We are interested in improving the standards of our stables and farm, making it more eco-friendly, with the idea of making a permaculture garden this year. We have over twenty horses on the yard including competition stallions and foals. Our riding centre is a family run business that was opened in 1988. We offer a range of rides suitable for experienced to novice riders. Lessons are given on basic riding, jumping, dressage and TREC, as well as horse care and management.

Algarve

We are looking for friendly people who can ride to help us develop our riding centre in the West Algarve. Minimum stay is three weeks.
- Duties will include general care of horses and other animals and helping with lessons. If you are a capable rider there will be plenty of riding available.
- Also you would be expected to help us to maintain the riding centre including weeding, clearing, planting, running irrigation, building animal housing and painting buildings.
- Volunteers staying with us help on five mornings from 08.30 till 13.30 and one full day from 09.00 to 13.00 and 15.00 till 17.30.

We also need help here with a number of projects this coming year.
- We have just started a permaculture garden with raised beds here on the farm. It is our hope that the family and volunteers will be able to grow enough vegetables, fruit and herbs for the whole year. We have free range bantam chickens that give us eggs (when we can find them!). More veggies need to be planted as do fruit trees and a herb garden.
- We would like to build a second permaculture garden by the eco-house.
- The eco-house sleeps two and requires some work installing a shower with hot and cold water and a wood burning heater. It has its own well, there are solar panels for light, the kitchen has a gas powered fridge and cooker and in the bathroom there is a composting toilet.
- We try to recycle as much as possible - vegetable waste is given to the pig and worms or composted, manure from the horses and other animals is used in the gardens and fields, plastics, metals and paper if not used on the farm goes to the recycling bins in the village. When we need more manure for the gardens we bring more horses into the stables.
- There is another outbuilding that is slowly falling down and this summer we would like to remove it and re-build a straw bale house consisting of one bedroom and a bathroom. Anyone that has any experience with this type of building technique please contact me now!
- We have 4 hectares of scrub land with rocks that needs clearing and turning to better use. (Don`t worry we get a bulldozer to do the really hard work.) Our project for this land is to plant Carob Bean trees and put a flock of approximately 50 sheep on it. There is also another building on this land that needs renovating but maybe only next year in 2013.

English, Portuguese and a little German

Your accommodation would be in our 'eco house' which has solar panels, a gas supply, a separate bedroom, plus a dining / lounge area. There is an eco-shower and toilet which needs to be maintained by the volunteers. Volunteers will be provided with food to cook for themselves in the eco house. We are quite gregarious and at various times you might be invited to impromptu meals and get-togethers. You are expected to keep your living space clean and tidy and help tidy up the communal living areas. We welcome volunteers with live-in vehicles.

Situated one kilometer from the village of Almádena (5/10 min walk) the farm is on the local bus routes giving easy access to beaches and local towns.
This is an incredibly beautiful and tranquil area within a stones throw of the natural park. We have scenic horse riding, walking and fantastic surfing, with great night life in Lagos, Luz and the nearby villages.
As there are lots of opportunities to get on a horse, please make sure your travel insurance covers horse riding and farm work. All our riders wear riding hats and if necessary they will be supplied.
This project is suitable for volunteers travelling on their own, two individuals travelling together or couples. Unfortunately we cannot accept any volunteers with pets due to the amount of animals we already have on the farm.
We would be happy to answer any questions you might have.