraged us to work together to assure the expansion of breeding projects that recombine the genes of present day Sorraia /Iberian Tarpan genetics with those of the old world Zebro/Marismeño (medieval monikers of the progenitors of the Sorraia) which persist within certain feral and captive bred mustang populations in North America. It is our hope that as Altamiro's offspring become more well know in the U.S. and begin to produce their own progeny, many more people will be able to participate in the propagation of these Iberian Tarpan/Sorraia horses to the point that one day they will not be so critically near extinction. Better still, will be the time when conservationists incorporate Iberian Tarpans into their grassland management schemes as they have been doing so successfully with the Konik horses--another variant of the Tarpan, or European Wild Horse, Equus ferus, which was recovered from remnant genetics present in the local primitive ponies in the Bialowieza Forest in Poland.

Now that readers have a greater appreciation for the significance of the exportation of Animado, Encantara and Segura to the Western United States, let's take a look a some of the photos taken while Sheri and her friend Isa Kirk were here.

After getting their first real-life look at Animado, Segura and Encantara, Sheri and Isa were ready to hike out to find the other horses. We first came upon "the Tribe", (some of the adolescent offspring which have been expelled from the family band by Altamiro and formed their own group.)

The Tribe
(photo credit: Isa Kirk)

Interessado
(photo credit: Isa Kirk)

After visiting with the Tribe members, we went in search of Altamiro and the family band, and with Sheri following her intuition, we found them not too far away from the tribe, in the edge of the forest.

Sheri (left) and Isa pose with Segura's dam, Zorita

Having been further back among the shadows and trees after he could sense there was no threat, Altamiro gave himself a rather dignified entrance, walking rather slow and majestically into view, looking very much like the Lord of Ravenseyrie, which of course he is! This was a special moment for Sheri and Isa, who had never seen a purebred Sorraia in the flesh. Seeming to sense the importance of this viewing, Altamiro (who typically doesn't get too interactive with visitors) allowed Sheri to come close and touch him:

Because I was so busy talking, I didn't take very many photos, and of those I did take of Sheri and Isa visiting with the family band most were blurred.

Before it got too much later in the evening, we went down the bluff to the village and made sure Isa and Sheri were able to get checked in for the night at Gordon's Lodge. Then Isa treated us all to a meal at Buoy's Restaurant on the bay.

The view of Gore Bay from Gordon's Lodge
(photo credit: Isa Kirk)

The next morning, Isa and Sheri came up around 9am and got the seemingly endless stock trailer into position (no small feat as the narrowness of our driveway and Scotland Road make for challenging turnarounds for large rigs like Sheri's.) Then Sheri and Isa began the process of further introducing themselves to Animado, Encantara and Segura. How pleased I was that these ladies had determined to take all the necessary time needed to gain the trust of the young horses and slowly school them in loading and unloading from the spacious aluminum trailer. While I had accustomed the youngsters to halters and leading, they had never been lead out of their temporary holding area, let alone asked to step up into a long metal box. I had no idea how they might feel about strangers asking them to leave their home. Isa and Sheri were quite confident all would go well because Animado, Encantara and Segura were so gentle and calm.

Isa and Sheri begin the process of getting acquainted with the youngsters

Having had accompanied Sheri on bringing home an untrained mustang once before, and having trained many of her own home raised Spanish Mustangs, Isa began working with our youngsters just as I had to leave for work, but I was able to capture a few photos before hopping on my bicycle to pedal down the bluff and get the gallery opened up for business. Kevin was on hand to assist as needed and let me know how things went.

Though Isa's approach to training is a bit different than mine, and initially this provoked some resistance, once the horses understood that there would be no punishment or force, each eventually calmly let the gals lead them in and out of the trailer until they were confident in the knowledge that this metal box on wheels was a comfortable place to be. In fact, on that hot and buggy day, it was a place of solace, because inside there was cool shade, no flies and yummy prairie grass hay waiting for them. Kevin told me that it was Segura who wound up being the first to load, outshining the others in her quickness to put her trust in Isa. In less than three hours, Isa and Sheri had trained three former semi-wild range horses that loading into a stock trailer was an okay thing. So calm and at peace in their traveling compartments were the horses that Kevin, Isa and Sheri were able to take about an hour's break before the gals began their long, long journey home.

Loaded and ready to go
(photo credit: Kevin Droski)

On their way!
(Photo credit: Kevin Droski)

Sheri sent me these photos from the road, which made my heart sing--to see how well the youngsters were traveling.

