Courses in Natural Horsemanship

Learn a whole new way to be with horses, both on the ground and in the saddle, building a relationship based on harmony and trust.

Our Courses

Establish a connection both in the saddle and on the ground in our week-long courses. We are happy to teach total beginners but also welcome experienced riders, who are looking for a new way to be with horses.

Course structure

The schedule for each week is adapted to the needs of our participants at the time, but the basic elements are always the same: natural horsemanship groundwork, lessons and rides into nature at a walk.

Accomodation

Guests stay in our typical Alentejo ranch house in the midst of our valley, where the river Mira flows through twenty hectares of pasture. Enjoy evenings out on our terrace in groups of max five guests.

Our philosophy

Our philosophy is based on the idea that riding should be enjoyable for both human and horse. We strive for horse-friendly riding by using the principles of Natural Horsemanship, with a special emphasis on Freedom Based Training® inspired by Elsa Sinclair. When horses are free to decide if they want to be with us or not, we really have to try hard to fulfill the need for connection in us and the horse.

Dates & Prices

Temperatures in Portugal are most comfortable in spring and fall. Therefore, we offer courses from April until June and again in September and October each year.

Our Team

A small and dedicated team supports Sandra in her mission to help her guests enjoy their stay and maximize their learning with the horses.

Our Horses

Our herd of riding horses includes a few quarters, a few Portuguese and the odd warmblood, but all of them are excellent teachers.

What our clients say

  • I went to Portugal this summer and was so lucky to get the chance to spend hours learning how to listen to movement; A foundation of all communication is body language. It requires to be present in this very moment for us to pick up on the smallest signals that we so often overlook. Thank you Sandra for the most rewarding and eye opening experience and all the laughs and fun.

    Malin

  • Sundance Ranch is a rare piece of paradise where horses are supported to be themselves and as humans, we have the opportunity to learn how to do that for our own horses. None of this would be possible without Sandra’s tremendous enthusiasm, integrity and generosity of spirit.

    Adela

  • It was the most magical time ever. The holiday lasted only a week but was so wonderful. I spent time in a little piece of paradise. Accommodation was excellent, food was amazing, Sandra was a fantastic host. The horses and other people around were all truly wonderful. I learnt so much and feel so much more attuned to horses needs. I can’t wait to go to the ranch again. Thank you

    Taryn

  • We stayed at Sundance Ranch in April 2018 and loved every minute. Sandra, Nina, the horses, the food and accommodation were all perfect! Very relaxed and positive experience for myself and my 10 yo daughter ❤️

    Karen

  • Sandra took me on a journey in which I got better with and at horses step-by-step, combining theory, proper ground work and rides out in the landscape.

    Paul

197

Riders

25

Hectares of pasture

33

Horses

Are you ready to learn with us?

Join us for a week-long course of horsemanship, including lessons on the ground and in the saddle as well as trail rides in the unspoiled nature of South-West Portugal.

    Contact us:

    Sandra Dias da Cunha

    Phone:
    +315 917 260 529

    Email:
    info@sundanceranchportugal.com

    Sundance Ranch Portugal

    4 weeks ago

    Sundance Ranch Portugal
    🇬🇧 🇺🇸 Elsa Sinclair will be back teaching at Sundance Ranch Portugal in June!Here's a short clip from one of her workshops here with us, where my other favorite horse trainer, Lysette Smith, is working with one of our difficult horses using Elsa's method of Freedom Based Training. I love that these two very different trainers are open minded enough to try each other's methods and see the benefit of each. Lysette has since then become a resident of our ranch, while Elsa keeps coming back for visits to teach.We have a few places available in Elsa's workshop, which will run from June 22th to 25th. Let us know if you're interested and would like more info.🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇨🇭 Elsa Sinclair kommt im Juni wieder zu uns auf die Ranch!Hier seht ihr einen kurzen Ausschnitt von Elsas letztem Besuch bei uns. Lysette Smith, meine andere liebste Pferdetrainerin arbeitet hier mit einem unserer schwierigeren Pferde unter Elsas Anleitung und nach ihrer Methode. Es ist bewundernswert dass diese beiden so sehr unterschiedlichen Trainer offen genug sind um sich gegenseitig zu respektieren und voneinander zu lernen. Lysette ist inzwischen fest bei uns auf der Ranch ansässig und Elsa kommt immer wieder zum Unterrichten zu uns.In Elsas nächsten Workshop vom 22. bis 25. Juni haben wir noch ein paar Plätze frei. Meldet euch, wenn ihr mehr Info möchtet. ... See MoreSee Less

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    Sundance Ranch Portugal

    2 months ago

    Sundance Ranch Portugal
    🇬🇧 🇺🇸 Happy Easter!Spring is here and with the easter holidays we have started our courses. The first visitors are came from within Portugal, but hopefully travelling will be easier soon and you can consider joining us for one of these planned courses:April 18 – 24May 2 – 8May 16 – 22May 30 – June 5June 13 – 19More info about our courses under: www.sundanceranchportugal.com/courses/🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇨🇭 Frohe Ostern! Der Frühling ist da und mit den Osterferien haben auch unsere Kurse begonnen. Erstmal nur mit Gästen aus Portugal selbst, aber hoffentlich wird das Reisen bald wieder einfacher und ihr könnt auch an einem dieser Termine teilnehmen:18. – 24. April19. – 8. Mai20. – 22. Mai21. Mai – 5. Juni22. – 19. JuniMehr Info über unsere Kurse unter: www.sundanceranchportugal.com/kurse/?lang=de ... See MoreSee Less

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