The Lusitano is the oldest saddle horse on the planet. Domestication started some 15000 years ago in the southwest of the Iberian peninsula, in an area stretching from Cordoba and Cadiz in today’s Spain to Faro and Lisbon in what is now Portugal. In the Roman period the western part of the peninsula was called Lusitania. Thousands of years of functional selection for the Jineta and Rejoneo riding styles have endowed us with a unique genetic heritage. Empathy with the rider, great agility and bravery are the defining characteristics developed in the Lusitano horse. The closed Lusitano stud book counts only 13000 heads in total – by far the smallest of the ancient fullblood breeds that have been preserved to our day and age.
In his Aeneas Vergilius refers to these horses on the Atlantic shores of the peninsula as “Sons of the Wind”.
It is a privilege and a luxury to have these proud and beautiful animals still around in all their antique glory, and our thanks should go out to generations of horsemen and breeders who have maintained and honed this unique treasure over thousands of years.
The La Donaira Lusitano stud farm is located in the heart of the Serrania de Ronda, on the edge of the ancient breeding grounds. Surrounded by remnants of neolithic settlements (Dolmen) and caves with murals dating back over 30.000 years. Traces of the prehistoric Lusitano horses can be found in the Cueva de Las Piletas, a 20min drive from La Donaira showing the sub convex profile of a horse
Volunteering
Stables Volunteering
To volunteer at our stables, we require:
A video of yourself performing riding and/or ground work
Stay of minimum 3 months
Experience working with horses
Good physical conditions, as many of the jobs require strength
Basic-medium Spanish. This is highly required, as a big part of the team is Spanish. So, knowledge of it is a plus!
We required a great passion for learning as well as a lot of energy in participating in a very special project
Internship
Our intern positions are designated exclusively to students of different fields such as hospitality, arts, equine and agricultural studies, and last about 3-6 months. Interns live at the farm on a shared home with other workers, all enjoying an environment of magical nature that invites us to explore, to do hikes or simply to meditate on the beauty we are blessed with.
Interns contribute to the team of selection, depending on their studies and expertise, La Donaira is a great place to get insight into how an eco-hotel, farm and equestrian centre work together.
If you would like to apply and find out more about Internship opportunity at La Donaira please fill up the following questions:
Employment
Our team is big and we are all working to a common goal. We expect professionals with different kinds of experience to keep building our team.
Generally, our applicants come to us through the advertisement of an open position, but we also welcome unsolicited applicants, send your CV, cover letter and references to apply
We are here to help you solve any questions you have. Do not hesitate to send us an email.
Some of tasks in a day to day routine:
Our schedule is rotational
Gardening: including watering, seeding, weeding, maintenance, works depending on the season
Working in the fields for harvesting, pruning, fertilizing and other works depending on the season
Construction (renewal of the communal areas, fixing, drilling, painting, construction)
Cleaning the Outdoor Paddocks from the horse poop (1.5 hour a day) on weekends
Cleaning the communal areas and keeping all shared areas clean and tidy
Helping at the staff kitchen with the lunch for the workers, cleaning dishes etc.
You will be sharing room with other volunteers of the same gender
Working hours for volunteers are 6 hours per day / 5 days a week
Volunteers program time could be minimum of 1.5 months up to maximum 4 months
All volunteers are submitted to a trial period
Food and Accommodation provided
We appreciate flexibility and willingness
Stable Volunteering Program.
Some of tasks in a day to day routine:
Stable maintenance: cleaning the outdoor Paddocks from the horse poop (1.5 hour a day)
Preparing horses for riders
Cleaning all materials used from the day and the riding arena each afternoon (all stable team does it together)
Riding is not regular. For riding the horses you need training (horses for hacks / school horses). The head of stable will take a decision after a skill check on site, depending on the volunteer riding skills
Cleaning the communal areas and keeping all shared areas clean and tidy
Working hours per day for volunteers are 6 hours / 5 days per week
You will be sharing room with other volunteers of the same gender
All volunteers are submitted to a trial period
Food and accommodation provided
We appreciate flexibility and willingness
