Our history
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Our history

The idea of Country Quest was born back in the UK in 2016. Originally we were planning on becoming a small riding stable, with 4 horses and 2 ponies. We wanted to offer experiences where people got to handle the horses and really get to connect with the animal they were riding.

We moved to Portugal late 2016 and bought 8 horses by the end of the year. The story of how the horses were bought deserves its own post – stay tuned!

Since 2017 we have been in a few different properties and the horses have always travelled with us. For the last move from Alentejo to Alcoutim we hired a lorry to fit all 11 horses, talk about precious cargo!

Now we have settled in in Alcoutim, and decided to stop offering rides all together and focus solely on showcasing equines with intrinsic value. We work on educating people in species specific horse care, ethical training for horses as well as equine assisted wellbeing for humans, through methods such as mindfulness and meditation.

We offer riding experiences for children as a family activity and that’s something that our horses really love participating in.

Safe to say we have had a pretty eventful journey so far, but we have gotten through it all by sticking together, no matter what life has thrown at us.

Here is to the next chapter!

Pia Saari is the founder and owner of Country Quest Portugal. Throughout her life she has gathered extensive experience with horses in many different ways. She has worked with horses professionally in riding schools, livery yards and racing stables. She has worked in horse rescue and helped numerous horses recover from severe physical and mental negligence. She has studied equine ethology and psychology, learning theory and many other subjects relating to horses. Country Quest Portugal has a mission and a vision to make the world a better place for horses - sharing knowledge by an online course is a very important part of this mission. The course is priced low to make it accessible for everyone who wants to learn how to better care for their horses.