(photo credits: Sheri Olson)

Sheri decided to let the youngsters spend a few days at Isa's place in South Dakota (Plenty Star Ranch) and sent me these photos after the horses were unloaded:

(Photo credits: Sheri Olson)

Sheri emailed me these comments and gave permission for me to include them in this journal entry:

"You have accomplished amazing things with your horses and I am so excited to be able to join in your efforts.

"All three are unique and have very distinct personalites. So worth the wait... I am in amazement of their beauty, heritage, etc. as we continue our travels to their new western home." --Sheri Olson

And on Sunday, Isa sent me the following photos and comments which I include here with her permission:

"Lynne, I had so much fun working with your /Sheri's horses. Everyone is different, but Segura stood out as very sensitive, smart, quick learning and then completely trusting and offering her very best - a dream come true - the ultimate filly in looks and personality - wonderful!. I have never seen 3 horses load so completely calm and fast for the first time. Sheri's nice cool trailer and the pestering flies may have helped a little I think. I was very taken with Animado's incredibly sweet nature even though he was insisting at first that going beyond the green gate would be dangerous for all of us - that was the boundary he knew not to tackle - period! in one word - a delight to work with , all of them, thanks to your wonderful handling before hand."--Isa Kirk

They look fabulous don't they?

And what of those wonderful mules, Dee, Doll and Jerry who lent their calm presence as companions in the holding pasture for over six weeks as our young ambassadors prepared for their big journey? When I got home from work, Kevin and I had a little "thank you ceremony" and released these splendid friends back into the big wide open. The next morning I found them and the Tribe enjoying the Ravenseyrie beach--a fitting reward after the wonderful work they did helping us get Animado, Encantara and Segura ready for their new lives.

Fada's colt, Destemido hopes to make friends with Doll while Dee looks on.

Jerry and Interessado play the "nippy face" game with Lake Huron's beautiful North Channel as a spectacular backdrop.

It was incredibly hard for me, emotionally, to let go of these beautiful Sorraia Mustang youngsters, and even now, I can feel the tears wanting to push out from my eyes. It helps tremendously to know that these equine friends I have nurtured since birth have such vital roles to play in the world and have as wonderful a human as Sheri to share their lives with. So I am very happy to be able to assist the preservation of the Sorraia and Sorraia Mustang horses in this way, knowing by allowing the horses to be purchased and spend their lives away from Ravenseyrie assures the remaining genetics of the Iberian Tarpan are not going to be lost forever.

To learn more about Sheri Olson and continue to follow the lives of Animado, Encantara and Segura go to the website of Soul of Sorraia.

To learn more about Isa Kirk and her work go to the website of Plenty Star Ranch.

Elements of Tranquility

2011-07-09T13:25:00.002-04:00

The yearling fillies, Pinoteia (left) and Tocara, frolic in the summer grass at the Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve

When the East Bluff awakens with green growth and the winds blowing over it become fragrant and pleasurable, it used to be that all the horses of Ravenseyrie would revel in their smorgasbord of grazing and browsing delights. They would for long, bountiful months be virtually on a "self-maintenance" regime--slacking their thirsts in the pond, creek or lake, finding shady groves and breezy knolls, with the pinch of hunger easily satisfied at any time of their own choosing. These relatively gentler periods of the year have provided Kevin and me a much needed respite from the daunting winter feeding chores and with the additional daylight, allowed us to pursue other activities, many of which were carefree and restorative. Though summertime on the island means my studio and gallery are open longer hours and I am much more tired at the end of my shift after catering to tourists from 11am to 5pm, it was always a relief to come home and just unwind any which way the wind might be blowing.

[I should note here that at this time next week the 17th Annual Manitoulin Art Tour will be under way, with Ravenseyrie Studio hosting two guest artists (Xenia Merez and Rua Lupa)...a very busy time, indeed!]

Dee, peers through the corral fence, counting the days until she will once again be free to roam the range.

This year it is very different--there is little time for dawdling along the beach, hiking through the forests for mushrooms or spending long hours immersed in melding into the mellow meanderings of the horses over the lovely landscape. With Animado, Encantara and Segura (awaiting transport to Cheyenne, Wyoming) and Dee, Doll and Jerry (the draft mules lending their calming presence) sequestered in the holding pasture on the southeast side of the house and Mistral, Zeus and Silvestre now in their "attack free" pasture southwest of the house and yard, we now have two separate areas that require certain duties of us. These new responsibilities keep us busy throughout our waking hours, and leave us feeling definitely weary when night falls. How spoiled I had been, when the horses were fewer in number and basically lived as one big happy family with the big wide open spaces available to everyone!

