In the northern part of Extremadura, among the hills of the Sierra de Tormantos, an unusual experiment is taking place. Here, on a vast area near Piornal, ethologist Lucy Rees has lived and worked for fourteen years. Originally from Britain, she has dedicated her life to studying horse behavior and is now running a project in Spain that has no equivalent in Europe.
On a rented thousand hectares of land near Arroyomolinos de la Vera, a herd of Pottoka horses lives. These animals, native to the Basque Country, are completely left to themselves: no one rides, feeds, or restricts them. The main goal is to understand how horses behave without human intervention and to dispel stereotypes about the need for strict training.
Unlike traditional stables and arenas, there are no saddles, whips, or riders here. People only observe the animals without interfering in their lives. Even the project initiator herself avoids contact, believing that any intervention disrupts the natural course of events. The horses are born and grow up in conditions as close to the wild as possible.
The experiment is based on the concept of “renaturalization” — restoring natural ecosystems and returning animals to their innate behaviors. According to Ries, only then can we truly see how horses live and understand how different their behavior is compared to what is observed in captivity or sport. Here, the horses do not suffer from illnesses, do not require medical treatment, and are in excellent health, debunking the myth of their fragility.
Special attention is given to the structure of the herd. Contrary to popular belief, horses do not have a strict hierarchy with an alpha leader. Their relationships are built on cooperation and flexibility: each finds their own niche, and in case of danger, they unite for protection. This approach prompts a re-evaluation of traditional methods of handling horses and questions the justification of many training techniques that rely on force and pain.
The path to creating this project was not easy. Before moving to Spain, Lucy Rees worked with horses in top-level competitions, but became disillusioned with the traditional approach, where animals are forced to submit to someone else’s will. She believes that such practices instill in both children and adults a false notion that violence toward animals is acceptable.
Today, the project is attracting the attention of specialists and enthusiasts from around the world. People come to Extremadura to undergo training and learn to see horses in a new way—not as tools, but as independent beings. Visitors may observe the herd, but they are not allowed to touch, feed, or ride the animals. The key here is not to interfere, but simply to watch and learn to respect nature in its original form.
