Farm Holidays | Eco Holiday Cottage & Horses

Farm Holidays with unique holiday cottages and a magic salt water pool. Amazing moments with a natural horse herd. Equine Communication, retreats, tarot readings for animals, Communication with animals, hiking trails and other activitys or just relaxing by the magical salt water swimming pool. An unforgettable holiday in Nature!

Farm Holidays Portugal by Horse

Portugal by horse was created in 1996 in central Portugal.

João & Liesje a Portuguese Belgiam couple were the founders. They built a unique holiday farm with Holiday homes surrounded by nature, a little paradise in central Portugal.

Now, Sally is the new proud owner of this magical place in nature.

Using her gift as an animal communicator she can connect to your horse, dog, cat, lizard..any animal! As well as being qualified in Animal and Equine healing and sensory enrichment. She has been a Reiki Master since 2017 and gained attunement within the stones of Stonehenge. She passed on this wonderful healing energy to many people and animals who either needed comfort or to transform a part of their life. Through working with nature and the energy of Reiki , there is a natural remedy for all ailments whether it be physical or emotional.

Also Tarot has been a part of her life since her early twenties. Tarot is a reflection of life in picture form and she reads the cards intuitively.

With heart and soul Sally takes care of the farm and you!

You can stay in an oasis of most beautiful nature & feel the magic of horses, staying in Enchanting original holiday homes looking out on a magic Valey. There are Special Retreats and holiday escape packages. You can also go hiking, have massages or reiki experiences at her holiday accommodations.

For all the other activities Sally works together with colleagues in the neighborhood.

Equine communication - tarot reading for pets Portugal

We believe horses can only be Horses once they have freedom…

Our Horse paradise started more than 20 years ago with a few horses, they are still with us after giving a lot off joy and happiness. Our horses are not for Riding.
Our herd of 12 horses: some rescues, some very old, some still young, have 25 hectares of land to graze & play.
Most of our horses are retired and have a good life in the herd, their family.

We believe that horses have the right to have their full SPIRIT and work in partnership with us, humans. We developed communication techniques where you show the horse you want to be a Leader and not a Master. We believe this communication is the key to work with a horse without any pressure and without fear.

Once you feel this… you will get in a different dimension!

We have: two Haflingers, 3 Lusitano thoroughbreds, 4 Portuguese Cross, one Garrano one KWPN and one Selle Français. They all have their own character.
At Quinta da Alegria we ride with English saddles.

Quo-Vadis

Breed: Lusitano
Birth: 1997-2024

Quo-Vadis, was a pretty Lusitano. He was one of our first horses, a very sweet horse… mistreated in his early days…

He came with 6 years to the farm, they called him crazy and dangerous, I must say I have never seen that part of him, living in a herd with freedom brings out the best it seems.

Lola

Breed: Cruzado Português
Birth: 1993

The baroque horse. What a character, and definitely the merriest and the sweetest. Lola is already a grandma horse now and is completely blind since spring 2022, therefore she is all by herself in a separate field where Trudy sometimes come to visit. It is amazing how she walks around between the trees and rocks, on her private meadow, finding her food her water, the gate. We do not use her anymore for riding, she can enjoy her retirement spending time eating and sleeping.

Lola came to our holiday farm when she was 8, she was very sweet since the beginning. She trusted humans completely, you could easily lay or sit on top of her when she was laying down. a truly wonderful horse.

Lusia

Breed: Lusitano
Birth: 1992

Lusia is used for guided walks with children or lessons.

Walking light as a feather, she is always happy , graceful but with her own will. She trusts peeople and is very sensitive. Lusia is an a wonderful old lady.

Before we adopted Lusia she was used as a breeding mare for 10 years. When she arrived she was never ridden before and it was definately a challenge, very scared and with no confidence in people.

Milo

Breed: Haflinger
Birth: 2000

Milo is one of the smartest. She is very mischievous, funny, very smart and as you can see, … very naughty and sweet… She’s the protector of the herd in the field , a very curious horse who has tried to escape the fence many times and put her “catch me if you can” face on.

Milo is born at the farm in 2000, fruit from Maxim and Melanie 2 Haflingers we brought from Belgium when we moved to Portugal, unfortunately her parents past away a while ago.

Trudy

Breed: Haflinger
Birth: 1993

Grandma Trudy. All children for many years, start to learn horse riding on Trudy, now she is in full retierment. Because of her old age and arthritis she just walks around on the farm enjoying all the grass she can eat.

