Blogger Nina Rennie discovers Portugal’s State of Being horse sanctuary, a chic and brilliantly philanthropic tourism venture.
Horses are said to have enormous hearts and the ability to hear a human heartbeat from several feet away, hence the common saying that they can sense our fear. But tragically many of these incredible creatures face neglect, maltreatment and slaughter.
Unable to stand the sight of so many horses suffering, Sakshin, an energy healer and horse empath, and Charlotte, a horse-assisted coach, set out to help. The State of Being sanctuary was seeded in 2019. Since then, their holistic horse walks have proved to be a beautiful way to reconnect humans and horses, and to raise money for their much-needed rescue and rehabilitation work.
Starting at their base in a beautiful rural part of southern Portugal, you’re invited to join one, three or five-day journeys that, judging by the testimonials, are guaranteed to support both the horses’ healing and your own. Some of the stories from ‘horse walkers’ are deeply moving and the therapeutic benefits are backed by experts.
“It feels very beneficial to fully focus on the connection with the horse,” says one Airbnb guest called ‘Mike’. “I work as a psychologist and meditation teacher and would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who is a lot in his head, suffers from depression or burnout, to do this in this beautiful place.”
Email: walk@holistic-horsewalk.pt
Rua de Moinho, Barão de São João, Faro 8600-013, Portugal
