Thank you - nice to 'meet' you!
Horses are exciting, but I'll be honest, I'm actually more interested in mules for their mountaineering properties! The mountain area we're looking at has many neolithic monuments, caves with cave paintings, waterfalls, even roman ruins, etc. - many of which are accessible only by foot or by hoof.
We're looking at a place in these mountains and are interested in the idea of grazing flocks on public land (as well as our own). Fire clearance laws in Portugal mean that you can get fined if you don't clear the brush, and so some people pay companies to do this for them; we're thinking of offering 'natural' clearing services with the goats (with bonus fertilisation) for a cheaper fee than the machines. Maybe even mixed flock grazing. There are cows in Portugal bred for the mountainsides, so it's possible.
And of
course we'd like to set up a homestead and do the homesteading thing.
I'm particularly interested in
native livestock breeds and
landrace crops. Portugal also has some very interesting brassicas like couve galega and tree collards, and a much better climate than the UK for the slightly exotic. I like to grow some slightly unconventional stuff like saffron, tobacco, silkworms, etc. which would do much better out there. I like to experiment!
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