Trudy moved to Portugal together with me in 1996, she will stay until the end…like all the other horses.

Bonnie

Breed: Cruzado Português
Birth: 2002

She is part of the family since summer 2011. Bonnie is a very pretty lady with her dark hair and in winter she even looks like “Black Beauty”. Bonnie is very sweet and gentle but with lack of confidence due to mistreatment in her young life. She just enjoys her life the best she can with her friends and her daughter Linda.

Bonnie was donated to us when the owner could not see a better life for her in another place than @portugalbyhorse

Gipsy

Breed: Garrano
Birth: 2007

The Português warrior horse. The Garranos were used in the battles against the Romans a long time ago. He is the big man in the field the one that keeps the order the one you can trust and trusts you. He is Trudy’s lover boy and friend of Milo. Together with Gypsy you can take the whole herd walking behind you to a new field. He was not well-treated in the past but with lots of love and positive attention he became a fantastic horse. All the horses have respect for him.
He is a pretty boy who knows what he wants, the fastest of them all…

We rescued Gypsy locally in a small stable.

Linda

Breed: Cruzado Português
Birth: 2011

Linda is a fickle mare , two hands on one belly with her mother Bonnie, she loves the river and the pond to bath. Linda is a calm mare but she does not like to be brushed.

Linda was donated by her owner just before he past away. She is also the daughter of Bonnie so they joined again @portugalbyhorse

Fly(rescue)

Breed: Selle Français
Birth: 2010

Fly was a dangerous horse when he arrived at the farm in May 2015… attacking, biting, ears in the neck. After being re-educated by the herd & João who approached Fly with natural communication, he became a different horse. Through our faith in him, he also gives confidence to us. He is now very sweet and loves to cuddle, he is still unsure of new people but that is changing rapidly.

We could save Fly cause of donations we got from many people, his old owner wanted to bring him to the slaughter house but still wanted a big amount of money if we wanted to stay with him.

Farm Holidays Portugal by Horse

Holiday farm-Quinta da Alegria

The best of Farm Holidays are the little things, the simple pleasures that always remain linked to our memories. The things we share with our friends and family. When we discover some of these things for the first time, we are taken to another dimension of our life… the dimension of pure joy.

The Joy of finding eggs and enjoying them for breakfast, picking fruit from the trees, being surprised by the animals running around the farm and helping to feed them. Watch the horses run across the field when you look out the window.

Farm stays bring you the Joy of pushing your children in a wheelbarrow and having a picnic in the shade at a hidden place in the valley. Meet Laurinda, the lady with the goats, on her way.

The joy of feeling the sweet summer breeze on your skin. Watching the sunset with all it´s colors and see millions of stars for the first time in your life by the campfire, while listening to all the mysterious sounds of the night you have never heard before.

Holiday farm Quinta da Alegria has the ideal setting for families. At Quinta da Alegria parents can enjoy their holidays, while children have a safe haven to play. Also for couples, we have the perfect place to enjoy your privacy and peace in nature around our social animals or close to the beautiful salt water pool that is available to all our guests.

History of our holiday farm

Quinta da Alegria was originally Quinta da Regada, as this place is abundant in water springs, it is located south of Midões in central Portugal.

It was last inhabited by pastor António Pereira who lived here with his family. He had a large sheep herd and many people came to this place to buy or exchange sheep and goats.
One day, while holding a rocket at the village party, he had an accident and ended up losing his hand. The treatment did not go very well and ended up creating an infection and died. The Quinta was abandoned, full of brambles and bushes, the fruit trees became wild and others disappeared.

It was in this situation that we found Regada in 1998. The roof of the house almost fell, the wine in the barrels transformed into vinegar, the house and its furniture covered with a layer of 12-year old dust.

What started out as just 3 hectares is now about 8 hectares of meadows and fertile land and Quinta da Alegria is very different…

Our Village Midões

Our little village Midões has quite a lot of history. This you can see from the buildings around such as the palace, the church, the houses of the Portuguese nobility and the Celtic graves.

Many of the paths around the accommodation are following the trail that João Brandão took to escape from his prosecutors. This Portuguese Robin Hood lived in the 19th century and fought for the rights of the poor. Only 130 years ago there was terror and poverty in this region.

Also you will notice the cultural impact left by the Romans with their roads, bridges and buildings which we sometimes cross on our rides. There used to be a real hippodrome in Midões they say.

This means, our guests will have unforgettable days of nothing but dazzling nature. Lots of culture, relaxation for the body and mind on a trip to never forget.