Boca do Rio Special
More : - Praia da Luz and Burgau - Espiche and Almádena - Barão de
São Joåo
Val de Boi,
Budens and Boca do Rio - Figueira, Salema and
Raposeira
Vila do Bispo, Sagres and Cape St. Vincent
Os Cavaleiros da Paz
The Horsemen of Peace come from Rio Grande de Sul, Brazil. This group of twenty-two men from many
professions banded together in 1990, in their mutual love of horses, to make an International ride across the National boundaries of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Promoting the traditional way of life of the Gaucho, whose roots run throughout South America, their endeavour was to forget past wars in the camaraderie of both hardship and success.
Following other inspiration from literature, poetry and song, they rode other cavalcades, visiting Argentina and Paraguay again, and including Uruguay and Chile, often joined by riders from these countries. Their most arduous trip was to take water from the Atlantic Ocean in Uruguay, and crossing the Andes, through the most horrendous tunnels, into Chile, where they hoped to pour it into the Pacific. They
succeeded, but were disappointed that they were unable to complete the final stage of their journey on horseback.
The Barlavento Ride
In April, 2003, the VIII Cavalcade for Peace brought them for the first time to Europe. Riding borrowed horses their route
started at Cape St. Vincent.
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Some of the borrowed horses - Dom Pedro, Ivory and Patti |
After a very late start, guided by Tiffany on this stage, they made their way to Vila do Bispo, through the crouched bushes and twisted trees of the Sagres peninsula. On to Raposeira and then south to Hortas do Tabual and across the wild hills to Figueira. From Figueira turning south again and down into Salema.
Across the eastward track inland from the cliffs and through Boca do Rio......
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| Tiffany riding Ferrari - one of the other borrowed horses |
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| Approaching the Almádena river. |
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| Faisca in the centre, and the horse next to Ferrari is one of Dakar's sons. |
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| Commencing the crossing. |
From Boca do Rio up through the ruined village to the Forteleza de Almádena, by which time it was nearly sunset!
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So on to Almádena where the horses overnighted at Centro Hipíco Tiffany's - and the riders stayed at Belo Horizonte.
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The next day they went inland past Barão de São João and Bensafrim to skirt the shores of the Bravura Reservoir, where Tiffany handed over her position as guide. On through the forested foothills to Marmalete for the end of the second day.
Setting out from Marmalete in the morning, they eventually attained the summit of Foia in the pouring rain before descending for the next stop in Alferce. From there, the final night was spent at Silves.
Their arrival for the opening day of the Equisul II Fair, celebrating the horse, at the FATACIL ground in Lagoa, was greeted by the President of the Câmara of Lagoa and the Fair officials.
Expanded from a brief account first printed in The
News, a weekly English language paper published in
Portugal.
Wendy Nazar.