While out picking up some fresh cut grass from the range, I was given this beautiful sunset to admire.

Zorita is due to deliver her foal a little later this summer.

Though we went though a period of stress and chaos this spring and early summer, once the horses were separated into their particular temporary regions, dynamics settled down and as I have been tending to the additional chores, I began to notice within these very labours there were many elements of tranquility. I have taken some photos of those moments, but first, I thought I would share images of the separate spaces we've had to fence in and the extra work this has created.

Here are some scenes from the holding pasture to the southeast of the house:

Uncle Jerry...is he looking wistfully out to the open range?

Segura

Animado, a.k.a "Cool Dude" (left) and Encantara

We erected the fences in such a way as to crate a buffer zone...so that the horses on either side are not able to make mischief with each other.

In order to lessen the displeasure the "captive" group must feel as they watch from their holding pasture (now over-grazed of course) while their former herd mates still have free roam of all the open grassland areas, Kevin and I feed them green "hay" along with their cured hay, which we spread out over their space five times a day, to mimic the moving around they would do if they could graze in the big wide open. Periodically we also bring them a variety of twigs, bark and herbs that they can choose to supplement their meals with if they need to.

We have a walk-behind sickle-bar mower which Kevin takes out to different areas in the open grassland where the rocks are few and he cuts enough for the day's needs:

Then we each go out at different times of the day to pick up the hay and bring it back to the "Captives":

One of these days, I'm going to document the different grasses growing here and devote an entire journal entry for them and the other plants that the horses savour. These grasses are the life blood of the bluff, I believe!

Animado and Encantara invariably are waiting for me at the gate when I come through with my cartload of summer grasses. Animado even watches when we are out gathering up these grasses and will whinny for us to hurry up! He does the same thing just before dawn--there is no such thing as sleeping in (not that we do this anyhow as all the animals are anxious for their breakfasts at first light). With the extended daylight this time of year, we have morning feed chores completed by 6am. Only then do we head back inside to enjoy our own breakfast.

Kevin picks up manure twice daily from the holding pasture and whistles a tune while he works, because he is building a mountain of "gold", which he will use to improve his market garden. Rich in clay, the soil up here on the bluff is terrific for growing grazing forage, but is shallow and nutrient poor for growing vegetables. We also get very dry in the summer and most of the seasonal water sources up on the table land disappear. In especially droughty years, even our well for the house water runs dry. To offset this, we have a holding tank that Kevin had our neighbor build a special trailer for. Kevin uses his big Kubota tractor to take this water tank down the bluff to the beach and pumps a bit of Lake Huron's chilly water into it and brings it back up the bluff for watering the plants (and flushing the toilet, when our well runs dry.) Since we now are supplying water to two separated groups of horses, Kevin makes this trip to fetch water from the lake twice a week.

Here are some scenes of Mistral, Zeus and Silvestre (the "Amigos") in their separate space:

So far, the Amigos haven't overgrazed their ten acres, and there just might be enough grazing for them to last through the summer. Unfortunately, most of it is further to the west which for certain periods of the day is ruled by swarms of deer flies and mosquitoes. The Amigos prefer to stand in the open near the electric fence, where there is usually a good breeze and they only have to cope with horse flies when the sun is out and there is no wind. At those times, we apply insect repellent on them to help give some relief. I've noticed that the Captives also prefer to stand in a group in the open, rather than go under the shade shelter in their corral. Even the two groups still out on the open range (the Family Band and the Tribe) have been spending more time standing in the open breeze in full sun than going to the forest. I think this may be because this year we have really had a longer and more intense period of mosquitoes, making many of their usual loafing areas in the forest uncomfortable during certain times of the day.

Here the "Amigos" (Mistral, Zeus and Silvestre) on one side of the fence and the "Tribe" (Interessado, Fada, Destemido, Pinoteia, Tocara and Levada) on the otherside are dozing in the sun and swishing at flies on a summer afternoon.

The next assortment of photos I'm including to give you a visual of some of the elements of tranquility that make all the extra work seem like a pleasant gift.

The Family Band
Now consisting of Altamiro, Bella, Belina, Zorita, Esperanda and Altavida

The testosterone levels in Altamiro and his colts seems to have settled down now that spring has yielded to summer and the boys are now all once again gentle and sweet with their herd mates. Here Bella and Altamiro have a soft conversation.

