TRAVEL BLOG – Sara Sterns on our Lusitano week!

Global Horse Promotion, run by Floor Schoenmakers, organised a week I’ll never forget. She organised every detail of our stay at Quinta do Falcão, a beautiful family-run Lusitano estate near Tomar owned by Rui Salvador, one of Portugal’s most famous bullfighters, and his wife Sandra, and matched us with exactly the right horses for our level.
Our coach, Pedro Teixeira Farto, was outstanding — patient, observant and full of good humour, whether we were practising dressage in the arena or out on a trail. The riding wasn’t confined to the school: we had a lovely ride along the river, and a memorable outing through the vineyards that ended with a tour of the wine cellar and a wine tasting — a real highlight of the trip.
Equally special was the day Floor arranged for us to visit Manuel Veiga’s stud farm near Golegã — seeing the mares and foals grazing on his historic estate, with the family’s generations of breeding history all around us, was a genuine privilege.
Rui and Sandra made us feel completely at home at Quinta do Falcão, and Floor’s local knowledge and network turned this into a truly personalised trip rather than a standard tour package. I highly recommend Global Horse Promotion to anyone who wants a genuine, horse-centred week in Portugal.