A volta das bestas: bring back wild horses to the Froxán commons (Galicia)

Garranos (Equus ferus atlanticus), wild horses of the Northwestern Iberian peninsula, have been a central element of the cultural landscape of the Atlantic mountains for millennia. Today, they are essential for preserving peatland and wet heath habitats, reducing wild fires, sequestering carbon, and preventing ecosystem degradation. Support the Montescola Foundation to reintroduce wild horses to the Froxán commons and Serra da Xiroña.

Project we support

Support the first herd of wild horses in the Froxán Commons

Fundación Montescola

Froxán is the first Indigenous and Community Conserved Area (ICCA) recognized in the Iberian Peninsula by the United Nations Environment Programme (in 2017). Over the past decade, the community has restored its territory, eliminating invasive species such as eucalyptus and acacia, restoring the Campo de Lamas bog, and planting more than 20,000 native trees. Now it is taking a decisive step with the reintroduction of wild horses. Their disappearance in the 1980s contributed to the encroaching of the landscape, the intensification of fires, and the degradation of peatlands and wet heaths. Montescola is forming an initial herd with a stallion and nine young mares that will be released into the Froxán ICCA to serve as the initial nucleus for the recovery of the populations in the Serra da Xiroña. The funds will be used entirely for the acquisition (and transportation) of animals, insurance, and basic management infrastructure.

Posted on
31/07/2025

Website:
https://www.instagram.com/montescola/

Group updates

Joám Evans Pim
Teaming Manager

06/10/2025 10:04 h

[PT] Este mês completaremos a formação sobre gestão de cavalos em liberdade que ajudamos a organizar e que incluiu sessõe teóricas e prácticas e visitas às serras da Groba e Xistral para conhecer as prácticas tradicionais. Voltamos carregadas de ideas para adatar e implementar em Froxán.

[EN] This month we will complete the training on free-roaming horse management that we helped organize, which included theoretical and practical sessions and visits to the Groba and Xistral mountains to learn about traditional practices. We return full of ideas to adapt and implement in Froxán.

[ES] Este mes completaremos la formación sobre gestión de caballos en libertad que ayudamos a organizar y que incluyó sesiones teóricas y prácticas y visitas a las sierras de Groba y Xistral para conocer las prácticas tradicionales. Volvemos cargadas de ideas para adaptar e implementar en Froxán.

[DE] Diesen Monat werden wir die Ausbildung zur Haltung von freilebenden Pferden abschließen, die wir mitorganisiert haben und die theoretische und praktische Sitzungen sowie Besuche in den Gebirgen Groba und Xistral umfasste, um traditionelle Praktiken kennenzulernen. Wir kehren voller Ideen zurück, um sie in Froxán anzupassen und umzusetzen.

[FR] Ce mois-ci, nous terminerons la formation sur la gestion des chevaux en liberté que nous avons aidé à organiser et qui a inclus des séances théoriques et pratiques ainsi que des visites dans les montagnes de Groba et de Xistral pour découvrir les pratiques traditionnelles. Nous revenons chargées d’idées à adapter et à mettre en œuvre à Froxán.

[IT] Questo mese completeremo la formazione sulla gestione dei cavalli in libertà che abbiamo contribuito a organizzare e che ha incluso sessioni teoriche e pratiche e visite alle montagne della Groba e dello Xistral per conoscere le pratiche tradizionali. Torniamo cariche di idee da adattare e implementare a Froxán.

[CAT] Aquest mes completarem la formació sobre gestió de cavalls en llibertat que vam ajudar a organitzar i que va incloure sessions teòriques i pràctiques i visites a les serres de Groba i Xistral per conèixer les pràctiques tradicionals. Tornem carregades d’idees per adaptar i implementar a Froxán.