Esperanda and Altavida enjoying some mutual grooming.

Five times Tocara put her leg in my hay cart while I was taking some photos of the Tribe, and five times, I went over to assist her in getting it back out. A silly, unsafe game that she was engaging in, I think!

Finally, Destemido is beginning to slough off his baby fur. How much cooler he will be when this thick pelt finally sheds off!

Tocara and Interessado head out to graze in the misty fields after finishing breakfast oats

Occasionally, Altamiro comes over and lets the Family band mingle a little with the Tribe. Quite a change from all the chaos among the groups this past spring. After Interessado and Silvestre are gelded, we may try turning the Amigos back out with everyone else. I have a feeling the strange attacks made on those guys by Altamiro, Animado and Interessado will not occur once we are back to just one stallion on the loose.

Levada

Pinoteia

Tocara

Yours truly

Levada

How very consistent is the Sorraia phenotype among Altamiro's offspring! Here, Pinoteia and Tocara look like sisters to the Sorraias in the Vale de Zebro.

The Tribe

Tocara

Sheri Olson (of Soul of Sorraia) and her friend, Isa Kirk (of Plenty Star Ranch) are scheduled on July 11th to begin their almost coast to coast eastward journey to pick up Animado, Encantara and Segura . This will be a very exciting and emotional time! After the youngsters are on their way, we will turn the mules back out on the range (how relieved they will be!) and a huge bulk of chores will be over. No doubt there will be plenty of summer left to recuperate and engage in some of my favorite carefree pastimes. Until then, the rarefied moments such as you see captured in my photos work their magic, keep me grounded in "the now" and believing that goodness (arising from love) is prevailing.

Himself: Altamiro, in a pensive mood

Sorraia Solace

2011-06-28T16:02:00.006-04:00

Esperanda (Sorraia x Kiger Mustang), several days after her dam, Ciente died

With Ciente no longer in corporeal form, some readers of the Journal of Ravenseyrie may be wondering how her filly Esperanda is coping with the loss. Esperanda is a little over three months old and even before her dam died, she has been supplementing mother's milk by grazing and browsing and munching breakfast oats just like her grown herd mates. After a bit of research (wherein I was surprised to learn that some large breeding complexes actually wean foals as young as three months) I decided not to bottle feed, or provide processed grain mixture unless I began to detect a decline in Esperanda's vitality and growth.

I had noticed right away that Bella (who delivered her filly, Altavida, several weeks after Ciente gave birth to Esperanda) was being especially alert to Esperanda, watching over her and allowing her all the same close bodily connection that she provides her own filly.

Esperanda grazing alongside "Auntie" Bella

While I didn't think it was essential anymore for Esperanda to consume mare's milk, I did rather hope that Bella might allow Esperanda to nurse off her, feeling it would be a special solace as well as provide just an extra measure of sustenance. However, during those times that I was with the family band, I had not observed Esperanda even attempt to nurse and I assumed that probably Bella's extension of fostering Esperanda was not going to include nursing.

I was given a gift on Sunday, though, when I happened to be collecting twigs and bark to bring back to the "captive" horses and chanced upon the family band hiding out from flies in one of our many Cedar forests. I went into their shady grove and while I was just hanging out with them (and swatting away flies, too) Altavida began to nurse. As she was nursing, Esperanda also put her muzzle under Bella's flank, though she was on the same side as Altavida and could not gain access to a nipple. However, as soon as Altavida was finished, Esperanda connected with a milky teat and began nursing, while Bella remained as relaxed as if this had been all along something she had been offering to Ciente's filly.

Esperanda also nursed on the opposite side a little later

It was a beautiful moment which filled me with tears of joy and thanksgiving.

Altavida (left) and Esperanda

I also captured a photo of young Destemido demonstrating another variation of the solace these Sorraia Mustangs provide for each other. As we can see here, the harassment of biting insects is made easier to cope with when one has a gentle mother (Fada) and friendly aunt (Tocara) to help brush the bugs off.

When the cold wind
Blows a chill through your heart
And the world
Seems unforgiving,
Be patient,
And persevere,
For always gentleness
And love
Return.
--L. Gerard

While it doesn't at all replace for me the loss of my close and dear friend, Ciente, I am sure readers will agree-- this type of Sorraia Solace is soothing to humans as well as horses. I am very grateful for the generous nature of Bella to look after Esperanda with such tenderness.